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{{Short description|Kitchen utensil, to crush garlic cloves}}
[[Image:Garlic Press and Garlic.jpg|thumb|right|Garlic being crushed using a garlic press.]]
[[Image:Garlic Press and Garlic.jpg|thumb|right|Garlic having been crushed using a garlic press]]
[[File:Presse-ail ikéa koncis 09.jpg|thumb|Many garlic presses also have a device with a matching grid of blunt pins to clean out the holes.]]
[[File:Presse-ail ikéa koncis 09.jpg|thumb|Many garlic presses also have a device with a matching grid of blunt pins to clean out the holes.]]
A '''garlic press''' (also known as a garlic crusher in [[Australia]] and [[New Zealand]]), is a [[kitchen utensil]] to crush [[garlic]] cloves efficiently by forcing them through a grid of small holes, usually with some type of [[piston]]. Many garlic presses also have a device with a matching grid of blunt pins to clean out the holes.
A '''garlic press''', also known as a '''garlic crusher''', is a [[kitchen utensil]] to crush [[garlic]] cloves efficiently by forcing them through a grid of small holes, usually with some type of [[piston]]. Many garlic presses also have a device with a matching grid of blunt pins to clean out the holes.


The inventor of the garlic press is generally held to be Karl Zysset (1907–1988) founder of the Swiss kitchen utensil company [[Zyliss]].<ref>[http://www.muellerscience.com/SPEZIALITAETEN/Schweiz/Schweizer_Erfindungen_und_Entdeckungen.htm Mueller Science: ''500 Schweizer Primeurs, Schweizer Erfindungen und Schweizer Entdeckungen '']; retrieved 14 August 2012.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.eguide.ch/en/objekt/zylyss/#:~:text=Karl%20Zysset%20(1907%E2%80%931988),to%20manufacture%20and%20distribute%20them.|title = Zylyss}}</ref>
Garlic presses present a convenient alternative to [[mincing]] garlic with a [[knife]], especially because a clove of garlic can be passed through a sturdy press without even removing its peel. The peel remains in the press while the garlic is extruded out. Some sources<ref>For example, the [http://www.epicurious.com/cooking/how_to/food_dictionary/entry?id=2683 Epicurious Food Dictionary]</ref> also claim that pressing with the peel on makes cleaning the press easier. The quality and effectiveness of a garlic press is measured by several criterions: Material, handles length and size, diameter of holes, parts accessibility and ability to maximize the garlic edible part.<ref>[http://homes-most-important-room.blogspot.com/2017/02/5-things-to-consider-when-choosing.html 5 things to consider when choosing a garlic press]</ref>


Garlic presses present a convenient alternative to mincing garlic with a knife, especially because a clove of garlic can be passed through a sturdy press without even removing its peel. The peel remains in the press while the garlic is extruded out. Some sources<ref>For example, the [http://www.epicurious.com/cooking/how_to/food_dictionary/entry?id=2683 Epicurious Food Dictionary] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060714095517/http://www.epicurious.com/cooking/how_to/food_dictionary/entry?id=2683 |date=2006-07-14 }}</ref> also claim that pressing with the peel on makes cleaning the press easier.
Garlic crushed by a press is generally believed to have a different flavor from minced garlic, more of garlic's strong flavor compounds are liberated. A few sources prefer the flavor of pressed garlic. [[Raw food diet|Raw-foods]] chef Renée Underkoffler says "a good garlic press makes dealing with garlic a clean pleasure. Pressed garlic has a lighter, more delicate flavor than minced garlic because it excludes the bitter center stem."<ref>{{cite book|author=Underkoffler, Renée|title=Living Cuisine: The Art and Spirit of Raw Foods|publisher=Avery|year=2004|isbn=1-58333-171-9}} p. 179.</ref> The magazine ''[[Cook's Illustrated]]'' says "a good garlic press can break down cloves more finely and evenly than an average cook using a knife, which means better distribution of garlic flavor throughout any given dish."<ref name="cooks">Wu, Sandra. "Notes from Readers", ''Cook's Illustrated'', Sept. & Oct. 2006 p. 3.</ref>


