Great, easy way to separate and peel garlic

[CathyA]

I don't usually watch Martha Stewart anymore. She's just too narcissistic. Anyhow.....I was changing channels and she was making something interesting, so I stopped and watched.
She said she found a new way to peel garlic. You take 2 small-ish metal bowls of the same size, place the garlic head in one, cover it with the other (so its domed), and shake, shake, shake. I tried it myself today and it works! I think my bowls were too big, so I'll try smaller ones the next time, to get them peeled faster. But who knew? Its super easy! I use a ton of garlic, so it will come in handy.

[Rosemary]

Interesting. Does it have to be metal for some reason, or could you use a jar with a lid?

[iris lilies]

I will most def try this and let you know how it works. I've resisted getting a garlic press for years and we eat a lot of garlic. In fact I just peel by hand 3 bulbs this morning, but I've got 2 more bulbs to try out this method on.

TOday I heard from a food nutrition expert on NPR that you lose most of the health benefits of garlic when you cut and/or smash and start cooking right away. She do thi: prepare your garlic cloves and cut or smash, however you use them, and set aside for 10 minutes before using.

This seems werid to me and she did not offer the science behind it, so it makes me wonder.

[CathyA]

Rosemary........I think you need metal for its impact strength........but I don't know for sure. You could try it in a jar. Let me know if its works.
I'm thinking alot of people probably don't have 2 metal bowls of the exact same size. I'm going to use a smaller bowl the next time, but the second bowl I use is smaller than the other, but fits right down into the other bowl, so it should work. I want to show DH ........but we don't need any garlic tonight. haha
Martha used a whole head and when she opened the bowl, every single one of the cloves were peeled! She even laughed at how amazing it was. She must have just found out about this herself.
IL....yeah, that sounds a little iffy to me.

I love garlic, but have discovered that it upsets my GI tract and gives me a constant, horrible taste in my mouth. Darnit. But I still use it in moderation.

[Tussiemussies]

I will try this next time we have garlic...thanks.

[Blackdog Lin]

Thanks Cathy. Looking forward to trying the method later this week.

iris lilies: I saw the same tip in our newest Mother Earth News. Wait 10 minutes before cooking the garlic. Since it's something easy for me to incorporate into my prep-work (and may or may not improve our health) I've started doing it. There was one other tip in the article that I could adapt for us.....on the tip of my brain, can't remember which one it was just now.....

[Rosemary]

OK, now I will have to experiment with different materials and let you know what works. FYI, glass and ceramic are harder than metals you're likely to find in a kitchen.

[CathyA]

I've done a little more experimenting. I used 2 smallish metal bowls this morning and it didn't work as well........but it may have been because the cloves of garlic I used were older. I think really dry, newer ones work better. Also, as DH pointed out, a larger bowl might work better for the garlic having a bigger impact against the bowl, since it picks up more speed.
We laughed as DH pointed out I should use these 2 humongous metal bowls I have.

I'm saving the other head of garlic for when DD visits today, and we can all be entertained by it. lol!
I use a lot of garlic.......and I hate it when I get the skins stuck all over my hands and the counter. Sorry if I'm making a big deal out of this, but I spent alot of time in the kitchen, and I just love finding shortcuts!

[LionGail]

I was watching an asian chef on tv use a mortar and pestle to slightly crush garlic, then easily peel.

[catherine]

TOday I heard from a food nutrition expert on NPR that you lose most of the health benefits of garlic when you cut and/or smash and start cooking right away. She do thi: prepare your garlic cloves and cut or smash, however you use them, and set aside for 10 minutes before using.

This seems werid to me and she did not offer the science behind it, so it makes me wonder.

That's exactly what George Mateljan of World's Healthiest Foods says--in fact every recipe on his website that has garlic in it, specifically states to let the garlic rest for 5 minutes.

Here's what he says about that:


You can increase the health benefits you receive from garlic by letting it sit after you've chopped it or crushed it. If you give your chopped/crushed garlic time to sit before changing its temperature (through cooking) or its pH (through the addition of acidic food like lemon juice), it will give the alliinase enzymes in garlic an opportunity to work on behalf of your health. For example, in the absence of chopping or crushing, research has shown that just 60 seconds of immediate microwaving will cause garlic to lose some of its cancer-protective properties. Immediate boiling of whole, intact garlic will also lower these properties, as will immediate addition of a very low-acid ingredient like lemon juice.

[CathyA]

That's very interesting. I suppose its good, then, to let garlic sit, while waiting for the onions to soften, while cooking. I usually do that so the garlic won't burn.
I use a ton of garlic in hummus..........so I'll be sure to let it sit before I add it to the beans and lemon juice.
I'm getting hungry.......

