Chef's Corner: How to Mince Garlic

Friday, July 12, 2013

I learned to cook from my Italian grandmother, so needless to say, the first step of every meal was “saute garlic in oil.” I was always in charge of the garlic. I must have peeled and minced hundreds, maybe thousands of cloves of garlic! Here's a little insight on how to get the perfect mince.

Step 1 - Free the Cloves

Use the palm of your hand to press down firmly on the top of the bulb. The individual cloves should separate with gentle pressure.

Step 2 - Peel Away the Skin

The loose outer skin will have a paper-like texture.

Step 3 - Peel the Cloves

There is a tight, transparent skin on each clove. It can be removed a few ways. 

Option 1 - Cut the hard stem end of the clove where it was attached to the bulb and using steady pressure, squeeze the bulb out. 

Option 2 - Using the flat surface of the side of your blade, press firmly on the garlic until the skin releases. Then simply peel it away.

Step 4 - Mince

Like peeling the cloves, there are a few options for mincing garlic.

Option 1 - Slice the entire clove lengthwise in very thin slices. Then, slice those slices crosswise, in very thin slices. Finally, run your knife back and forth across the minced clove to get a fine mince.

Option 2 - Let a garlic press do the mincing for you! Our Mealtime Partners at Cook’s Warehouse have a lot of options to suite your garlicky needs!