What’s your thoughts on a garlic press?

Press crushes it as well which releases oils. Fine mincing does not.

The effect of releasing the oils? Ask someone else.

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It’s a good tool.

So was Bordain

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Jesus man

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The effect of releasing the oils?

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That’s my thing, I don’t know. How much of a difference can it be? It may well be a big difference and I’m an idiot barbarian, or whatever Bourdain calls us garlic pressers.

I just use a knife, maybe a bit of salt to add grit. Nothing against a garlic press but just one more thing I have to clean.

Watch Jacque Pepin LINK

I use so much garlic I don't lose shite.

All the ones I've bought were crap.
Either they break or the little plunger doesn't go far enough in and it leaves like half a clove inside.

I can tell you that nothing gets as strong a flavor as using a mortar and pestle. If you grind your garlic into a paste it will give the strongest flavor possible.

It has its charms. I generally only use it when making salad dressing. I like chopping fresh garlic and I like the smell it leaves on my fingers. But for some applications the garlic press is a good solution.

And it's incredibly easy to clean. I don't get that complaint at all.

The old Serious Eats bulletin board had a discussion on this. Thoughts varied from tradition, uni-tasker, snobbery, or even impact on flavor.

One pro chef said: "It really is a matter of choice and style, I have had coworkers who would insist upon using a press, and others a food processor, and an equal number who would just smash it with knife or pan."

Why don't professional chefs use a garlic press?


Daniel Gritzer at SE did a comparison on how mincing/smashing/zesting affected flavor. The more cell walls broken down, the more pungent the raw garlic. Zesting with a microplane really lit it up. Sometimes you may want that; other times not.

Gentle cooking led to these results:

Knife-Minced: Once again mild, with little bits of chewable garlic that are tender and sweet.

Garlic Press: Stronger overall flavor than the knife minced, with a medium burn in the throat. It's a little sweet but also a little harsh.

Mortar and Pestle: Quite sweet with tender mashed chunks. Pretty tasty, with a very mild burn that sets in late in the back of the mouth.

Knife Pureed: The baby bear—neither too sweet nor too harsh, too mild nor too strong.

Microplane: The burn sets in faster than the others, with a slightly acrid taste, but not nearly as bad as raw. Unpleasant bitter aftertaste hangs in the mouth, but it's not severe.

Longer cooking like in a stew reduced them all to a "single mellow garlic base note, regardless of preparation method."

The Best Way to Mince Garlic

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I prefer to chop my own

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It depends on what I'm making. If it's a pasta aglio e olio, I like it sliced because the thinly sliced golden garlic looks good and tickles the palate in the very simple sauce. If I'm making a meat sauce, I'll run the garlic through the press so the garlic will be minced and finer. If I'm stuffing a pork roast, I leave the garlic cloves whole.