Garlic Press Kitchen Gadgets

Garlic Press

pointsevenout 16 years ago

Need some pros and cons for a garlic press or the best garlic press and why.

Why can't a potato ricer double as a garlic press?

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trigger 16 years ago said:

I use a potato ricer when making twice baked potatoes . I load a whole head of roasted garlic, squeeze out the pulp; then remove the skins and rice the potatoes. Thew potatoes clean out any garlic left over.

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peetabear 16 years ago said:

great idea Trigger..

I have a garlic press from Pampered Chef that I love for every day use.... it is easy to use.. you don't have to peel the garlic, it has very little waste.. and it is so easy to clean... it has the little teeth gizmo that you insert into the holes and then you just rinse .

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wart_hog 16 years ago said:

Unless I'm doing a lot of garlic I don't bother with finding, using, cleaning, drying and putting away a press. I lay cloves on the cutting board and crush each with the side of the prep knife that's already in my hand, slice the flattened cloves thin, pile them up and chop them a bit. When I do use a press it's a no-name cast aluminum job that works fine - no cleaning gizmo but I don't use it enough to bother getting one of those.

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wynnebaer 16 years ago said:

Gotta say, the only tip I ever got from Rachael Ray was that if you want garlic in something, use a grater and it's there like you want it...... gave my press away after trying it that way a couple times....Sometimes I use my grater and others, my microplane......Depends on how I want my garlic.

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pointsevenout 16 years ago said:

Some of the recipes call for the garlic to be processed through a garlic press. Did some reading on the subject and the press is supposed to make the garlic come out tasting stronger vs. processing them with your chef's knife.

I try to stay as close to the recipes as I can, and when it says a garlic press I'll try to indulge it until I find out whether there is a discernible difference. And being on the cheep side of the coin I thought maybe a potato ricer would substitute nicely.

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wart_hog 16 years ago said:

Yes, garlic should always be crushed., one way or another. Garlic doesn't become "garlicy" until its cell walls are broken, triggering an enzyme reaction. Food chemists are unanimous on this. That's why I lean hard on the side of my knife to crush it before slicing and chopping very fine. The more damage the better.

A press will do maximum damage, but the resulting mush may not be optimal for stir fries and the like - it won't brown in the same way as finely chopped (and I do a lot of stir fries), but it may be good enough. I find pressed garlic is a little stringy and benefits from a little chopping too.

On the other hand, the "garicy" effect is temporary, fading rather quickly, which is why pre-crushed garlic is ineffective. Perhaps you can stop the reaction and hold the flavor with some vinegar as is done with mustard - I haven't tried that.

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