What is a garlic press?
A garlic press is a handy kitchen tool that quickly and easily creates crushed garlic, even with unpeeled cloves. It can be said that without a good garlic press, there would be no such thing as garlicky pasta sauce, creamy mashed potatoes, or delicious roasted veggies.
Garlic presses come in many different shapes and sizes, but all of them work the same way. They consist of two plates-one larger than the other-that fit together like a book cover. The smaller plate is connected to a plunger which forces the cloves out of the heads in a new minced-type of puree state.
What is a garlic press used for?
A garlic press is used to quickly and almost effortlessly process a garlic clove or garlic pieces without the use of a knife. The same crushing process can be used for other harder herbs like ginger and turmeric. For new and experienced cooks, this can save a lot of time. It turns fresh cloves of garlic, peeled or unpeeled, into minced garlic as it is pushed through the holes.
Using a garlic press’ crushing motion can work even if you don’t take the skin off the clove of garlic. What many find is that with a garlic press handy, they are more apt to add garlic to more recipes because it takes the peeling and chopping out of the preparation. The good garlic presses have a built-in cleaner that makes it easier to scoop out every last bit of newly made garlic paste from the holding area.
To take this one step further, using a garlic press on a regular basis and developing the habit could encourage more garlic consumption and, arguably, better health!
Is using a garlic press the same as mincing?
At first glance, pressing garlic cloves or garlic pieces and mincing it are similar. Mincing involves more tools: a knife and a cutting board, and often good knife skills.
If you don’t have good knife skills developed yet, using a garlic press is encouraged. Also, if your knife skills leave something to be desired, it will be a slow process to get the garlic into small enough crushed garlic pieces. The garlic press will allow you to breeze through the process quickly.
The health benefits of garlic
Garlic is one of the most popular spices in the world, and for good reason. It has a host of benefits that include:
- Boosting your immune system
- Reducing inflammation
- Fighting heart disease
- Improve your digestion
Regarding how garlic helps improve the digestion process, studies have shown that consuming garlic before meals helps digest food faster and better. In addition to helping break down certain foods inside your gut.
Garlic also contains allicin, which is known to stimulate the production of stomach acid. Together, these two factors make garlic a powerful ally when it comes to breaking down food in your digestive tract.
Crushed, chopped or whole garlic is a fantastic addition to any meal as it has anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and anti-viral properties. It’s a great way to add flavor and nutrition to any dish.
It seems that there really is no meal that crushed garlic can’t improve!
Is it worth getting a garlic press?
Ask someone who has a garlic press if they are happy they have it. They will likely say “Yes!” It makes adding garlic to any and all so easy.
It allows the kids to be more involved in helping to make the garlic bread, the sauce and more. It saves time, and produces a consistent and reliable end result each and every time. Make sure you pick a garlic press with a large capacity garlic chamber. This will ensure that you can put enough cloves in there to get the desired amount of pressed garlic with one or two crushing motions. When you finish using the crusher on your garlic, use the cleaning tool to get each bit of garlic paste out of the tool. Most all garlic presses are dishwasher-safe, too, so they make clean-up a breeze.
What are the 3 best garlic presses available on Amazon?
1. Zulay Kitchen Garlic Press with Soft, Easy to Squeeze Ergonomic Handle
What we love about Zulay garlic press:
- Ergonomic design
- Sturdy, rubber grips
- Lifetime warranty
- Dishwasher safe
- Highly rated on Amazon
2. OXO Good Grips Soft- Handled Garlic Press
What we love about OXO garlic press:
- Built in cleaner filters out peels
- Sturdy grip handles
- Large capacity garlic chamber to fit multiple cloves
- Dishwasher safe
- Highly rated on Amazon
3. Mempedont Garlic Press Mincer – 304 Stainless Steel Garlic Crusher
What we love about Mempedont garlic press:
- Press and peeler included
- Easy to squeeze
- Fine pressed garlic
- Press comes in 3 sizes. (Get large for more garlic pressed per squeeze!)
- Durable and dishwasher safe
- Highly rated on Amazon
Here is a 1minute video demonstration from ZeekZilch on how to use a garlic press:
Concluding Thoughts
Perhaps you are now inspired to cook your next meal? Hopefully, that meal will consist of lots of garlic! We wish you well in your continuing quest for optimum health.
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