Inside Helana’s Kitchen: Garlic Peeler

My second Friday post from the “Inside Helana’s Kitchen” series at Clearly Delicious is one I’m more than thrilled to bring to my readers.  Not because I’m showing you some fancy-schmancy gadget from William-Sonoma, but because my suggested tool is useful, cheap, and indispensable if you cook with garlic.

If you search the word “garlic” on this website, you’ll pick up over 80 recipes dedicated to Italy’s most famous ingredient.  Garlic’s aromatic qualities, spicy tang, and versatile body make for one heck of a fresh ingredient in any kind of sauce, salad, or Italian concoction.  I use garlic for just about everything making sure to buy it in bulk so I can always have fresh garlic on hand.  But in the past, I’ve growled in frustration when peeling back the paper thin layers to get to the bulb beneath.  I’ve tried everything from microwaving garlic for 8 seconds (thanks for the tip Uncle Paul!), lopping off the flat square tip, and just scratching at it wildly until the paper gives.

Needless to say, I don’t like peeling garlic…very much…at all.

However, for the first time since I started cooking, I don’t want to shy away from the responsibilities of peeling garlic, but rather look forward to jumping into the task with a new gadget that actually makes peeling garlic fun.

Rhett brought over his silicone garlic peeler one night last week after learning–on a whim–that I had no such device in the house.  I watched as he rocked his hands back and forth over a single garlic clove in a cylinder tube, and, then, practically squealed like a fourteen-year-old girl when he removed the perfectly peeled bulb inside.

For anyone who hasn’t seen a garlic peeler in action for the first time, you’re in for a treat.  Especially, if you hate peeling garlic.

Pictured: My new red garlic peeler from Amazon–a simple silicone cylinder is used to feed, press, and peel the garlic.  The sticky skin of the silicone literally pulls the paper layer from the garlic’s body.  It’s impressive and easy!

For being so useful, the device is incredibly simple and cheap.  It retails for less than $5 on Amazon ($4.30 with Free Shipping here), and can be purchased in sundry colors (Note: I bought mine in red to match the countless red devices in my kitchen).

Pictured: Garlic Peeler’s simple-to-use instructions – place garlic inside tube and rock hands back and forth until the skin crackles and pulls off.

And the technique is all too simple: simply place garlic in tube and roll back and forth until the garlic skin crackles and peels.  This process can take anywhere from five to ten seconds, but works every time.  I got so excited, I even peeled miniature gourmet onions successfully as used in fancy French dishes like this one here.  Basically, anything small with a paper-like skin works great for this device.

If you’re not sold yet–and find yourself cooking with fresh garlic–here are some other reasons why you might consider dropping less than $5 on such a great device.

Garlic Peeler

Small and affordable, this peeler is a modern efficient way to peel garlic. Never more than $5 to $10, silicone garlic peelers take the stress out of peeling garlic at home.

Pros

-easy to use

-cheap

-small and lightweight

-works every time

-provides stress-free garlic peeling

-fast–no more than 10 seconds (unless you have a superbly stubborn piece of garlic)

-dishwasher safe

-no garlic odor remains on the tube or your hands

Cons

-sometimes the inside gets so lined with garlic skin it has to be cleaned thoroughly before using again because the garlic skin has no silicone left to hold onto

-if you loose it, you’ll have to go back to peeling garlic by hand

–Helana Brigman

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