How to Peel Garlic (11 Methods Tested and Rated)
Blog: www.nextinlime.com
Servings: 12 cloves
Ingredients
- 1 head/bulb of garlic - or whatever quantity you need
- some water - needed for methods 9 and 10
Instructions
Method 1: Use Your Hands (4 Hacks)
- Twist and PeelPinch both ends of the clove, one end in each hand, and twist back and forth. When the skin becomes loose, peel it off.ThoughtsI find that this method works fine with small or thin cloves. The big ones don’t bend easily. Some cloves can break a little, which shouldn’t be a problem if you want to chop or mince them. Nothing too easy or special about this one.Rating: 5/10
- Single-Side PressPush down the root end of the clove against a cutting board. Or a hard, flat surface. Apply some pressure. Keep pressing until the peel loosens up all around the clove. Take the peel off.ThoughtsPeel a whole bulb using this method, and you may need a cold compress for your fingers. Like the “twist and peel” method, this one works best with thin and small cloves. The small clingy bits of the peel can still be hard to remove.Rating: 3/10
- Double-Side PressSlice off the root end of the clove. Hold the clove lengthwise between your thumb and index finger. Press garlic from both sides until the skin cracks open. Take off the entire peel.ThoughtsThis method requires a lot of hand strength. I ended up using both my hands for most of the cloves because pressing with one hand wasn’t enough for me.It is also not an easy way to peel fresh(er) garlic because of the sticky and clingy peel (garlic that has been sitting out for a few days has a relatively drier, less sticky peel). Overall, not impressed.Rating: 4/10
- RollTake a clove of garlic and roll it between your palms until the peel comes off. Alternatively, use a silicone peeling tube, instead of your bare hands, to roll the garlic.ThoughtsI don’t have a silicone peeling tube, so I can’t say how easily it peels garlic. But rolling with bare hands was no fun.As I rolled and rubbed the clove between my palms, the root end of the clove felt sharp and hurt a bit. So, slicing off the root end before you start will not only make this easy on your hands but may also help peel the clove quicker.Overall, this is not a convenient or efficient way of peeling cloves. Plus, you get garlicky-smelling hands. Rating: 4/10
Method 2: Make Some Cuts (2 Hacks)
- Cut in HalfHold the garlic clove between your fingers. Your fingers should be touching the flat sides of the clove. Go in with your knife from the curved side, and cut the clove in half. Pinch the loose peel and pull to remove.You can rest your hand and garlic on the cutting board when you cut the garlic (see the photos in the post above). This will give your hands some balance and hopefully reduce the chances of any accidental cuts to your fingers. ThoughtsIt’s a nice method and doesn’t require hand strength. But you can’t use it if you need whole cloves. Also, you need to be careful not to cut your hands, especially if you’re not using the cutting board.Rating: 7/10
- Cut the EndsLay the clove flat on a cutting board. Cut off the root end of the clove. As you finish the cut, keep the knife in the same position to hold the peel underneath. Now pull away the clove with your other hand. The part of the peel held under the knife will come off as you pull the clove away. Flip the clove so the peeled flat side is facing up now. Repeat the process as you cut the other end of the clove. The remaining peel should come off easily.ThoughtsNot a very quick method. A bit of garlic gets wasted as you are cutting off both ends (not just the root end). Plus, it takes 2 to 3 steps to peel one clove.With some cloves, this method worked perfectly well. But I still had to wrestle with my hands to get off the stubborn and clingy skin on some cloves. Not a great time-saving method.Rating: 5/10
Method 3: Crush
- Place the flat side of a chef’s knife, or any large knife, or the flat bottom of a bowl over a clove of garlic. Put your hand on the knife (or the bowl) and press down on the clove. The garlic should crack under pressure and the peel should come off easily.ThoughtsThis is a good method if you need just a few cloves. The sharp edge of the knife should be facing away from you, for safety reasons. Using a small bowl instead is a safer option.You do need to push down quite strongly, so this may not be a good peeling option for weak hands. Big cloves take even more effort.All in all, I prefer this peeling method when I’m mincing or chopping garlic because all that crushing makes the remaining prep easier. So pushing down on garlic works as a 2-in-1 job.Rating: 7/10
Method 4: Stab-Twist-Pull
- Hold a head of garlic in one hand. With your other hand, carefully stab a clove using the pointy end of a small knife or paring knife. Give the knife a bit of a wiggle or twist, so the clove breaks free from the root end of the bulb. Then pull the knife out. Hopefully, the clove will come out with it, leaving its papery skin behind. You can also try using a fork instead of a knife for this method.ThoughtsNo, just no. I can’t recommend this method. It is dangerous for anyone who doesn’t have amazing knife skills and crazy good hand balance. And even if you are brilliant with knife-work, this may still not work. By the way, I also tried this method with a fork and miserably failed.Rating: 1/10
Method 5: Smash
