The Best Ways to Peel & Chop Garlic (And the Worst) | Epicurious 101

Professional Chef-instructor Frank Proto demonstrates 16 ways to peel, chop, smash, grate, and slice garlic like a pro. From fine slices to grating on a microplane, Frank explains how preparing the garlic for your recipe directly impacts its intensity in the dish - and how to understand which one is best for every situation.

Learn more with Chef Frank on his YouTube Channel ProtoCooks!
and follow him on Instagram @protocooks
Follow The Institute of Culinary Education at @iceculinary
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0:00 Introduction
0:18 About Garlic
0:53 Chapter 1 - Peeling
1:16 Hands
1:28 Paring Knife
1:51 Two-Bowl Method
2:23 Jar Method
3:04 Chapter 2 - Cutting
3:21 Whole Cloves
3:41 Crushed
4:10 Sliced
4:26 Mandoline
4:48 Razor Blade
5:18 Rough Chopped
5:49 Minced
6:33 Grated
7:28 Garlic Press
7:54 Pre-Chopped
8:24 Roasted
9:21 BONUS Rolling Garlic Chopper
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Editor - Louis Lalire
Producer - Ness Kleino
Director - Chris Principe
Associate Producer - Michael Cascio
DP - Brad Wickham
Cam Op - Paige Wollensak
Sound Mixer - Rachel Suffian
Culinary Producer - Mallary Santucci
Associate Culinary Producer - Jackie Beal
Production Assistant: Brandon Guillebeaux
Post Production Supervisor: Stephanie Cardone
Associate Director, Post Production: Nicole Berg

Epicurious Video Team
Jonathan Wise
Ali Inglese 
Dan Siegel 
Rhoda Boone 
Carolyn Gagnon 
June Kim
Holly Patton 
Myra Rivera
Billy Keenly



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[ProtoCookswithChefFrank]

So happy how this came out. Such a fun video to shoot.

[thewalkingcrow]

As a garlic farmer it always saddens me that they don't bother to explain the physical structure of the garlic in these kinds of videos. All alliums have some form of the compounds allicin and allicinase but with garlic they are held in separate cells. So the reason the flavor gets stronger is because you are bursting more cells and mixing the two compounds in greater quantities. It's a lot like a glowstick. An onion, by comparison, the two compounds are inside the same cell. That's why the direction you cut an onion (with the grain or against it) determines how much of the two compounds mix. But because they are held in separate cells the reaction is more pronounced in garlic.

It takes 20-30-ish seconds for the reaction to take place so if you cut directly into heat you aren't giving it time to do it's thing. This is because heat breaks down the compounds, both pre-mix and post mix. Some garlic varieties can actually survive low temp roasting without losing flavor. But if you want the best flavor, add the garlic at the end of the cooking process, or if you want the mellow suffused flavor do it half and half.

There are some 150-200+ varieties of garlic that can be divided into groups in a number of ways, but basically there are three evolutionary lines that gourmands and growers divide into 11 or so subgroups. A curiosity of garlic is that no wild garlic exists so we don't know where it actually evolved. There are two genetic epicenters, one in south-central Asia and another in the Middle East. Each variety is adapted to a slightly different climate or is more tolerant of various climatic differences and due to this some varieties simply will not grow where the winters are not cold enough. By the same token, some of the warmer varieties (creoles and turbans) will not do well up North. But also due to this, there is a slight yearly variation in the flavor in even the same variety that is dictated by the climate, much like wine is affected by the growing conditions of the grapes. Some varieties are very spicy kind of like mustard, but others aren't spicy at at all. Some are mild and sweet with high sugar content and high solids, others are rank and stinky like garlic is supposed to be. Some store well, others, like the Asiatics, do not store well. But in the end, they are all garlic. There are some varieties that have a kind of wang to them, though. But the harvest time dictates whether or not the flavor is more pronounced or the storage qualities are improved, as it's a trade off. You can't have both (though the storage qualities can be adequate, you don't have to store it for two years honestly, though silverskins can last that long).

However, the part that always frustrates me the most, is because culinary artists prefer larger bulbs those are the ones that people seem to want. It's pure laziness as the smaller cloves have more flavor packed into them. As the clove grows in size the flavor is diluted, it's a non-linear relationship. So bigger is not better, it's actually milder with a higher solids content. But the garlic you buy at the store is either mass produced in California or imported from some other country and neither compares to anything a small-medium craft garlic farmer will produce. The strength of the flavor is 10-30 times stronger than the stuff you get at the store, so while it takes longer to peel the tiny cloves, you actually don't need as much of it. It's real easy to overpower traditional recipes with gourmet garlic.

This is the best book on the subject: Amazon wants $20 more than this garlic farm charges for it.

