7 Fantastic Ways to Smash Garlic (Without a Press)

Garlic is a key ingredient in many savory cuisines. It offers a unique taste that cannot be replicated. Garlic powder is available, but it cannot match with the richness of seasoned garlic.

Garlic has a long history of human usage, and the techniques to use it have expanded dramatically. Some recipes call for it chopped, minced, crushed, or even whole.

The shape of the garlic may have a significant influence on how it tastes. The sulfur component of garlic contributes to its exquisitely pungent flavor. When cloves are left whole, they produce less sulfur and may be simply roasted to provide a pleasant garlic taste.

Sulfur is emitted as the clove is broken down, enhancing the garlic flavor. The more sulfur is emitted, the more you slice.

Garlic is allowed to blend into whatever meal you’re cooking as it is diced finer and finer. This is why many recipes ask for crushed garlic cloves. The smaller bits blend with the meal, releasing their flavour into the saucepan.

Garlic presses are often used for crushing garlic cloves. It confines the odor to a single area, and you may smash the garlic straight into your selected pan or dish without contaminating a knife or cutting board.

Garlic presses aren’t absolutely necessary in the kitchen. They are quite useful, yet there are methods to avoid using one.

1 – Knife

When you don’t have a garlic press, there are two methods to crush your garlic with a knife. The first way is to mince your garlic. When you mince anything, you cut it into extremely small, consistent pieces.

It is not necessary to be a competent chef to mince your food. Knife skills are something that every home cook should be familiar with.

There are a plethora of online lessons that may teach you how to chop and slice properly and securely. Just cut extremely thin lengthwise slices. Next, flip the garlic over and cut it into wafer-thin slices horizontally.

Once your knife contacts the previous cut, your garlic will miraculously transform into teeny-tiny bits. These minor leftovers may now be cooked and eaten.

If your knife skills aren’t up to par, or you think your garlic clove is too little to make so many cuts through, don’t worry. You may smash your garlic using the flat side of your knife.

This procedure might be challenging since the knife’s cutting edge will no longer be in touch with your cutting surface. You might easily cut yourself if you are not cautious.

To achieve the best crush, coarsely cut your garlic first. Next, place the knife flat on top of the garlic, with the cutting edge out to the side.

Apply pressure to the knife’s flat side that is facing up. This pressure may be applied with a quick but forceful thump of your palm, or by simply pressing down on the knife.

Lift the knife up after applying pressure to check on your garlic. You may stop here if it is finely crushed enough for you. Just repeat the procedure if you believe it need additional crushing.

2 – Jar

A glass jar may be used for many things in the kitchen, but did you know it can also help you cook garlic? A jar can not only be used to peel garlic, but it may also be used to crush garlic.

Just set the garlic on a chopping board and smash it with a glass jar. Place the bottom of the jar firmly on top of the garlic.

Apply equal downward pressure while rotating the jar in a circular motion back and forth. The advantage of crushing garlic in a glass jar is that you can see how finely your garlic is being crushed through the top of the jar.

After you’re pleased with the fineness of your garlic, rinse the jar with warm soapy water and you’re good to go.

3 – Mortar and Pestle

Mortars and pestles have been used to crush spices and herbs since prehistoric times. These two items are often employed in food preparation, but they also have industrial and pharmacological applications.

Put the garlic cloves in the mortar. You have the option of giving them a rough cut beforehand or throwing them in whole.

With a firm hold on the pestle, push down on the garlic clove with the rounded edge. By pushing the pestle back and forth as well as side to side, you may whittle the garlic down.

When crushing the garlic, take a break to scrape big bits off the edges of the mortar and return them to the middle of the bowl. This will guarantee that all of the garlic bits are uniform.

After a few grinding strokes, the garlic should be smashed. You may keep working with the garlic until you get the required size of smashed pieces. You might even keep grinding the garlic in the mortar until it becomes a paste.

4 – Microplane

A microplane is a long grater that cuts the material you want into minute slivers. Citrus zest is often created using microplanes. Hold the handle of your microplane. Some handles are constructed of metal, while the majority are made of plastic or silicone to give a secure grip.

Run the peeled garlic clove up and down the length of the microplane. You may either work in tiny, quick strokes or gently pull the garlic over the grate. In any case, the ultimate product will be extremely tiny garlic bits that will melt into your selected recipe.

In soup applications, using a microplane to decrease the size of garlic is highly common. Unless you’re cooking garlic soup, most people don’t want to gulp their soup and chew on a bit of garlic.

To properly unleash the flavor of the finely ground garlic, add it straight to the stock and bring it to a boil. You may alternatively toast the garlic in a tiny quantity of oil or butter before adding the rest of the ingredients.

Keep in mind that this procedure yields extremely little garlic bits. Cooking the garlic will take no time at all. This is useful if you need to make supper quickly or if you forgot to include garlic at the start of your meal.

5 – Handheld Garlic Mincer

Mincers may be used instead of garlic presses and aren’t simply for mincing garlic. You might also use these portable mincers to mince ginger and herbs.

Two interlocking chambers with projecting teeth on each side of the mincer are the most compact configuration of a mincer. Insert your garlic clove, press the two halves together, and twist.

The twisting movement causes the garlic pieces to hit with the interlocking teeth, smashing them as they shred. These tools are great for chopping herbs before adding them to a recipe. It may be used in lieu of a knife for a variety of tasks.

Other mincers are manual food processors. You insert your garlic cloves into the holding chamber of these devices. You thrust a bladed attachment towards the garlic cloves with the power of your palm. When the garlic makes contact with the blade, it is swiftly chopped.

The blade attachments differ. Some are excellent for chopping, while others are better for mincing. These things are great for anybody who travels or want to lower their energy use.

6 – Your Hands

When you’re at a loss for how to smash garlic and none of the preceding alternatives are accessible, you may always rely on physical force. Garlic in clove shape may seem tough and difficult to penetrate, but it is not.

Firmly press the garlic clove with the heel of your palm. You’ll need to put in some effort, and you may need to repeat the procedure a few times to have your garlic smashed perfectly.

To prevent inflammation, wash your hands immediately after crushing your garlic.

7 – Rocks

If you’re really roughing it, say in the vast outdoors, you can smash your garlic with a rock.

Use a smooth yet heavy rock for the purpose. Cover the garlic with wax paper or parchment paper.

Then smash the pebble into the garlic. The paper covering will prevent rock dirt out of your smashed garlic. If you’re worried about food safety, wash the rock in warm, soapy water before using it to smash your garlic.

Garlic is also kept out of the rock by the protective coating. Rocks are incredibly permeable and will take part of your garlic with them if they have rough edges.

If you’re going to return the rock to nature, make sure it doesn’t have any garlic chunks on it. They may inhibit animals and lichens from using the rock as a home.