- Put some separated unpeeled garlic cloves in a zip-top bag. Using a meat pounder or mallet, a pestle, a rolling pin, or the flat side of a small saucepan, smash the cloves. Be careful not to tear the bag or break the surface underneath. When you’ve smashed all the garlic cloves, open the bag and pick out the loose peel.ThoughtsIt’s one of the good methods. You can also smash the garlic directly on the cutting board without using a bag. But if you do that, go easy with the pounding. Or you’ll end up picking pieces of garlic from all around your kitchen.Rating: 7/10
Method 6: Half Bulb Smash
- Cut the entire garlic bulb in half horizontally (not lengthwise). Then place the halves on the cutting board, flat side down. Smash them with a meat mallet. Or use the flat side of a large knife (like a chef’s knife or a cleaver). Keep beating until the garlic pieces get released from their skin and come out easily.ThoughtsCutting the bulb in half is not easy. It's important to use a sharp knife, as blunt ones could be dangerous. It took me three tries before I could successfully cut a bulb in half.When you start smashing, the cloves start separating from the bulb. Most separate with the peel on, and a few without. Then you have to smash not only the 2 pieces of the bulb but also individual halves of the cloves that go rogue and fly around. It's not an efficient method to remove the peel.Rating: 1/10
Method 7: Shake-Shake-Shake (Winning Method)
- Put the separated garlic cloves in a jar, preferably a transparent one, like a mason jar, so you can see the peeling progress. Screw on the lid (or lock it, depending on the kind of jar you have). And shake the jar as vigorously as you can. Stop when you see most of the cloves separated from the peel. Pick out the peeled cloves of garlic. A few cloves may still have the peel on and might need a little more shaking.ThoughtsThis one felt like the easiest method. That is, if I have many cloves to peel. You can try this method with tupperware. But remember to not put a lot of cloves if you’re using a small container. The garlic cloves need to bang freely inside the container for the skin to loosen up.The success of this method is also dependent on the garlic variety you use. Loose-skinned varieties and varieties with bigger cloves will peel faster than those with small cloves or tight skin. Plastic jars feel safer for this method compared to glass ones because then you can go crazy with the shaking and not worry about breaking glass. Rating: 9/10
Method 8: Microwave
- Spread out separated garlic cloves on a plate. Microwave for 10 seconds. Take the cloves out and let them cool for a few seconds. Peel with hands.ThoughtsAs a result of microwaving, peeling does become easier. But the cloves end up cooking just a little.Depending on your microwave, the cloves may need to be heated for a few more seconds. Never leave the garlic in the microwave unattended.Because it needs relatively little effort, the microwave method might be an excellent choice for people who have problems that limit their hand mobility.Rating: 7/10
Method 9: Microwave With Water
- Put the separated garlic cloves or the whole bulb in a microwave-safe bowl filled with room-temperature water. Microwave for 30 seconds. Take out the garlic and let it cool for a couple of minutes, then peel. The skin should come off very easily.ThoughtsThe method works fine. But if I had to use a microwave method, I’d use the other method above, where you don't need water. That method requires just 10 seconds of heating, compared to the 30 seconds you need for this one.What bothers me is not the few extra seconds of microwaving, but the fact that with all that additional time, the garlic cooks more. And that can strip the garlic of its flavor and essential oils before it even goes into the food.Not sure how I feel about the use of water, either. I wonder if all the flavor flows out into the water. Which could be fine if you like your garlic a little less strong.Rating: 5/10
Method 10: Warm Water Soak
- Soak the separated cloves for 30 minutes in warm water. The water should not be hot, or the garlic will cook. Take the cloves out of the water and peel them. The skin should come off easily.ThoughtsThis method did not work for me. The skin was still hard to remove. Maybe some more soaking time would have helped. But 30 minutes or more is a lot of waiting to peel some garlic.Rating: 1/10
Method 11: Garlic Press
- Take a good garlic press and press an unpeeled garlic clove with it. ThoughtsI use this method a lot since it's a 2-in-1 solution. The garlic press peels and minces garlic all at once. No other prep is needed.The method is good for when you need minced garlic and you’re using just a few cloves. If you have a lot of garlic to peel, or you want to prepare garlic any other way than by mincing, this method won’t be suitable.A thin film of garlic will still be left inside the press along with the peel. So a tiny amount of garlic does get wasted. But that waste will be minimal and insignificant if you have a good garlic press. Rating: 8/10
Notes
The "shake-shake-shake" method turned out to be the easiest one.
- You get whole, undamaged, uncooked garlic cloves. So you can use them any way you like.
- And the use of hands in finishing the peeling process is minimal.
- Plus, you don't need any appliances like a microwave or special tools like a garlic press to help with the peeling.
- The best part is that you can peel many cloves at once, depending on the size of the jar or the tupperware you’re using.