Garlic chopper vs. garlic mincer

Garlic choppers and mincers


But how about traditional two-step way of making garlic release it's juices, aroma, taste by first smashing it with the flat of a knife and then chopping the clove?
One wide knife - two "garlic" functions.

But wait! There is Van Vacter Garlic Knife  
(I wonder if it's any use). 

I use traditional way rather than special utencil -- and to save time when large quantities of cloves should be processed, I use old-fashioned  garlic press. 
Look for industrial grade, though. Even expensive brand-name ones break (see this).  

Kitchen gadgets at work

Joseph Joseph Uni-tool, 5-In-1 Utensil proved to be useful as a spatula / scraper / tasting spoon, avocado scooper, drainer, garlic crusher and surprisingly well as a serrated knife. Great for lefties! Not many tools are made for us so the right-handed majority shouldn't complain. 
Sold out in red on Amazon.com. 

2 things the Government doesn't want you to know

Strawberry huller  can be used for hulling tomatoes: charge, stab, twist and pull!


Meat Tenderizer (the one you already own, I prefer wood but metal ones are good too) works wonders as a garlic crusher.

Garlic tools

Continued from baked garlic. 

The authentic way of dealing with garlic is positioning unshelled clove on a cutting board and crushing it with the wide side of the knife inside the shell. Then peeling off the shell and finishing up by some minor chopping.

I also use garlic press. The simpler the better. For some reason those purchased  in countries where garlic is and essential condiment (or in ethnic stores) worked better for me than expensive ones made by companies with a name and additional self-cleaning function.
This one looks like a stapler, the idea is that you put less effort into pressing. A bit hesitant to invest 20$ into Amazon.com - my $1 one brought from travel abroad works for 15 years and counting.

Kuhn Rikon Easy-Squeeze Garlic Press

Garlic keeper is as good of an idea as any other highly specialized keeper. I may write about keepers one day but not now. What you see here is garlic baker not garlic keeper. Oh well.

Reco International Garlic Baker

              There are specialized garlic choppers as well. I'll save choppers for later...And don't forget a slicer.

Garlic Peeler @ Williams-Sonoma $9

I discovered garlic peelers. It's a tube, and you put cloves into it and roll the tube. It's flexible. One tube can take a number of cloves. Actually, it's a nice design idea. May chop off a chunk of a rubber water hose and try it out.

I like the idea of garlic rocker (no kidding this time) and should see whether it may spare me the nuisance of cleaning the garlic press .

Joseph Joseph® Green Rocker™ Garlic Crusher @ Sur La Table $10

Not sure about garlic twist (Amazon.com $15) but this combo of three (Amazon.com $6) looks more appealing: garlic grater, garlic peeler and a brush to clean the grater. But I don't trust this particular grater (see customer reviews) and I rather hand pick one in the store to be sure I'm not wasting my money and kitchen space.

 


So I may try rocker (a.k.a. crusher) and ceramic grater in  a short while.

Baked elephant garlic

The baked elephant garlic appetizer I made for Sunday brunch came out beautifully. No matter what bread you use for dipping - French baguette or German rye - it will work just fine (well, I  talk about real bread, not fluffy nonsense imitation that stays soft for months and is accompanied by half page worth of ingredients).   

Le Creuset® Cassis Heritage Stoneware Oval Gratin, 8"

So, generously pour extra virgin olive oil into small casserole (I got mine at Sur La Table), cut off the top of elephant garlic head without much shelling. 1 head weighs approximately 1/2 pound and will be good for 4-5 people. Put the clove and the rest into the casserole. Bake on 400F for about 15-20 minutes. You may choose to mash it with a fork a little when it's ready or serve as is. I'm positively addicted to this simple dish.

 

Staub® Mini Roasting Dish, Oval

As you probably noticed this dish does not require any special garlic tools asnd you can use any baking dish including disposable aluminum tray. The casserole is for presentation and you can bake as many cloves as you need for a big party using one tray and then move small portions to small casseroles / gratins / ramikins.

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