Loosen the bulb: Place the garlic bulb on a flat cutting board with root side down. Make a fist and smash the garlic bulb. This breaks the roots and loosens the bulb. Now separate the individual cloves.
Mason Jar Trick: Place the loose cloves in a mason jar, close the lid and shake the jar vigorously. Now open the jar and pick the peeled cloves. Works great when you have a ton of garlic to peel.
Crush and Peel: Trim off the root edge of the clove. Place it on a cutting board and gently smash it. This loosens the peel from the clove. Now simply separate the cloves from their peels. Works great for peeling a handful of cloves.
By Hand: Slice off the root end of the garlic clove and gently remove the peel with your fingers. Works great for peeling a couple of cloves.
How to Cut Garlic
Slice: Place the whole, peeled garlic clove on your cutting board and slice swiftly through with a knife into thin, even slices.
Chop: Take the sliced pieces of garlic, and line them up next to each other. Use a chef's knife and place one hand on top of the blade while you move the other hand in a semi-circular motion. Chop the garlic to your desired size.
How to Mince Garlic
Mincing by Hand: Use a two-hand chopping motion and run over chopped garlic back-and-forth repeatedly. It helps to keep one hand on top of the blade while you move the other hand in a semi-circular motion.
Using a Garlic Press: Place the peeled garlic clove in chamber of the garlic press and squeeze the two handles together. Fine and even pieces of garlic every time.
Using a Microplane: Hold the Microplane in one hand and the peeled garlic clove in the other. Use gentle pressure to go back and forth against the plane of the grater.
How to Make Garlic Paste
To make garlic paste: Place the peeled garlic cloves in a blender or food processor with 1 Tablespoon oil. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary.
Notes
Common Garlic Conversions:
Garlic Flakes (Dehydrated or Dried): Use ½ teaspoon garlic flakes for every 1 clove.
Granulated Garlic: Use ¼ teaspoon granulated garlic for every 1 clove.
Garlic Powder: Use ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder for every 1 clove.
Garlic Salt: Use ½ teaspoon garlic salt for every 1 clove. Note: This will add ⅜ teaspoon salt, so decrease the salt accordingly.
Cloves to Minced Garlic:One medium clove produces approx 1 teaspoon chopped garlic or ½ teaspoon minced garlic. In other words, 3-4 medium cloves yield 1 Tablespoon chopped garlic or ½ Tablespoon minced garlic.Garlic Tips & Tricks:
The size of garlic matters. The smaller the pieces, the stronger the flavor.
Cut the garlic as soon as you need it. The longer chopped garlic sits, the harsher its flavor.
Wait to add garlic until other aromatics have softened and do not cook for longer than 30 seconds. This prevents browning and that notorious bitter flavor.
When garlic is the only flavoring (i.e. garlic and oil), add garlic to a cold pan along with the oil over low heat. Give it time to releases its natural, sweet flavor.
To get rid of the garlic smell from your hands, rub with a mixture of 1 tablespoon white vinegar + 1 teaspoon baking soda. Or, rub your fingers against any stainless steel plate or your kitchen sink.
Note: The nutrition facts below are my estimates based on 12 cloves of garlic per head. If you are following any diet plan, I recommend cross-checking with your preferred nutrition calculator.