Garlic crushed by a press is generally believed{{citation needed|date=November 2020}} to have a different flavor from minced garlic, more of garlic's strong flavor compounds are liberated. A few sources prefer the flavor of pressed garlic. [[Raw food diet|Raw-foods]] chef Renée Underkoffler says "a good garlic press makes dealing with garlic a clean pleasure. Pressed garlic has a lighter, more delicate flavor than minced garlic because it excludes the bitter center stem."<ref>{{cite book|author=Underkoffler, Renée|title=Living Cuisine: The Art and Spirit of Raw Foods|publisher=Avery|year=2004|isbn=1-58333-171-9}} p. 179.</ref> The magazine ''[[Cook's Illustrated]]'' says "a good garlic press can break down cloves more finely and evenly than an average cook using a knife, which means better distribution of garlic flavor throughout any given dish."<ref name="cooks">Wu, Sandra. "Notes from Readers", ''Cook's Illustrated'', Sept. & Oct. 2006 p. 3.</ref>
On the other hand, some chefs say garlic crushed in a press has an inferior flavor compared to other forms of garlic. For instance, chef [[Anthony Bourdain]] calls garlic presses "abominations" and advises "''don't'' put it through a press. I don't know what that junk is that squeezes out of the end of those things, but it ain't garlic."<ref>{{cite book | author=Bourdain, Anthony | title=Kitchen Confidential | publisher=HarperCollins | year=2001 | isbn=0-06-093491-3}} p. 81.</ref> The British cookery writer [[Elizabeth David]] once wrote an essay titled "Garlic Presses are Utterly Useless".<ref>{{cite book | author=David, Elizabeth | title=Is There a Nutmeg in the House? | publisher=Viking | year=2000 | isbn=0-670-03033-3}} p. 51.</ref> [[Alton Brown]] has expressed suspicion about them on account of their having only one function.


On the other hand, some chefs say garlic crushed in a press has an inferior flavor compared to other forms of garlic. For instance, chef [[Anthony Bourdain]] called garlic presses "abominations" and advised "''don't'' put it through a press. I don't know what that junk is that squeezes out of the end of those things, but it ain't garlic."<ref>{{cite book | author=Bourdain, Anthony | title=Kitchen Confidential | publisher=HarperCollins | year=2001 | isbn=0-06-093491-3 | url-access=registration | url=https://archive.org/details/kitchenconfident00bour }} p. 81.</ref> The cookery writer [[Elizabeth David]] wrote an essay titled "Garlic Presses are Utterly Useless".<ref>{{cite book | author=David, Elizabeth | title=Is There a Nutmeg in the House? | publisher=Viking | year=2000 | isbn=0-670-03033-3}} p. 51.</ref> [[Alton Brown]] (known for his dislike of single-purpose kitchen tools) has referred to garlic presses as "useless" and without a reason to exist.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://gizmodo.com:80/5347140/alton-brown-kitchen-gadget-judgment-calls---yea-or-nay | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170916083851/http://gizmodo.com/5347140/alton-brown-kitchen-gadget-judgment-calls---yea-or-nay | url-status = dead | archive-date = 16 September 2017 | title = Alton Brown: Kitchen Gadget Judgment Calls - Yea or Nay? | last = Rothman | first = Wilson | date = 27 August 2009 | website = Gizmodo.com | access-date = 11 June 2018 }}</ref>
''Cook's Illustrated'' lists some additional uses for a garlic press, such as mashing other small items (including [[olive]]s, [[caper]]s, [[anchovies]], and canned [[chipotle]]s) or pressing out small quantities of [[onion]] or [[shallot]] juice.<ref name="cooks"/>

''Cook's Illustrated'' lists some additional uses for a garlic press, such as mashing other small items (including [[olive]]s, [[caper]]s, [[anchovies]], [[ginger]] and canned [[chipotle]]s) or pressing out small quantities of onion or [[shallot]] juice.<ref name="cooks"/>

