Preparing a garlic clove for mincing involves using a butter knife to press the garlic first. This allows the paper skin to come off much more easily.
How to prepare and mince a garlic clove
- Gently remove 1 garlic clove from a garlic bulb by pulling the garlic bulb apart. Remove 1 garlic from the garlic bulb.
- Take the garlic clove and put it on a cutting board.
- Use a butter knife horizontally and press the garlic down a little. You’ll hear the garlic come away from the paper.
- Gently remove the papery skin from the garlic clove.
- Place the garlic cloves in the garlic press. Usually you can fit 2-3 garlic cloves in at once.
- Press the garlic together by using the handles. Use only 1 hand to press the garlic together. The garlic will come through the holes on the other side, so be prepared for a little bit to fall. You can have a dish for it to fall into.
- Using a butter knife, scrape the garlic from the garlic press and into your recipe.
- Using a butter knife, scrape the inside of the rest of the garlic that didn’t make it through the press. Discard this garlic.
- Your garlic is ready for your recipe and your garlic press can be placed in the dishwasher to clean.
Can you store garlic in the fridge
Do not store garlic in the fridge, this is not the ideal temperature for garlic. Store garlic at room temperature.
How to store garlic
Store garlic in a dry, dark area at room temperature. Keeping garlic at room temperature will prevent the garlic from creating any sprouts. Store garlic in a cabinet with no moisture and low humidity. Moisture can create bacterial growth on your garlic, so it’s best kept in a cabinet away from any splashes. Garlic can be exposed to the air, so keeping it in a bowl in a cabinet will work well for storage.
What can you use if you don’t have a garlic press
You can use a grater if you don’t have a garlic press, or you can use a sharp knife to cut the garlic into small pieces. These are not ideal options as they pose a risk of hurting yourself. Grating garlic is hard to do at the end of a garlic piece, only grate the garlic about 3/4 way to prevent grating your skin. Cutting garlic is another option, but it’s difficult to cut the garlic into small enough pieces for a recipe.
