Comments on: Ask Roni: Mincing Garlic

By: sabitha

sabitha — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 19:01:17 +0000

I tried using the minced garlic in jars, but it smells and tastes very bad, so I just stopped buying it anymore, also it is not fresh. I use a knife to mice the garlic, i think that is best, never tried a garlic presser.

By: Annalisa

Annalisa — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 16:09:19 +0000

Thanks for the post, Roni! I use a butter knife and pound a clove a garlic on the counter – the clove usually pops right out. I either chop/mince it or use my zester to make a paste. The paste is good for garlic bread, shrimp scampi, etc. and it cleans really well. I have never had luck with a press – it always gets stuck and I feel like I spent more time cleaning it than using it ;-( You make it look easy.

By: Maranda

Maranda — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 02:16:31 +0000

Thanks for the post, I couldn’t live without my garlic press:)

By: Diana

Diana — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 21:45:15 +0000

I just wanted to chime in about the garlic press. I too use and love the Pampered Chef one but decided to try out the OXO one because of the attached cleaner – I hate it! Does not work half as good as the pampered chef one. So Bonnie, stick with the one you have and don’t waste the money – only half of the garlic comes out.

By: Karol

Karol — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 06:58:44 +0000

My sister gave me a mini electric food processor/chopper which is wonderful if you have a large family as I do. I remove the skins from 6 or 7(or more)cloves and put them all in at once. A few seconds of processing and they are all minced perfectly. I scrape the minced garlic out with a slender rubber scraper and then I’m done in no time. It takes me much longer to mince that many with a knife, so before I had the processor I was resorting to the jar of minced garlic, but I don’t like the flavor as well.

By the way, the big piece of garlic you buy is a bulb and the many smaller pieces you separate from the bulb are the cloves.

I had a garlic press once, but it was made of molded plastic. It would flex when I tried to press a clove of garlic and hardly make a dent in it. A metal one would probably work much better.

By: Sally

Sally — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 06:03:30 +0000

I usually buy pre-cleaned garlic and put it in the freezer that way i dont have to go through the hassel of cleaning it or being worried about it going bad.. Im not crazy about using a garlic press though i feel like the garlic disappears while its in there lol.. I just use a knife a chop like a lunatic. =]

By: Janice

Janice — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 22:00:01 +0000

Ok, I love garlic and only use fresh. We use an Oxo garlic press if we need it minced. It is just easier. But as Roni said, a good knife works great too.

By: Bonnie

Bonnie — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 14:37:21 +0000

I just realized my old website was showing, so I had to leave another msg to change it.

By: Bonnie

Bonnie — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 14:35:47 +0000

I have the Pampered Chef garlic press also, but after seeing your Oxo press, I wish I had that one. I like how the little thing that cleans out the skins is permanently attached. It would be easy to lose the Pampered Chef one.

By: Adriana

Adriana — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 14:20:51 +0000

I bought a garlic press from pampered chef about a year ago and I think it’s fantastic!

By: roni

roni — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 11:47:23 +0000

Christie – You know I never buy them, I’m not sure why?!? My mom never did either but I can see how they can be a HUGE time saver! I just buy a clove of garlic ever week or two and honestly I tend to use them even when they are on the “way out” (a little dry and rubbery) LOL Thanks for reminding me of them, I tend to forget they have those jars!

By: Debbie

Debbie — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 10:37:44 +0000

I love garlic and while I have used whole cloves and cut them myself, I buy the huge jar of minced garlic. I saw in a magazine the other day that 2t of minced garlic equals one clove. Getting the smell on my hands is not a problem, just rub a butter knife in your hands while washing them and the smell disapears. Heres to garlic!

By: Allison K

Allison K — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 05:44:23 +0000

Oh my gosh! This reminded me of something I saw Alton Brown do that I have been wanting to try.. forever! He has this little square slab of granite or something, puts the clove down on the counter/board, and literally, from a height, slams the granite slab down – and boom, your garlic is minced/pulverized, and you just scrape it off into your pan. I’m not sure it’s as practical as a press or a knife… but I still want to try it :P I guess it is relatively instantaneous, though – and would probably reduce sticky garlic fingers.. lol.

By: Christie

Christie — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 05:38:42 +0000

I may be the only one to admit this but I seldomly buy fresh garlic. I buy a jar of the pre-minced stuff and use it in recipes instead. The fresh garlic goes bad too quickly for me to eat it all, I don’t have to smell like garlic hands, and I don’t have to dirty unnecessary dishes (no dishwasher here!).

So, if you aren’t morally opposed to the idea, I would recommend that. They normally sell it in the produce section near the regular garlic and onions.