4 Ways to Peel Garlic (And the One Method That Works Best) (2 of 3)

Microwave

What you need: A microwave (obviously).

How to do it: Separate the garlic cloves from the bulb. Zap them in the microwave for 20 seconds at full power. Let the garlic cool and then remove the skins.

Our impressions: This method is strongly endorsed by TikTokers, and when have they ever been wrong about anything? There’s no denying that microwaving does an effective job of loosening the garlic up, but in the time spent nuking the garlic and then waiting for it to cool, we could have just peeled it with our fingers and everything would have been fine. We’d only suggest doing this if you’re having a super hard time peeling the garlic. Oh, and not surprisingly, the microwave ends up with a strong, lingering scent of garlic that takes time to dissipate.

Garlic Press With Skin On

What you need: A garlic press.

How to do it: Remove the garlic bulb from the clove, add it to the garlic press, and squeeze. Simple as that!

Our impressions: Those who prefer this method insist it works even when you put a whole, unpeeled clove of garlic into the garlic press. That sounded like a pretty good deal to us, but the results were pretty mixed. Some of the factors you have to take into account are the size of the garlic clove, how fresh it is, and the kind of garlic press you’re using. Sure, with some cloves things worked out spectacularly; the garlic came out perfectly pureed and the skin peels off easily from inside the press. But with others, it was pretty much a disaster; the skin prevented the garlic from coming out of the press, and we had to dig into the press to fish out the bits of mashed garlic and skin, leaving our fingers smelling extra garlicky. We suppose using a stainless steel spoon instead could have helped us avoid this unpleasantness, but in any event this method is by and large pointless and gets a big thumbs down.