This week's One Simply Terrific Thing comes from Simply Recipes Contributor Sheela Prakash!
For a long time, I was very anti-garlic press.
I used to think a garlic press was the #1 most unnecessary kitchen tool, and I would get on my imaginary soapbox and share my strong feelings to anyone who would listen.
But just a couple of months ago, I found myself retracting this bold statement after using the OXO Good Grips garlic press ($16.95 from Amazon).
My encounter with OXO's garlic press was quite unplanned.
After years of growing up with a constant stream of useless garlic presses, I'd always felt this tool never worked as well as it claimed to, and was a pain to clean. I promised myself I'd never own a garlic press.
But when we went to stay with my dad a few months ago near the start of COVID quarantine, one night during dinner prep he pulled his own garlic press – the OXO one – out of the drawer. I grumbled, but when he insisted it actually worked, I gave it a try.
It turned out OXO magically solved every single qualm I'd had with the garlic presses of my past.
What's ingenious about the OXO garlic press is you don't have to peel the cloves. Slip one, two, or even three cloves into the press (yes, it conveniently holds multiple cloves), squeeze it using the comfortable, rubber-gripped handles, and the sturdy press efficiently pushes the garlic pulp out of its large hole.
To clean it, simply flip the handles around and a red rubber strip pushes out the papery skin and any pieces of garlic that remain in the press. After that, it's usually already pretty clean enough that a good rinse or a gentle wash is all it needs. If you don't want to do that, you can toss the press right in the dishwasher.
Since I've been using this garlic press at my dad's over the past few months, I've become a total convert – so much so that after years of putting my foot down, I've already ordered one for myself to finally add to my own kitchen.
Cheers to good tools!
