Garlic Presses - What do you like?

[Don Ro]

I'm looking at this one...I like a big bucket so I can do lots of cloves at one sitting.
Then a good self-cleaning feature.
Any suggestions?
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Amazon.com: Propresser Garlic Press Stainless Steel - The Authentic Kitchen Gadgets - Free Bonus Home Chef Ebook - Best Cooking Utensils - Garlic Mincer and Ginger Press: Home & Kitchen
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Also, this one:
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Amazon.com: Best garlic Press & Peeler Set - Solid Stainless Steel Mincer & Silicone Tube Roller To Peel And Crush Your Raw Cloves - Best Kitchen Gadgets To Easily Make Delicious, Fresh Minced Garlic Paste - Also Works Great For Mincing Ginger - Dish

[onlycafe]

bash with the flat side of a knife, then chop.
spend that saved money on wine or whiskey.

[Danimal16]

Originally Posted by onlycafe

bash with the flat side of a knife, then chop.

+1000, crushes and peals the clove in one shot.

[Don Ro]

I know all that...just kinda lazy, that's all.

[MikeSid]

Yep. The garlic press is a waste of space, ruins the garlic, and is a pain to clean.

If you need super fine garlic and your knife skills can't achieve that, use a microplane. At least the microplane can do other things, grate hard cheese, zest citrus, etc.

I cannot think of a situation where I would rather have garlic from a press rather than a microplane.

[Don Ro]

Ruins the garlic? How so?

[MikeSid]

Pressing garlic extracts the oil from the flesh. The oil is strong flavored and if heated can become acrid almost instantly. If used in a cold preparation, the flavor would just be very strong - and in my experience, even if unheated, pressed garlic is more bitter and less sweet than sliced or chopped.

If the oil is kept with parts of the flesh, the oil is protected (this is my hypothesis, not rooted in anything other than my experience) and will stand much more heat, release flavor slower and generally be sweeter.

I think of pressed garlic a lot like powered garlic. There is a flavor there that can be used, but it's not really what I'm after when I want fresh garlic.

I'm no chemist and I frankly don't have a clue what's really going on with the garlic in different preparation. But this is my experience, and my opinion was formed about 10 years before Bourdain started his food-snob rants on the subject.

[gtc]

I've heard from a few friends (and internet reviews seem to back them up) that the Kuhn Rikon Epicurean press (their stainless model, not the plastic handled one) is the best out there.
But for close to $40, I haven't picked one up yet.

[winders]

MikeSid is a bit off......

Garlic has a defense mechanism. When it is damaged (e.g., crushed, chopped, squished, etc.), the enzyme alliinase converts the alliin in the cloves into allicin. More sulfur compounds are formed when alliinase comes in contact with alliin than just allicin. These compounds are also part of the garlic flavor we know. The only way to make crushed garlic acrid is to brown it too much or burn it. Cooking it destroys the allicin but the other sulfur compounds remain giving us the wanted garlic flavor.

All that happens when you crush garlic in a press is that you increase the amount of alliin converted into allicin (along with the other associated sulfur compounds) compared to what you would get with crushing it with a knife. That's it. Nothing more than that.

So, if you use a press, you need less garlic. Regardless, it is often recommended to let the crushed or squished garlic sit for 10 minutes before using.

Here is so more useful information:

The Science of Cooking With Garlic - Real Food - MOTHER EARTH NEWS

[scottmandue]

I don't press my garlic... I use one of these:

[Tobra]

I am extra lazy. I roast the garlic whole without removing anything, cut the top of it off and squeeze the roasted garlic paste into a little glass jar. No chopping, no smashing, just delicious roasted garlic.

[vash]

Originally Posted by gtc

I've heard from a few friends (and internet reviews seem to back them up) that the Kuhn Rikon Epicurean press (their stainless model, not the plastic handled one) is the best out there.
But for close to $40, I haven't picked one up yet.

great garlic press, by far.

my sister gave me one you twist, but i havent used it yet..been months. i've gotten pretty damn awesome at dragging the side of my chef knife on it and chopping it down fine. oddly enough, a carbon blade has more "grip" and seems to do a better job.

[Baz]

You guys are doing it all wrong......

[kolo]

buy it by the quart at the store
or peel whole cloves after micro waving them for just a bit

[jyl]

Use a knife, not a press.

[TimT]

i've gotten pretty damn awesome at dragging the side of my chef knife on it and chopping it down fine. oddly enough, a carbon blade has more "grip" and seems to do a better job.

Toss some good salt on the garlic while you back blade it with your knife... it helps to really make a nice garlic paste....

schmear it on some bruschetta...

nom nom nom nom nom

[Don Ro]

Originally Posted by gtc

I've heard from a few friends (and internet reviews seem to back them up) that the Kuhn Rikon Epicurean press (their stainless model, not the plastic handled one) is the best out there.
But for close to $40, I haven't picked one up yet.

This one? What's so special about it? Not being an ass...just a Q.
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Amazon.com: Kuhn Rikon Epicurean Garlic Press: Kitchen & Dining

[vash]

Originally Posted by Don Ro

This one? What's so special about it? Not being an ass...just a Q.
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Amazon.com: Kuhn Rikon Epicurean Garlic Press: Kitchen & Dining

that's it. i dont have that one..i have the Good Grips one. and why mine is kinda sucky is the same reason that Kuhn one rocks. the Kuhn is so much easier to clean. the mesh thing hinges out, and you can scrub it. cleaning mine is like trying to clean out a thimble..

i think you get a tad better leverage on the Kuhn..my friend has one, and it was nice to use.

i'll get one someday, but it just isnt a priority. my knife skills are getting better.

[Don Ro]

I'll put in on my Amazon Wish List.
May as well....what else am I doing between birth and death?

[vash]

let me go and take a pic of the "cup" one my sister gave me..she swears it dominates over any press.