How to peal a head of garlic in 10 seconds

[DishDelish]

This video, if you haven't already seen it will change your life!! :) I am a happy chef! http://vimeo.com/29605182

[subal]

Place garlic in micro wave for 5 seconds.
The skin now justs slips off!
Czam!

[Puffin3]

Just happen to have the same ss bowls. Just tried doing it. You are right. It has changed my life!!!!!!!
Thanks

[fldhkybnva]

I am a garlic fanatic but often dread peeling the cloves, but for some reason this seems like more effort than just diving in and getting my hands dirty but perhaps I'll give it a try. Would it work with any two lightweight bowls or do you think they need to be as hard as stainless steel or glass? Like would a plastic bowl work?

[foodieop]

works well with a cocktail shaker also....

[HillJ]

For a large batch of peeled garlic, it's a game changer. Like 40 cloves for roasted chicken or a boatload of garlic bread or if you don't want to handle the garlic and have the smell linger..but, even with my weathered hands I've never found garlic difficult or a pain in the ass to peel in small batches and I don't mind the smell on my hands.

I was more bothered peeling pearl onions. Do you think this technique would work on pearl onions?

[kcshigekawa]

Somehow, I don't think so...it looks as if the garlic skins get split when he first whacks the head on the counter, which would help them fall off.

But it couldn't hurt to try!

[HillJ]

This shaker method did not work with pearl onions...I'll have to keep my pearl onion specialist on (home) staff !

[kcshigekawa]

Ahh...to have staff... ;->

Me, I just go with the frozen...

[foodieX2]

I posted that link on the "kitchen tool/gadget that changes your life" thread. It did in fact change my life, LOL! I use a boatload of garlic in general but when I started getting multiple heads every week in farm share I took to freezing the peeled cloves. This made it a snap.

[Isolda]

I didn't know you could freeze peeled garlic cloves. How long do they keep and can you use them in recipes that called for uncooked garlic (salad dressing, aioli, etc.)?

[foodieX2]

I find it keeps for a couple of months. The texture suffers, it gets soft and the color becomes almost translucent but its fine in cooked dishes and for things like salad dressing, garlic bread, etc. If anything the flavor might mellow a little.

I have not made aioli with it and think the texture might be too "wet" making it not incorporate correctly.

[Puffin3]

Depends on how fresh the garlic bulb is. I doubt that trick would work on fresh garlic but we won't know that until next fall. LOL I'm going to try the 'trick' with garlics I bought and hung last fall today.

[angustia]

With a cleaver or big knife, cut the hard end off the cloves....and then place the cleaver on top of the garlic clove (two at a time if you can), and squish down. The skin splits up and you can easily take out the garlic.

If you squish hard enough, the whole clove splits up too which makes it easier to mince.

[kattyeyes]

Tell it to us straight, brotha: peeling garlic IS a pain in the ass! That's a cool trick.

[Sitruc1958]

good idea and would also make an new unusual sound for my band....

[nlgardener]

That's cool! The initial smash with the hand looks painful, though. I think I might put the head in the bottom of one of the bowls and smash it with the bottom of the other before shaking.

Thanks for sharing.