[lukebrady]

Greetings Frank from Melbourne, Australia.
There's one really great method of processing garlic that you've left out.

It's an absolute pain in arse and a bit time consuming, but pulverising the cloves of garlic using a mortar and pestle gives you the most knock out garlic flavour ever possible.
Adding a bit of rock salt also helps the process.
Another benefit of this processes that there is no waste and if you do it right and take your time to pulverise it, you end up with a beautiful smooth creamy garlic paste, and like I mentioned before, the taste is truly in another dimension.

Happy new year everyone.

[tae-hooncecilkim]

Being Korean, I tried eating all of the above, even the jarred garlic. In addition, I also tried eating sliced and even a whole garlic that was not cooked. Although not everybody does in Korea, it is quite common. Using minced garlic in a jar or package is quite common Korea considering the amount of garlic we put in our food. Trying to mince garlic everytime I cook is almost impossible because using one or two tablespoon of garlic is considered a minimum. I prefer using a food blender to mince(?) my garlic in a batch and store it in a bottle. Just wanted to share my experience with you all.

[Barry_TopG]

Frank is so professional he has his own channel ProtoCooks

[Urbeflurb]

I love how he just casually skipped over the most common and quickest garlic peeling method: lightly smashing it with a knife and getting rid of the skin.

[_DRMR_]

You forgot `mortar and pestle` to create garlic paste. It is very common in Indian dishes and curries.

Take some roughly chopped garlic and add a bit of water and grind it to a very fine paste. You can do similar with ginger for equally soft consistency that will blend really well with your dishes.

Personally I usually finely chop (if it's only a single clove) or use a garlic press for larger quantities. And then more effort when ground to a paste for curries and such.

[FreshCoatKustoms]

Frank, I love you. Seriously. The way you present and teach things shows pure love for cooking, respect for ingredients and most of all, a passion for teaching. This combination is very, very rare and I really appreciate you taking your time and teaching people not only how to cook, but also why to cook a certain way. Thank you!

[BondandBourne]

In prison, dinner was always a big thing. We had a pasta course and then we had a meat or fish. Paulie did the prep work. He was doing a year for contempt, and he had this wonderful system for doing the garlic. He used a razor, and he used to slice it so thin that he used to liquefy in the pan with just a little oil. It was a very good system.

[AlexNgiam]

What I learned from this video is if you want Frank to visit you, buy a jar of chopped garlic

[SpaceDave]

You missed the ones I use most often.

Peeling method: Cut off the stem and crush with the flat of a knife. Best for chopping, pressing, mincing or just leaving it crushed.

Grinding method: Take your crushed garlic, add kosha salt and use it as a grinding agent in a pestle and mortar or the flat of a blade into a paste.

[manic_driver]

I think it's also important to mention the type of acid you use will also cut down the strength of the garlic flavor. I've done this with making my own tahini paste - you can blend entire bulbs of raw garlic with lemon juice and the flavor will come out surprisingly muted. So, if you do end up making something too garlicky, if you can add a little acid like lemon, it might help

[mikealalee]

I love that he says garlic should be a background flavor. I'm over here roasted mine in the oven then eating them raw after. So

[ravenalchemist]

Frank grows his own garlic for this video 🙌🏻

[dr.braxygilkeycruises]

Man, I love this video!!! Thanks Chef Frank!!

I usually mince my garlic, but a couple months ago, I put a bunch of whole garlic gloves into a foil pan, covered it with olive oil and sea salt, sealed it and baked on 425 F, for around 75 minutes. Not only is the baked garlic amazing, but I reserve the oil in a jar and use it for all types of things (I kept both in the refrigerator). Instead of butter, I'll use a tablespoon of that garlic oil for my eggs or other things I'm sautéing. AND, *my 8 year old granddaughter loves the baked garlic.* She put it on whole wheat Ritz crackers and had that as a snack. That tells you how good it is!

[SmokeUpDatCrack]

Frank is awesome, such a nice guy, no ego. Simply sharing his love and knowledge of cooking. Thanks Frank!

[Dreamzkt]

I am watching this video…
Frank: “…just please please please don’t use the stuff in the jar, cut it fresh or I am gonna come to your house…”
Me: drop everything, run to the supermarket, and buy all the Garlic jars I can find
My gf: “What are you doing with all of the Garlic jars??”
Me: “I am waiting for Frank”

[k.j.l.t.]

Frank is the reason we all started coming back to this channel years ago. He and Lorenzo keep me subscribed.

[taytsay]

I’m so glad he finished growing the garlic and forging his own knives and other implements to shoot this video. Well worth the wait!

[Ms]

Ever since I got into chinese cooking garlic ain't just a background flavour no more. With green beans and dried chili's for example it is delicious to have the garlic deliver that initial hit of flavour.