Peeling Garlic has to be one of the more (most) unpleasant tasks of food prep. I find it stinky and tedious, to say the least. So when the Twitterverse and Chrissy Teigen told me that somebody had discovered the easiest way to peel garlic, of course, I had to check it out.
Recently the world was in chaos. A Korean Grandmother took over the Internet when somebody shared a video of her peeling garlic. She made it look so easy. A sharp knife, the flick of a wrist and she popped one clove out after another. You can see her video here. It’s hypnotic and oh so hopeful!
Trending Kitchen Hacks – Peeling Garlic
There are a ton of ways to make life easy in the kitchen. I have a few of them right here. But peeling garlic in my experience isn’t one of them. So when this kitchen hack video went viral proclaiming that it was the easiest way to peel garlic, I had to check it out.
The Verdict – it doesn’t work. You can see the video – I totally butchered that bulb of garlic. It’s quite possible that the lady in the video has way MORE experience than I do and has perfected her technique. Having said that, I’m not a novice either. I peel more garlic than I care to remember. I cook Asian food ALL THE TIME and garlic is a regular staple here.
Back to the easiest away to peel garlic. I’ve tried a few over the years. The technique I have ended up with is my own combination of the Shake and Crush. You can Google those if you like. I like the combination because shaking the garlic in a jar keeps the stink contained but this technique doesn’t work on its own either.
How to Choose Garlic
The best ones are firm bulbs with no mould or sprouting. The outermost skin should feel papery and crisp.
How to Peel Garlic in 5 Easy Steps
- Push down on top of the garlic bulb till you feel a give. Fresh bulbs will come loose immediately.
- Peel off as many of the outer layers as you can.
- Pop the cloves off and put them in a jar.
- Shake. Get your kids to do it. The shaking loosens up the membranes and makes the garlic easier to peel. Some will actually fall away totally.
- Peel the cloves by first slicing off the top and peel away the layer that is attached to the top. Do the same to the bottom. Watch Video to follow along.
Finally, to chop the garlic I either smash it with the side of the knife, and slice or mince. It all depends on what you’re making.
One last thing: I really dislike the smell of garlic on my nails. I make the sacrifice because of the flavour – the amazing flavour of garlic – and the nutritional benefits. The other upside – at least we’ll be safe during the vampire apocalypse, right?
