You Can Stop Peeling Your Garlic Before Pressing It. Here's Why

Garlic is the key ingredient for many recipes. Whether you are whisking up a citrusy vinaigrette for your favorite salad, creating an aromatic and flavorful pasta sauce, or using this bulbous vegetable to make compound butter, Masterclass calls it a must-have in your pantry. We use it in practically everything. The anatomy of a bulb of garlic is pretty simple. Masterclass explains that it is made up of individual cloves covered in a thin, "papery" skin. Garlic can be sliced, diced, crushed, minced, and so on. 

However, more often than not, you probably break out your garlic press when you need to mince a clove or two. A garlic press definitely makes the job easier. America's Test Kitchen explains using a garlic press is quick and efficient while producing uniform pieces of garlic for whatever dish you are making. In fact, you should probably be using your garlic press more often, and maybe you would if it didn't take so long to peel those cloves before you load them into the presser. But guess what, you don't have to peel your garlic cloves before using this gadget. In fact, it's better if you don't, and here's why.

We know what you're thinking: a garlic press is more work than what it's worth. But according to America's Test Kitchen, that's not necessarily true. While you can certainly peel your garlic cloves if you want to, there is no need to do so when using your press. You can place it straight into the garlic press, skin, and all. And the cooking site goes on to explain that leaving the skin on will make clean-up easier as well. The skin from the clove actually helps get rid of any gunk left behind. 

And if you are worried that the skin will get into your pressed garlic, don't. A writer at Epicurious did the research and found not even a sliver of the papery skin was mixed in with the minced garlic. This kitchen gadget is definitely underrated. So, why do people peel their garlic when they use their garlic press? According to a Stack Exchange forum, peeling the garlic before pressing simply allows you to press more at a time without having to clean out the skins, but they also note that this really only becomes a problem if you are pressing in bulk.