[redfox]

I use one of our food storage containers to do this. It is square, glass, with a hard plastic lock-on lid. The trick, as I have found it after exploring this technique, is to shake the garlic REALLY hard, fast, and for a few minutes. It's the percussive aspect that knocks off the peels. For my wrist strength, a smaller container allows me to get more force going than a larger one. And, the more garlic cloves inside, the better. I use this technique only when I need to peel several cloves. Otherwise, I use the flat side of a broad chopping knife & smash the clove. It peels easily. Fresher garlic peels better than old garlic, too.

[CathyA]

We tried it again when DD came home, and it only worked on one clove........but the rest of the head was bad, so maybe that's why it didn't work.
And I don't think I shook it enough. Maybe Martha cheated and had one of her slaves loosen it before the show? haha
I'm going to keep trying though. But I need more garlic. So much time..............so little garlic. lol!

[bae]

I use a teenager.

[puglogic]

Otherwise, I use the flat side of a broad chopping knife & smash the clove. It peels easily. Fresher garlic peels better than old garlic, too.

I do this with all my garlic, even with 5 or 6 cloves I just line them up and whap! whap! whap! The skins peel right off. I'd like to try the shaking method to get them separated from difficult heads though. Sometimes my fingers just aren't strong enough for those really tough ones.

I'm about to harvest about 50 heads, so I'll have plenty of guinea pigs to practice on :D

[iris lilies]

I'm about to harvest about 50 heads, so I'll have plenty of guinea pigs to practice on :D

The year DH grew garlic he had only small heads. I remember sitting in front of the tv and peeling scads of them. They were so fresh and pungent that they burned my fingers.

[Tiam]

I've done it in a plastic bowl. But I separated the head and just used a lid on the bowl. It also works well to cut the bottom of the head off, so the stem end is separated.. I don't know why I don't use this technique more often. I use a lot of garlic.

[CathyA]

I do this with all my garlic, even with 5 or 6 cloves I just line them up and whap! whap! whap! The skins peel right off. I'd like to try the shaking method to get them separated from difficult heads though. Sometimes my fingers just aren't strong enough for those really tough ones.

I'm about to harvest about 50 heads, so I'll have plenty of guinea pigs to practice on :D

I've tried growing it, but it just didn't do very well. Do you have any tips, Pug? How do you store all those heads? Who long do they keep for you?

[puglogic]

I've tried growing it, but it just didn't do very well. Do you have any tips, Pug? How do you store all those heads? Who long do they keep for you?

I love growing garlic, which is handy because we go through at least a head of it a week around here.

I just have a spot that gets full sun, the soil and drainage is pretty good (I dig in finished compost right after the annual harvest, and then a month or so later I plant into it for the following year's crop). I buy my garlic from The Garlic Store online, and plant each clove about 3 inches deep around the first of October. Over the winter I apply about 8 inches of a light mulch - straw usually - to act as a nice blanket during the cold weather, so they don't freeze solid.

The sprouts usually start punching through the straw around the 1st of May, and I just keep everything watered until the plants start to die in late July. When most of the plant is brown, I gently dig them up with a fork, tie them in bundles in a dry dark place for about 4 weeks, then trim the heads and keep the heads in paper bags in a cool (not cold) place...usually the garage right next to the wall of the house. I keep them away from apples, which can encourage them to sprout prematurely. The hardneck varieties I choose are always the ones that say they are good keepers, so we usually have garlic until roughly the time the next year's sprouts start showing.

Good luck with your own, CathyA - give it another try!

[CathyA]

Thanks for that info Pug. Maybe I'll try again this fall. One end of my garden has been for zucchini and butternut squash, but those danged squash bugs ruin it every year, so I was thinking of leaving it empty for a year. So I'll try the garlic there. The weeds around here are so horrible. Its hard to keep ahead of them. Garlic is such a neat thing! We use it all the time.

[softweave]

This recommendation appears to apply to onions as well as garlic.

http://therightnutritionplan.com/2011/06/hidden-health-benefits-of-garlic-and-onions/

"To get the most health benefits from onions, let them sit for 5-10 minutes after cutting and before cooking or eating. The sulfur containing phytonutrient alliin and the enzyme alliinase are separated in onion’s cell struture when whole. Slicing, chopping, or dicing the onion ruptures the cells and releases the alliin and alliinase allowing them to mingle and form a powerful new compound called thiopropanal sulfoxide to increase the onion’s health promoting benefits. The finer the cut, the more extensive the transformation of the sulfur compounds. Allicin also gives onions it’s pungent aroma and is what makes the eyes tear. The stronger the smell and the more you cry when cutting, the better for your health."

[creaker]

I crush cloves with the flat of a blade (not too hard) - then pick each up by the tail (if you look it has one) and rub the head in the palm of my other hand. The skin separates and the clove drops into right into my hand.