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Monday, September 26, 2011

Before You Make Dinner Tonight, Learn How to Peel Garlic in 10 Seconds

Posted by on Mon, Sep 26, 2011 at 5:33 PM

This changes everything:

(Thanks for the tip, Alithea!)

 

Comments (42) RSS

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1
Or, if you have small children, give it to them to peel. It takes much longer, and it's probably not too hygienic, but it keeps them busy and feeling helpful as you prepare dinner.
Posted by Goldy on September 26, 2011 at 5:43 PM
gloomy gus 2
Everything about that video was fabulous. He said "ass", too. Thanks!
Posted by gloomy gus on September 26, 2011 at 5:43 PM
3
How is a one-minute video supposed to teach me something in ten seconds?
Posted by Warren Terra on September 26, 2011 at 5:46 PM
4
@3: I'd explain, but it would take too long.
Posted by FeralTurnip on September 26, 2011 at 5:48 PM
Dudeilicous 5
pshh, my method takes 8 seconds
Posted by Dudeilicous on September 26, 2011 at 5:52 PM
6
CGI trickery!
Posted by rutabaga pie on September 26, 2011 at 6:08 PM
Free Lunch 7
...and then take 2 minutes to wash the bowls.
Posted by Free Lunch on September 26, 2011 at 6:09 PM
8
That's nice if you want to get two huge bowls dirty peeling garlic. I simply crush garlic with the side of my knife. Easy, fast, no extra dishes.

I guess if you were going to use those bowls anyway it would work?
Posted by ams_ on September 26, 2011 at 6:10 PM
Geraldo Riviera 9
Fuck this bullshit.
Posted by Geraldo Riviera on September 26, 2011 at 6:16 PM
10
I want to try that just because it involves vigorously shaking aluminum bowls and making a lot of racket. Yeah!
Posted by LMcGuff http://holyoutlaw.livejournal.com/ on September 26, 2011 at 6:18 PM
Fnarf 11
Wait, he uses BOWLS? That's insane. Snip, crush, peel -- it should take three seconds with your knife. If you're good you don't even need to snip -- two seconds. Maybe you have to give your fingers a quick rinse to get the paper off, but jeez -- wash bowls?
Posted by Fnarf http://www.facebook.com/fnarf on September 26, 2011 at 6:40 PM
gloomy gus 12
This is for dishes calling for uncrushed cloves, though, no? Yes, crushing makes peeling easy, but if the recipe calls for uncrushed cloves, here's a way to do that. No biggie.
Posted by gloomy gus on September 26, 2011 at 7:07 PM
internet_jen 13
Meh, just smash it. With the broad side of your knife or with a can of food or something. smashed garlic is easier to chop.
Posted by internet_jen on September 26, 2011 at 7:22 PM
14
Ummm... when is the last time anyone needed to peel a whole HEAD of garlic all at once?
Posted by KeithLewis on September 26, 2011 at 7:32 PM
Fnarf 15
@12, if you have a delicate, almost caressing touch you can crack the skin without pulping the clove. I can't think of any dish requiring full cloves that can't handle a very slightly split one. You have to be able to CHARM the skin off.
Posted by Fnarf http://www.facebook.com/fnarf on September 26, 2011 at 7:33 PM
16
I'm with Fnarf and the anti-more-dishwashing-ers!
Posted by Bethany Jean Clement on September 26, 2011 at 7:46 PM
gloomy gus 17
There it is, then, @15. Nobody and nothing ever told me I had a delicate or caressing touch with food prep, much less charm. I'm very much the type like internet jen @13, happy to club away at garlic with whatever anvil or shoe is handiest. That's why the bowl thing is perfect for a mook like me - big noise, lots of clanging, but it leaves me with cloves, not paste.
Posted by gloomy gus on September 26, 2011 at 8:01 PM
18
You can easily crack the clove in your hands and the peel falls right off. It's a really simple technique and leaves the clove in better shape for mincing than knife-crushing.
Posted by Dave M on September 26, 2011 at 8:09 PM
19
I'm with @9.

I love the comments that sneak up on you. Cracked me up. :-)
Posted by garlicjim on September 26, 2011 at 8:09 PM
Griffin 20
Those rubber jar opener things work just as well for smaller quantities of garlic, but I could totally see myself doing this if I felt compelled to make 40 cloves chicken at home.
Posted by Griffin on September 26, 2011 at 8:27 PM
kim in portland 21
Poulet aux Quarante Gousses d'Ail. Is one recipe that calls for numerous cloves of garlic, forty to be exact. Although I find 15 cloves to be sufficient. I prefer to peel by hand, though.
Posted by kim in portland http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/11/fast-paced_video_provides_a_fu.html on September 26, 2011 at 8:32 PM
Queen of Sleaze 22
@14 - If you can't think of a single recipe that would call for a whole head of garlic I can only assume that you serve hamburger helper and Top Ramen at dinner parties.
Posted by Queen of Sleaze on September 26, 2011 at 8:32 PM
wingedkat 23
I can see this being very useful when you need a whole lot of garlic and don't want to peel each piece, fnarf style (which is how I normally do it).

