Paulie did the prep work. He was doing a year for contempt, and he had this wonderful system for doing the garlic. He used a razor, and he used to slice it so thin that he used to liquefy in the pan with just a little oil.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate cleaning those suckers. Last time I used one was 40 years ago. I slice, mince, or crush with knife. I could care less about garlic on my fingers.

Same. Place I hate having one trick gadgets cluttering my drawers

Same. And I love the smell of fresh garlic on my fingers.

Anonymous wrote:I always press my garlic. It takes me maybe 20 seconds to clean under the faucet before throwing the press into the dishwasher. I also only add it to the recipe for about 30 seconds before adding in liquids of some sort. I've never had it burn and tend to cook with it at least 6 times a week. We love garlic in our family lol.

Same.
Sauté crushed garlic in oil for about 30-45 seconds on low heat before stirring in liquids. Tomato sauce for Italian and soy/fish sauce for Asian.

Anonymous wrote:Sliced gives a milder flavor. Pressed can be overwhelming.

This and I don't agree with the previous poster who said putting garlic in a press imparts bitter, metalic notes. Bitter notes come from old garlic and from burning garlic.

I use both methods. If you use a garlic press, you should start it in a cold pan and watch it carefully. It truly only needs seconds. Use plenty of oil and throw the other stuff in quickly. Many recipes start with onion, garlic, and maybe one other ingredient. In that case put the garlic in last and turn down the heat if you have to.

Re bitterness and off flavors - the garlic we get in the stores in Norther Virginia is crap. Most of it is brown and old. That will impart bitterness and a stinky funk. I now buy from Costco and process a large portion of the garlic and store it in freezer bags in the freezer. I peel a bunch of cloves and freeze them in bags. I double bag them because the smell will permeate other items in the freezer. I store butter in the freezer for scone making and inadvertently created garlic tart cherry scones. They were not good.

Anonymous wrote:It does matter. When you use a garlic press, it liquifies something of the flesh and releases compounds in the garlic that impart a bitter, metallic taste in your food. Depending on the recipe, you’ll want to use a knife to slice the garlic or use a knife to mince it.

Bull.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I buy the pre peeled garlic cloves. They have big bags of them at Costco.

Lazy.

Efficient. I cook 95% of my meals from scratch and I need quick midweek meals. Garlic peeling is one of the most time consuming things and I use a lot of it. I’m already peeling and chopping other vegetables but I can’t peel garlic quickly. They’re whole cloves so don’t lose flavor like the minced.

I always press my garlic. It takes me maybe 20 seconds to clean under the faucet before throwing the press into the dishwasher. I also only add it to the recipe for about 30 seconds before adding in liquids of some sort. I've never had it burn and tend to cook with it at least 6 times a week. We love garlic in our family lol.

OP here. Thank you for all the suggestions. I was making the NYT recipe for Shakshuka. I smashed the cloves using the flat side of my knife and still found it annoying. It’s true about pressed garlic burning which is why I don’t add it to just olive oil I add it when I have something more in the pan. I’m going to try the recipe again with pressed garlic I’m not convinced I’d be able to notice the difference.

Peeling the cloves feels like a whole other step. I love just tossing it in the press and voila.

I do recommend this recipe
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1014721-shakshuka-with-feta

I added garbanzo beans and spinach. The eggs also took quite a bit longer to cook in the oven than the 7-9 minutes.

Sliced gives a milder flavor. Pressed can be overwhelming.

Anonymous wrote:This gizmo makes peeling garlic so easy, love it. And much safer than using the flat of a knife.

https://www.amazon.com/Zyliss-E950016U-ZYLISS-Garlic-Peeler/dp/B01KV9T4O2/ref=pd_lpo_2?pd_rd_i=B01KV9T4O2&psc=1

If you think lightly whacking the flat of a chef's knife atop a garlic clove with your hand is at all dangerous, you should immediately stop using knives at all. And probably never leave your house. Good lord.

Anonymous wrote:I hate cleaning those suckers. Last time I used one was 40 years ago. I slice, mince, or crush with knife. I could care less about garlic on my fingers.

Same. Place I hate having one trick gadgets cluttering my drawers

I almost always slice or mince garlic for cooking unless the recipe specifically calls for crushed garlic. I used crushed garlic for salad dressing (homemade vinaigrette).

As far as peeling garlic goes, I give the cloves a solid whack with the side of a chef's knife, and the skin slides right off.

Slightly crushing makes peeling a breeze.

I hate cleaning those suckers. Last time I used one was 40 years ago. I slice, mince, or crush with knife. I could care less about garlic on my fingers.

Slice for sauces. If it was crushed, it would burn frying in olive oil quickly