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Learning how to peel and mince garlic is a basic skill that will come in handy for many dishes and recipes. This step-by-step guide and my easy tips will help you!
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Why mince garlic?
Mincing garlic helps to release its flavors and aromas more effectively than leaving it whole or slicing it. When you mince garlic, you break it down so its enzymes can mix with its compounds, making the taste more intense. It also spreads the garlic evenly in your food, so every bite has a consistent garlic flavor. Plus, minced garlic mixes nicely with other ingredients, making the whole dish taste even better.
HOW TO CUT GARLIC
Here are the basic steps for how to peel and cut garlic into a mince without a garlic press:
- Loosen the garlic cloves. First, remove any loose, papery outer skin on the bulb and press down on the bulb to loosen the garlic cloves.
- Cut the root end of each clove.
- Peel the garlic cloves. Once the garlic cloves are removed from the bulb, take off the thin skin of each clove using one of these simple techniques:
- Using a knife, cut off the hard clove stem (where the cloves attach to the bulb) and gently squeeze the clove out of its skin.
- Place the clove on a cutting board, and using the side of the knife blade, press down firmly onto the clove until you feel the skin “crack”. Then you can slide the clove right out. Be careful not to smush the clove too much during this step.
- Slice the clove lengthwise from top to bottom and then slice it crosswise. Run knife repeatedly over the garlic cloves. To mince garlic to a smoother paste, turn the knife on its side and scrape the knife back and forth over garlic.
WAYS TO MINCE GARLIC
- Press the clove with a fork
- Use a garlic press
- Grate it on a Microplane
- Use a food processor
TIPS ON HOW TO MINCE GARLIC
- Don’t chop garlic in advance. The longer cut garlic sits, the harsher its flavor.
- Pay attention to how fine you mince the garlic. The finer the mince, the stronger the flavor.
- When cooking with minced garlic, add after all other vegetables have been softened. You don’t want to burn it.
- Don’t cook garlic over high heat for more than 30 seconds. Stir it constantly until it releases its flavor and fragrance.
Ways to use minced garlic
Garlic is delicious in so many dishes, and eating it fresh is good for you, too! Here are a couple of my favorite recipes with garlic:
Minced Garlic FAQs
One medium-sized clove will give you, on average, about one teaspoon of minced.
Pressed garlic (produced using a garlic press) is generally wetter than minced. This is likely because of the pressing action.
No, they aren’t the same thing. Garlic powder is fresh bulbs of garlic that are dried, then ground into a powder.
While the powder is sometimes more convenient than fresh garlic, the flavor isn’t as strong or bold. Plus, fresh garlic has a higher amount of nutrients and vitamins.
Garlic Cloves Minced
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Ingredients
- 1 bulb garlic
Instructions
- Trim off root end of each clove, then crush each clove gently between the flat side of chef’s knife and cutting board to loosen papery skin. Discard the skin and place the peeled cloves garlic in a pile on the cutting board.
- Run knife over garlic repeatedly to mince it rocking the blade back and forth across the ppile of garlic.
- To mince garlic to a smoother paste, turn the knife on its side and scrape the knife back and forth over garlic.
Notes
- Don’t chop garlic in advance. The longer cut garlic sits, the harsher its flavor.
- Pay attention to how fine you mince the garlic. The finer the mince, the stronger the flavor.
- When cooking with minced garlic, add after all other vegetables have been softened. You don’t want to burn it.
- Don’t cook garlic over high heat for more than 30 seconds. Stir it constantly until it releases its flavor and fragrance.
This is the simplest, easiest to follow guide to using garlic I have ever read! Thank you so much!
Oh, I’m so glad I found this informative and useful post. Now I know how to deal with garlic.
I’ve been searching the net on this topic, and have read a lot of other posts. As usual, yours is the most clear and complete. 🙂
Such a easy way to peel and mince your garlic! Thank you!!!
Garlic is one of my favorites to add to most dishes. This is the best way to mince it for sure!