Garlic is a staple in many of the meals I cook. While getting powdered garlic is certainly easier, it just doesn’t pack the same flavorful punch as using fresh garlic. However, garlic can be so frustrating to peel! There are a few methods I’ve seen over the years that are supposed to make this process easier. Let’s take a look at the most recent viral garlic peeling trick!
This method involves stabbing the garlic and prying off the cloves one by one. First, you need to peel the outer layers of skin off to get as close to the cloves as possible. Then, hold the garlic so the stem is pointing down. Wedge the knife in between two garlic cloves and twist.
Sounds easy, right? This trick has garnered a lot of attention over the last few months. So much so that The New Yorker did a piece on it! The author had some helpful tips, including using a bigger knife to help get some leverage when prying the cloves off. Sure, this might not be the most efficient way to peel garlic, but it’s kind of fun to give it a try!
Once you’re done peeling your garlic, your hands will inevitably have that garlicky smell. Now, I love garlic, but I don’t love my hands smelling like garlic. That’s going too far. One trick I’ve tested out and had success with is to rub your hands on stainless steel when you wash them. This is convenient because most kitchen sinks are made from stainless steel. I usually wet my hands and add soap, then rub my hands on my sink before rinsing off. It works surprisingly well!