Hate Chopping Garlic?
By Dawn Perry
I hate chopping garlic. It’s sticky, it stinks up my cutting board, stinks up my hands, and perfumes anything that comes close to it with its not-always-welcome aroma. Crushing a clove under a knife is no big deal. It stays in its jacket and travels easily from board to pot or pan. Slicing is manageable, razor-sharp blade or not, but anything beyond a very rough chop is a pain. Now, I love garlic, sautéed with greens, mellowed in soups and stews, even raw in dips and dressings. But I hate chopping garlic.
If it’s just one clove I’m dealing with, I’ve been digging the finely grated approach, using a Microplane to shave cloves into a near paste. But that still means I have to wash my board, my hands, and the Microplane—and risk my fingertips in the process. So last week I dug out the garlic press.
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We didn’t have a garlic press growing up—it was mostly a garlic-powder situation. But I think my mom, who did the lion’s share of the cooking and admitted only after I started cooking professionally that she hated it, would have really appreciated one. Come to think of it, what a clever knife-free way to get kids involved in the kitchen. Along the way to becoming a professional cook, I got it in my head that garlic presses were bad, maybe even “below me.” I think it was Anthony Bourdain who said that if you use a garlic press you’d go to hell. (Hey, Tony, already going!) But once I got my hands on a good one, I realized that the thing works. And the good ones work well. Now I can’t remember why I started talking shit in the first place.
The most common garlic-press complaints include that they are “hard to clean” and they “hurt my hands.” It’s true: Those old Town Car-style models were tough to grip and required a toothpick to get out all the stuck bits. But technology and design have improved. A lot. Sturdy ones, like this gem from OXO, not only crush garlic with one squeeze, but its little nubbins press out the spent peel in one swift reverse motion. Yes, you can put a whole clove in there without peeling, I promise. The other common complaint? That garlic presses only have one job (we are typically opposed to owning uni-taskers around here). But I own a can opener, don’t I? I probably use my can opener twice a month, and I use a garlic press at least once a week. Frequency counts.
I haven’t used a garlic press at work with much regularity. We only have one in the BA test kitchen, and it hadn’t crossed my mind to look until last week, when I was peeling two heads for a February recipe. Come to think of it, I would be mortified if my old restaurant chef were to see me using a garlic press for my prep work. There is something decidedly un-chef-y about its convenience. But if the thing works, and achieves the same results as all the fine and frustrating knife work, why not make use of advancements that make my work and life easier?
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Remember, I am generally not preparing technique-driven, refined French fare at work or at home. And my guess is neither are you. I know there are instances where the brunoise matters, but more often than not, it doesn’t. We food editors test and develop recipes that we strive to ensure are a) delicious and b) straightforward enough that readers will actually make them at home. Knife Skills is the hardest class in culinary school, and unless you work with a knife day in and day out, chances are your slicing and dicing are average. That’s OK. I’m not measuring my fine dice, and I don’t expect you to, either.
I’m not saying I use a garlic press every time I encounter a clove, but there is a time and a place for it. Whenever large quantities of finely chopped or mashed garlic are called for—say, more than two cloves—I reach for the press. Here in the BA test kitchen, we’re thinking about how you guys cook at home and how we cook at home. So if the garlic press can help get better food on the table in a more reasonable amount of time, I’m all for it.
Plus I’d rather not go home smelling like a salami.
photo: Flickr
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