Garlic, best way to cut it

Chopping garlic can be a bit tricky, but with the right technique, it can be made easy. Here are the steps to chop garlic easily:

Peeling and chopping garlic can be a lot of, forgive the pun, paperwork. However, there are ways to make it easier in your kitchen. Without further ado, let’s talk about a few of them!





How to peel and chop garlic like a pro

Peeling garlic can be tricky, as the cloves are slightly sticky, meaning that the garlic can retain the skin annoyingly well. The best way to avoid this is to remove the base and stem of the garlic cloves first (to ‘top and tail’ it), then lie them close on their side on your chopping board.

Lie the flat of your knife across the clove of garlic, and then gently but firmly smack the blade with the heel of your hand. This will crush the clove of garlic just a little – enough for it to become misshapen, allowing the skins to be quickly removed.

Chopping garlic can be a little more tricky. We recommend holding the clove on a flat side and angling the blade of your knife slightly away from you. You reduce the risk of injury while pushing individual slices away from your working area.

Once you have individual slices, push them into a small pile and sprinkle a little salt over the top. The salt allows the garlic to be chopped more finely by clumping together, resulting in very finely chopped garlic.

Holding the point of your knife down on the board, lift and lower the handle repeatedly while also turning the blade so that the pile of garlic is chopped through on several occasions.

Separate Garlic Cloves

To easily separate garlic cloves, you can rely on the physics of your hands and fingers. Place the garlic bulb between the palms of your hands as though you’re about to give yourself a high five.

Interlace your fingers and gently press your palms together until you hear a few gentle cracks. Rotate the bulb and do this again, making sure to do this a few times.

Once you’ve done this, the bulb will be weaker, meaning you can place it between your palms and twist one hand toward you and one hand away – this will efficiently and quickly separate the cloves.

How to cut garlic?

Cutting garlic into slices is simple, but doing it finely is very important. Fine pieces will fry better, giving your final dish a more pronounced flavor.

First, peel your garlic and remove the top and tail of each clove. Then, place your left hand’s index and ring fingers on top of the clove, pressing the blade flat against your fingers.

Your fingers act as a touchstone for the top of the knife, ensuring the cutting angle is consistent. Then, press down through the garlic in one motion before pulling your fingers back and repeating the motion. As you do this more, you will become faster and better!

How to store peeled garlic?

There are a few ways to do this; they’re all entirely dissimilar.

First, you can preserve peeled garlic by cooking it confit (baking it in oil) and then adding the cooked cloves to your dishes by scooping them out of an oil-filled container. You could also pickle garlic cloves in white vinegar, though that would also affect the cloves’ taste.

Perhaps the best option is to freeze your cloves. They can be frozen whole or, in a much better way, as a paste. To cook this way, peel and finely chop the cloves into a paste and add them to an ice tray or a freezer-safe storage bag.

We recommend using an ice tray because a box of frozen cubes of garlic paste can be convenient. Each cube can be added directly to a pan, representing roughly a tablespoon of garlic. 

With all this knowledge, prepping garlic will be easier for you! Make sure to go ahead and change up your garlic routine soon to ensure you can live an easier kitchen life.

How to chop garlic

Alejandra Graf
Chopping garlic can be a bit tricky, but with the right technique, it can be made easy. Here are the steps to chop garlic easily:
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
0 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Course How to
Cuisine American
Servings 1 pieces
Calories 4 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 Knife
  • 1 Cutting board

Ingredients
  

  • 1 garlic bulb

Instructions
 

  • Peel the garlic cloves: First, take a garlic clove and use the flat side of a knife to lightly press down on it to loosen the skin. Then, remove the skin and discard it.
  • Cut off the root end: Place the garlic clove on a cutting board and cut off the root end with a sharp knife. This will make it easier to chop the garlic.
  • Slice the garlic: Hold the garlic clove with your non-dominant hand and use a sharp knife to make thin, lengthwise slices. Be careful not to cut all the way through the garlic. Repeat this process with the remaining garlic cloves.
  • Chop the garlic: Now, hold the sliced garlic with your non-dominant hand and use the knife to chop it into small pieces. Use a rocking motion to chop the garlic, starting at the tip of the knife and working your way back towards the handle.

Notes

Repeat if necessary: If the garlic pieces are too big, repeat the chopping process until they are the desired size.
Use the garlic: Once the garlic is chopped, you can add it to your recipe and enjoy the delicious flavor it adds.
Some additional tips to make chopping garlic easier are to use a sharp knife and to sprinkle a little salt over the garlic before chopping it. This will help prevent the garlic from sticking to the knife or cutting board.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 4kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 0.2gFat: 0.01gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.01gSodium: 1mgPotassium: 12mgFiber: 0.1gSugar: 0.03gVitamin A: 0.3IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 5mgIron: 0.1mg
Keyword garlic

information

Nutritional information of this recipe is only an estimate, the accuracy for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

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Alejandra Graf
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