It will probably come in useful the next time my mother makes something she calls "hundred garlic chicken". It is basically a whole chicken, stuffed with peeled but uncrushed garlic, and surrounded by peeled, uncrushed garlic then cooked in a crockpot. As long as you *don't* crush the garlic, it is sweet and not overly strong. Crushing the garlic too much ruins the flavor.
Posted by wingedkat on September 26, 2011 at 8:38 PM
Jubilation T. Cornball 24
If you ask a friend to do that bowl shit and they refuse...well, then, they're totally a vampire.
Posted by Jubilation T. Cornball on September 26, 2011 at 8:46 PM
care bear 25
I love smashing garlic with a knife. So satisfying.
Posted by care bear on September 26, 2011 at 9:25 PM
brian 26
He is a very cute and handy bear. I wish he lived at my house and cooked for me.
Posted by brian on September 26, 2011 at 9:26 PM
27
We put up 48 quarts of dill pickles in August- which we like to use whole cloves of garlic for, and a measly one head of garlic only does about 4 jars- so I will be using this trick next year, for sure.
Posted by Ries on September 26, 2011 at 9:34 PM
28
Fnarf, these are easy bowls to wash. If you need to crush a whole head, do this and wash an extra bowl. If less, use your garlic-peeler-sleeve thingy.
Posted by Luckier on September 26, 2011 at 9:57 PM
Joe Szilagyi 29
I'll continue to be OCD by cracking my garlic on the flat of the blade, trimming off the tippity tops, hand peeling them, and then ultra finely dicing them with a knife, mostly because I can.
Posted by Joe Szilagyi http://www.joeszilagyi.com on September 26, 2011 at 10:04 PM
30
In the final frame the clove looks like it still has some peel still on. Has anyone actually tried this method? I'm in a hotel and away from any garlic cloves right now...
Posted by rubus on September 26, 2011 at 10:06 PM
Catalina Vel-DuRay 31
Oh for God's sake. Just use garlic powder. If you have enough wine on hand, no one will notice.
Posted by Catalina Vel-DuRay http://www.danlangdon.com on September 26, 2011 at 10:29 PM
32
All you "just smash and peel" folks need
to explain how you can smash and peel a whole bulb of garlic in < 10 secs.

Sure, if you're trying to peel one clove, it's probably not worth dirtying some bowls; but if you need to scale that operation up, I think the bowls become an attractive option.
Posted by madcap on September 26, 2011 at 11:27 PM
eclexia 33
About 10 years ago I switched to the diced garlic in baby food jars. Plus: it never dries out in the fridge. Minus: horror on mom's face when I told her.
Posted by eclexia on September 26, 2011 at 11:39 PM
Andy_Squirrel 34
who the fuck has large matching bowls that aren't made from a ceramic material, am I the only one? This isn't even an option for most people I would guess.
Posted by Andy_Squirrel on September 26, 2011 at 11:42 PM
35
@26 oh yes indeed he is. One of the best qualities of bears is that many of them end up being excellent cooks (let's face it: you don't become rather portly if you don't have a pretty serious love affair with food).

And I probably won't use this technique unless I need a ton of garlic, but it was still pretty amazing to watch.
Posted by Corydon on September 27, 2011 at 12:41 AM
birdy num num 36
impressive beardo but really *and yes off subject* - no more beards.
Posted by birdy num num on September 27, 2011 at 8:33 AM
37
I tried this technique last year when I was making my annual batch of pesto (for the freezer). It kind of works. Notice that he said "the good cloves will be clean". Most of them are clean, but not all. If your garlic is lots of small cloves, this is not very effective--the larger cloves clean themselves off the best.

It also bruises the cloves, which might be an issue for some recipes (not for pesto).

Another thing is that if you don't hold the bowls tightly together, you get wisps of garlic peel everywhere. And doing multiple heads makes a pretty big mess on the bowl--you still have to clean off the peel which starts to stick to the cloves if they are bruised.

So, it's fun, but not necessarily any faster.

p.s., those stainless steel bowls are great to use for prep work & cooking. Get them at Seattle Restaurant Supply for cheap.
Posted by slugbiker http://www.bicyclewatchdog.org on September 27, 2011 at 8:35 AM
camlux 38
I'm going to try it with fresh tomatoes. Equally fun.
Posted by camlux on September 27, 2011 at 8:42 AM
39
Or, you could just go to Fou Lee market on Beacon Hill and buy about 3 heads-worth of pre-peeled garlic for $1.50 (and it's not the gross, chemically-treated stuff that you find in most supermarkets). Also check out the amazing BBQ pork skewers while you're there.
Posted by JaimePMcG on September 27, 2011 at 8:44 AM
40
@33

Thank you. I'll use fresh garlic when things really demand it, but the stuff in jars, like so many other things in jars works just fine - and is both a lot less work, and a hell of a lot cheaper.
Posted by Lymis on September 27, 2011 at 9:10 AM
41
I just buy pre-peeled garlic. it's only marginally more expensive.
Posted by TheVripper on September 27, 2011 at 10:52 AM
sikandro 42
This guy is a hero.
Posted by sikandro on September 27, 2011 at 11:00 AM

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