== Collection ==
The largest collection of unique garlic presses is thought to be owned by Tord Elfwendahl, Stockholm, who has since 1979 collected an excess of 1200 unique garlic presses.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.garlicpress.org/|title=The Garlic Press Collector|website=www.garlicpress.org|accessdate=24 April 2023}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Garlic peeler]]
* [[Potato ricer]]


== Notes ==
== Notes ==
{{commonscat|Garlic press}}
{{commons category|Garlic presses|Garlic press}}
<references/>
<references/>


{{Allium}}
{{Allium}}
{{Kitchen tools}}
[[Category:Cooking utensils]]

[[Category:Food preparation utensils]]
[[Category:Garlic]]
[[Category:Garlic]]
[[Category:Swiss inventions]]

Latest revision as of 03:28, 6 December 2024

Garlic having been crushed using a garlic press
Many garlic presses also have a device with a matching grid of blunt pins to clean out the holes.

A garlic press, also known as a garlic crusher, is a kitchen utensil to crush garlic cloves efficiently by forcing them through a grid of small holes, usually with some type of piston. Many garlic presses also have a device with a matching grid of blunt pins to clean out the holes.

The inventor of the garlic press is generally held to be Karl Zysset (1907–1988) founder of the Swiss kitchen utensil company Zyliss.[1][2]

Garlic presses present a convenient alternative to mincing garlic with a knife, especially because a clove of garlic can be passed through a sturdy press without even removing its peel. The peel remains in the press while the garlic is extruded out. Some sources[3] also claim that pressing with the peel on makes cleaning the press easier.

Garlic crushed by a press is generally believed[citation needed] to have a different flavor from minced garlic, more of garlic's strong flavor compounds are liberated. A few sources prefer the flavor of pressed garlic. Raw-foods chef Renée Underkoffler says "a good garlic press makes dealing with garlic a clean pleasure. Pressed garlic has a lighter, more delicate flavor than minced garlic because it excludes the bitter center stem."[4] The magazine Cook's Illustrated says "a good garlic press can break down cloves more finely and evenly than an average cook using a knife, which means better distribution of garlic flavor throughout any given dish."[5]

On the other hand, some chefs say garlic crushed in a press has an inferior flavor compared to other forms of garlic. For instance, chef Anthony Bourdain called garlic presses "abominations" and advised "don't put it through a press. I don't know what that junk is that squeezes out of the end of those things, but it ain't garlic."[6] The cookery writer Elizabeth David wrote an essay titled "Garlic Presses are Utterly Useless".[7] Alton Brown (known for his dislike of single-purpose kitchen tools) has referred to garlic presses as "useless" and without a reason to exist.[8]

Cook's Illustrated lists some additional uses for a garlic press, such as mashing other small items (including olives, capers, anchovies, ginger and canned chipotles) or pressing out small quantities of onion or shallot juice.[5]

Collection

[edit]

The largest collection of unique garlic presses is thought to be owned by Tord Elfwendahl, Stockholm, who has since 1979 collected an excess of 1200 unique garlic presses.[9]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Mueller Science: 500 Schweizer Primeurs, Schweizer Erfindungen und Schweizer Entdeckungen ; retrieved 14 August 2012.
  2. ^ "Zylyss".
  3. ^ For example, the Epicurious Food Dictionary Archived 2006-07-14 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Underkoffler, Renée (2004). Living Cuisine: The Art and Spirit of Raw Foods. Avery. ISBN 1-58333-171-9. p. 179.
  5. ^ a b Wu, Sandra. "Notes from Readers", Cook's Illustrated, Sept. & Oct. 2006 p. 3.
  6. ^ Bourdain, Anthony (2001). Kitchen Confidential. HarperCollins. ISBN 0-06-093491-3. p. 81.
  7. ^ David, Elizabeth (2000). Is There a Nutmeg in the House?. Viking. ISBN 0-670-03033-3. p. 51.
  8. ^ Rothman, Wilson (27 August 2009). "Alton Brown: Kitchen Gadget Judgment Calls - Yea or Nay?". Gizmodo.com. Archived from the original on 16 September 2017. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  9. ^ "The Garlic Press Collector". www.garlicpress.org. Retrieved 24 April 2023.