It sounds incredible, but all you need to peel garlic are two bowls, and with this system you can even peel several heads at the same time. There are a variety of methods for cleaning individual cloves as well, but they may not be necessary unless you are using a particularly sticky variety of garlic.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Shake a Head of Garlic
Step 1. Break the garlic into pieces
Place the garlic head on the work surface and mash it with the palm of your hand, dividing it into wedges.
- This pressure could cause them to fall. If there isn't a wall that prevents them from falling to the ground, you can cut off the top of the garlic head and separate the cloves.
- With this system you can clean all the garlic heads you want at once, as long as the bulbs are not compressed in the containers.
Step 2. Get two bowls
They will need to fit together, so choose a larger bowl that the smaller one fits into, or two identical ones that have a wide enough rim for a firm grip. Lightweight metal bowls are sturdy and easy to shake, but you can choose any material. By shaking the containers, the cloves will collide with each other and peel off each other.
You can use lightweight cups, jars, casseroles, a cocktail shaker or any other container as long as it is sturdy and easy to clean
Step 3. Shake the garlic in the bowls
Place the garlic cloves in a bowl and cover with the other one upside down, grasp both firmly and shake them vigorously. Ten or fifteen vigorous shocks should suffice.
Step 4. Check the garlic
You should see large, completely peeled white wedges. Sometimes fresh garlic or some particularly sticky purple garlic varieties may need to be shaken a little longer.
Method 2 of 2: Peel a Single Clove
Step 1. Crush each wedge with a knife
Cut the head of garlic into cloves by squeezing or cutting the tip with a knife. Place the flat part of the blade of a wide knife on the wedge and press firmly with the palm of your hand. At this point it will be easy to remove the peel. Now you can mince it or reduce it to a paste.
If you don't have a wide blade knife, you can crush the wedge by pressing it with the palm of your hand
Step 2. Press the wedges between your fingers
This system is less effective, but allows you to keep the whole clove without bruising it. Grasp it so that the flat part is resting on the thumb and the point at the index finger, then tighten it so as to bend it and break the skin; just pull it for it to come off in one piece.
This is the best system for thin-skinned wedges
Step 3. Get a rubber mat or garlic peeler
The rubber or silicone tubes are cheap and easy to use. Simply roll the tube on a flat surface after inserting the garlic, this way the peel will peel off.
Alternatively, use a rubber or silicone mat rolled up to form a tube: you'll save space in the kitchen and can use it in two ways: it will help you open the jars and serve as a non-slip surface
Step 4. Use a garlic press
This tool pushes the clove through a mesh, making the crushed pulp come out but not the peel. Not all cooks want to have a kitchen full of utensils that are used for a single purpose, but this saves you time, especially if you don't have great knives handling skills.
