Garlic press alternatives

littlemoney

I ocsasionally use garlic. I have tried chopping and crushing the bulb between two spoons but it doesn't work very well. What other alternatives are their apart from buying a garlic press?

Carrot007

Why don't you want a press?

They work great and you don't even have to peel.

Now there are a lot of bad ones out there. The Ikea one is cheap and works great. Maybe if you got one you would use galric for everything, which is always a good idea if you ask me ;-)

Floss

Put your clove on a chopping board. Lay a broad bladed kitchen knife over the top & smack the heel of your hand on the upper side. Then remove the skin from the squashed clove and chop finely, with the blade at right angles to the board. Because its squashed, its easier to chop as it lies down without moving around!

JGB1955

I use a mini grater.....https://www.procook.co.uk/product/procook-mini-grater-stainless-steel?fo_c=1344&fo_k=e27d3299a3732e3da4f72ead674c4042&fo_s=gplauk&gclid=Cj0KCQjwzYGGBhCTARIsAHdMTQwrPuVqZSwFvFV6aLgeHxdhxt5RtncB27wuNKun_0lA5q54MNqyYZQaAmj8EALw_wcB

Brambling

Floss said:

Put your clove on a chopping board. Lay a broad bladed kitchen knife over the top & smack the heel of your hand on the upper side. Then remove the skin from the squashed clove

I was taught to do this but then add salt to the garlic and use the side of the knife (not the edge) and the friction of the salt to turn into a paste.

Alternatively I recently saw a TV chef say buy a jar of 'lazy' garlic as it works out cheaper than fresh 

goldfinches

I have a variety of alternatives to suggest.
If you have a pestle and mortar, put 1/4 tsp of sea salt flakes into the mortar and then add a peeled whole clove of garlic and use the pestle to crush it. It's done when the resulting mush becomes creamy in texture. This makes lovely salad dressing or mixes well with oils and other ingredients for marinades, pastes, sauces etc.
Use a ginger grater as it works for garlic and turmeric too. Here's one for you to have a look at Kyocera Japanese Ginger/Spice Grater – Divertimenti
Use a very fine grater like a zester which gives you a really finely sliced result.
Use garlic infused olive oil in your recipes which I find means that you don't need to include any more garlic unless you want a really strong flavour.
Use the lazy garlic that comes in jars, but make sure that you allow time for the vinegar to be cooked off.
Use garlic granules that come in jars in the spice section of the supermarket or the garlic salt which is exactly what it says on the jar and can be added to onions when you start them off in the pan at the beginning of a recipe.
Rereading your original post I'm wondering about suggesting that you sharpen your knife. I'm suggesting this because my suggestions above all seem to involve you in additional expenditure and my knives need sharpening about once a week and I really notice the difference when its done. 

-taff

I use a grater now if I want a stronger tase of garlic or I just chuck in the clove whole and squash it when it's cooked for a milder flavour. I did try the lazy garlic stuff but honestly, the jar was just too big and I ended up chucking quite a lot of it out.

bouicca21

I’ve tried several garlic doodahs but have come back to chopping it.  Do as Floss says about crushing it, I then use the same technique that professional chefs use for chopping onions https://www.instructables.com/How-to-cut-an-onion-like-a-chef/

maman

-taff said:

I use a grater now if I want a stronger taste of garlic or I just chuck in the clove whole and squash it when it's cooked for a milder flavour. I did try the lazy garlic stuff but honestly, the jar was just too big and I ended up chucking quite a lot of it out.

I assumed it was 'pickled' in vinegar so I've never needed to throw any away. I buy the 'Lazy Garlic' from Lidl but the branded one (while more expensive) is a smaller jar if that helps.

I do buy fresh bulbs but only use them for recipes where I want to roast the whole cloves and I have garlic granules for adding to marinades etc. 

That being said, I do own a garlic crusher. I've had it for years, it was very cheap and it goes in the dishwasher! 😁

Frugalista

I've got a garlic grinder/crusher which you twist.  You can also use it for chillies, etc.

redofromstart

I have fond memories of 'ready steady cook' and the 'put a clove on a chopping board and whack it with a saucepan base' approach to crushing garlic.  It does work and it is easy to pick out the skin and rinse the pan base.  That said, I mostly use frozen garlic cubes as they are cheap and convenient.  MrM and MrT both do them - garlic, ginger, or mixed. £1 for 20 or so cubes.