My garlic is getting old and starting to go bad (and thinking of sprouting) so I've decided to dehydrate most of it, which means peeling a full gallon ziplock of loose cloves. For cooking I like to smash, peel and then chop (I hate cleaning garlic presses), but I didn't want to smash-peel all of these cloves. Luckily I remembered a website that recommended removing the covers before planting garlic and they said to soak the garlic in water for a day. So that is what I did (cold water overnight plus some) and with the aid of fingernails the covers are coming off easily.
BTW, Santa, if you are listening, I have tried to be good this year (even to my neighbor with the little yappy dogs) and would really like a Garlic Twist for Christmas so that I don't have to deal with sticky knives any more.
Peeling Garlic Tip
Last edited by TZ -OH6 on Sun Dec 12, 2010 2:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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- Greener Thumb
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Interesting.
My garlic peeling tip has always been to keep your hands and worksurface very dry! Smash the clove with the flat of a chef's knife. Just a good whomp will do, it doesn't have to split the papery skin. Seems to spray a miniscule bit of oil or moisture that helps the paper release more easily. If your fingers or worksurface are wet, then the papery bits will cling.
I would think a quick blanch in boiling water would serve a similar purpose to what you are doing. Then lift them out and slip the skins. That's what I do when I'm skinning almonds.
Of course, one could use a vegetable juicer that would squeeze out all the wet and leave the pulp. I haven't used mine in a long while. Think it's in storage until I move again. Anyhow, I never did very small quantities of anything in it and don't know how it would work with only one or two heads of garlic.
My garlic peeling tip has always been to keep your hands and worksurface very dry! Smash the clove with the flat of a chef's knife. Just a good whomp will do, it doesn't have to split the papery skin. Seems to spray a miniscule bit of oil or moisture that helps the paper release more easily. If your fingers or worksurface are wet, then the papery bits will cling.
I would think a quick blanch in boiling water would serve a similar purpose to what you are doing. Then lift them out and slip the skins. That's what I do when I'm skinning almonds.
Of course, one could use a vegetable juicer that would squeeze out all the wet and leave the pulp. I haven't used mine in a long while. Think it's in storage until I move again. Anyhow, I never did very small quantities of anything in it and don't know how it would work with only one or two heads of garlic.
- Hitched_Gibson
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