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Garlic Press#37 La Mia Cucina By Alberto Vanoli Chef's
Suggestions:
Here are a few tips to help you prepare garlic for cooking.
These are four different methods to peeling garlic, which
offer techniques for small or large amounts of preparation.
Starting with the whole bulb of garlic, one of the easiest
ways to separate the cloves form the bulb is to press the
top of the bulb with the palm of your hand. Press down very
hard and rotate your hand. By doing this, the cloves should
separate from the bulb.
After you have the separated cloves, there area a few methods
for taking the skin off. The first instinct we usually have
is to take a small, sharp knife and peel the skin off the
clove. This method does take time some time, especially with
a large amount of garlic to peel. My suggestion is to cut
the bottom part of the clove off. This is where it looked
like the skin is attached to the clove, not the point side.
Then, peel back the skin as if it is a banana. In this method,
the shape of the clove is preserved. It is best in this way
for slicing.
A different method, which I prefer, is to take the clove
of garlic and, with the flat side of a large knife, smash
the clove firmly on a cutting board. You can also use the
palm of your hand. This separates and breaks the skin from
the garlic and the clove slips right out. This method id fast
and easy. In this method, the shape of the clove is lost.
The garlic can now be used for chopping and when you prefer
to use the whole clove, or at least larger pieces, while cooking.
The third method that I use in the restaurant to peel large
amounts of garlic is to soak the singular cloves in cold water.
The cloves should sit in the water bath for about one hour.
The skin becomes very soft and you can peel it right off with
your fingers. In this method, you do lose some flavor or the
garlic, but the clove stays intact and it is perfect for the
next step of use.
There is one more option to peeling garlic, which as a chef
I do not use in the restaurant. In specialty cooking stores,
they offer a rubber tube used for peeling garlic. When the
clove is placed inside the tube, you then roll the tube on
a flat surface back and forth. This loosens the skin. Garlic
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