What is the point of a garlic press?

[Skittle68]

Is the garlic supposed to come out the little holes, or am I supposed to just end up with a crushed mess that I have to mince anyway?? Or am I supposed to cut it up small before I throw it in there? Or is my garlic press just crappy? The garlic ends up coming up through the sides, and just gets mushed up a little. :/

 

[pacanis]

Mine holds about one clove and the garlic comes out the little holes... like a playdough fun factory
No garlic up the sides and a pain in the butt to scrape out and clean. You'd think I had left the paper on.

 

[Kayelle]

Since the advent of the Miroplane grater I never use my garlic press anymore. The Microplane does a more efficient job, and it's easier to clean.

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/microplane-rasp-grater/?pkey=cctlslcgrt

 

[Bigjim68]

I have one, it currently resides in my "things I have used once" drawer.

 

[Uncle Bob]

I got rid of mine... a long, long, long time ago..... I gave it to an enemy

 

[jabbur]

I never had experience with fresh garlic. My mom only used garlic powder and salt when she wanted garlic. Occasionally she'd get the dehydrated minced garlic. I tend to use the minced in the jars that you see in the produce section just because I don't use it that much. I've often wondered about those things and figured if they work anything like a potato ricer (which didn't work all that well for me) I'd just stick with what I'm used to.

 

[Skittle68]

Since the advent of the Miroplane grater I never use my garlic press anymore. The Microplane does a more efficient job, and it's easier to clean.

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/microplane-rasp-grater/?pkey=cctlslcgrt

I always nick my nails on graters :/ and if the garlic press actually worked it would be pretty cool that after the garlic was peeled it would take like a split second to send it through those little holes lol

 

[garlicjosh]

Since the advent of the Miroplane grater I never use my garlic press anymore. The Microplane does a more efficient job, and it's easier to clean.

Microplane Rasp Grater | Williams-Sonoma

same here. I've used a garlic press once and was like "gaw no..this is just terrible and doesn't feel right"

now a microplane grater...that gets the job done, can be used a million places in the kitchen and does a great job everytime.
i'll admit that I usually stick to a thin blade due to most recipes I work with only needing sliced, crushed, and decently minced.
I only use microplane for things like Soups and sauces

 

[mollyanne]

The Microplane does a more efficient job, and it's easier to clean.
Microplane Rasp Grater | Williams-Sonoma

Oh goody! Now I have an excuse to sit on Santa's lap come December! . But what about what Skittle said about always nicking her nails on the grater? Garlic cloves really are rather tiny.

And, yes, I tossed my garlic press after one use.

Meanwhile, I'm loving the frozen crushed garlic in individual cubes (1clove=1cube) that I picked up at Trader Joe's as per a tip left by someone here in the DC forum...who was that? show yourself...i love you
As soon as you thaw the cube it's just like fresh crushed. You get 20 frozen crushed garlic cubes by Dorot.

 

[pacanis]

I got rid of mine... a long, long, long time ago..... I gave it to an enemy

I think the only reason I haven't given away mine... to an enemy... is because my mother gave it to me. It's old and used to be hers.
Heeey... wait a minute....

 

[Kayelle]

But what about what Skittle said about always nicking his nails on the grater? Garlic cloves really are rather tiny.

Skittle is a girl, MA. I dunno, I keep my nails short, and I don't grate the clove to the very end like it was gold or sumpin.

 

[luvs]

they teach knife skills! i gave in & used my Mom's tupper-type one when i was a tot. i then learned that i would much rather mince my garlic myself!~

 

[Rocklobster]

they teach knife skills! i gave in & used my Mom's tupper-type one when i was a tot. i then learned that i would much rather mince my garlic myself!~

Yes. It is a ritual. Spiritual.

 

[Skittle68]

they teach knife skills! i gave in & used my Mom's tupper-type one when i was a tot. i then learned that i would much rather mince my garlic myself!~

Lol, so true! I would much rather mince garlic with a knife. But the memories of how terrible the garlic press is fade, and after a few months I try it again, like maybe I didn't do it right the first time lol

 

[cmarchibald]

I bought a garlic press when I first started cooking with fresh garlic and used it maybe twice. After that I decided it was easier to just mince it myself. I have no use for it. I did however discover by chance a marvelous mincing and peeling tool, snatched it up and loving it. I use this little baby almost every day. I posted about it on another thread yesterday:

There's only two of us, too, but the way we use garlic it wouldn't last a week!

That said I'm totally addicted to fresh garlic and don't mind the extra prep, even when I have to make a lot of it. Actually I stumbled upon a little tool in the store one day that cut my garlic prep time by 90%....it's brilliant. It's a little handheld garlic mincer that came with a "garlic peeler" that works astonishingly well....it's just a tube of rubber, you stick the clove in the tube, roll it on the counter top a few times and the paper falls right off. Unreal. If you use garlic even half as much as we do you guys should look for this:

Garlic Pro Dicer and Peeler Set review at Kaboodle

There are many similarly designed ones but they have plastic "teeth" instead of the steel blades that this one has (this is the same type I stumbled upon in the store). I've never used the plastic kind but I can't imagine it works nearly as well as the blades do. Even with the stainless blades I sometimes have trouble turning it, garlic can be tough!

That peeler really does work, though!

 

[Barbara L]

I got a Tupperware garlic press when I sold TW for 11 months. It's pretty. That's the only good thing I can say about it. It smashed up the garlic the couple times I tried it.

Barbara

 

[sparrowgrass]

Lots of times I will use a little mortar and pestle, and mash the garlic to a paste with a big pinch of coarse salt.

I also have a Garlic Twist--an acrylic thingie with teeth inside that mushes the garlic up quite well.

The Twist is quick and easy, and you can do a couple of cloves at a time. It seems to be indestructible, rinses clean and goes in the dishwasher.

I use a ton of garlic--if it says one clove, I add 5. (I live alone, ya know.)

 

[cmarchibald]

Lots of times I will use a little mortar and pestle, and mash the garlic to a paste with a big pinch of coarse salt.

I also have a Garlic Twist--an acrylic thingie with teeth inside that mushes the garlic up quite well.

The Twist is quick and easy, and you can do a couple of cloves at a time. It seems to be indestructible, rinses clean and goes in the dishwasher.

Mine is exactly like that except the teeth are blades. I wondered if the plastic ones worked as well, good to know they do. Since I have steel blades in mine it doesn't really mash it, but it does one fine job of mincing it. I hadn't thought of mashing it with coarse salt for paste....I should give that a shot!

I use a ton of garlic--if it says one clove, I add 5. (I live alone, ya know.)

The first time I cooked something with fresh garlic I thought "one clove" was the whole bulb, so that's what I used. My husband and I both love garlic so, that's pretty much how I've cooked with it ever since.

Side story: Here in the Philippines we have a big problem with mosquitoes around my house and they sure love to bite me, no matter what I do. I asked a few other expats living here what they did and one of them recommended eating more garlic. I told him if I eat any more garlic I'll be keeping more than mosquitoes away.

 

[mollyanne]

I use a ton of garlic--if it says one clove, I add 5. (I live alone, ya know.)

 

[BigAL]

My garlic press is the hammer outta my pickup tool box that I just wrap in clear wrap. Those press' are what you give your MIL, or SonIL......that's what my MIL thought of me anyway.