I don't care wwhat Emeril says....

[lagilman]

I don't understand people who need a faster way to peel garlic. How long does it take, out of your life? Even if you're peeling the entire head...

Cooking isn't slam-bam. Like all things worth doing well, it's worth taking your time, enjoying the action for itself, as well as for the end result. Pull, crush, slip the paper, mince fine. Breathe in, and exhale.

(yes of course I like my kitchen toys. My food processor and my hand-held mixer, my coffee grinder and my blender. But there is an unmistakable satisfaction in hand-kneading dough, or spoon-mixing batter, too.)

This thought brought to you by tonight's dinner, linguini with a garlic-onion-spinach dressing.



["Bam!" for those of you not getting the header reference. If you still don't get it, never mind.]

Comments

[icedrake.livejournal.com]

Having just peeled three heads of garlic for one recipe and, two days later, two heads for another, I could certainly appreciate some time savings. Especially when you're trying to do two things in parallel, and get the garlic ready for the next step of the ohnoisitboilingALREADY?!

[lagilman]

try peeling the garlic before you set the water to boil? (it will keep, quite happily, until it's time for its close-up)

Ad yeah, two heads of garlic is a lot to peel. But the smash-and-slip method doesn't take all that long, even compared to the handy-dandy garlic roller.

[wood-dragon.livejournal.com]

I love some kitchen gadgets but love to knead dough and mix with a spoon more.

My problem with garlic is removing the smell from my hands. I find rubbing the tap helps for onions but not garlic. I suppose I could wear gloves ...

[wolfsilveroak.livejournal.com]

To peel an entire head of garlic? Maybe 15 minutes, tops.

And yes, hand kneading is very thearaputic}:P

[difrancis.livejournal.com]

okay, I have to confess. I wasn't crushing before peeling. I just started a few weeks ago. What a major discovery. Yeah. I'm a dork.

[cepetit.myopenid.com (from livejournal.com)]

Remember, all of those fancy-shmansy cooking gurus:
(1) have restaurant and/or catering backgrounds, where seconds (sometimes) count
(2) have assistants to clean all of those fancy gadgets
(3) have enough storage for all of their fancy gadgets so that they don't have to choose between having the food processor and the ice-cream maker handy
(4) get to deduct the cost of their gadgets as necessary business expenses

All of that said, I find a garlic press indispensible. But then, I began learning to cook in a family-run Sicilian restaurant/diner during the Ford Administration...

[graygirl.livejournal.com]

It's so therapeutic to smash it with the flat of your knife!

[suelder.livejournal.com]

I love my garlic press. I don't mind peeling garlic, but mincing it makes me nervous for my fingertips.

[spiffikins]

I saw something on a cooking show a few months ago - they suggested that if you break open the bulb and pull out the cloves, you can put them into a bowl, cover it with a place and shake vigorously for 10 to 20 seconds - all the cloves will be peeled and ready to go.

I tried this the last time I used garlic - with a plastic foodsaver container rather than the giant stainless steel bowl they used - and it worked a pretty good treat.

No need for special tools either.