Thread: Garlic question

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]..
> If a recipe calls for minced garlic, is it okay to put the garlic through
> a
> garlic press instead? Or is there a reason it calls for minced? Thanks.

I thought the press did mince it?

On Thu, 13 Sep 2012 23:21:58 -0700, "Julie Bove" <[email protected]> wrote:

>
><[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]. .
>> If a recipe calls for minced garlic, is it okay to put the garlic through
>> a
>> garlic press instead? Or is there a reason it calls for minced? Thanks.
>
>I thought the press did mince it?
>

Maybe so. I have no idea. I just bought a press and haven't used it yet. If the
press minces it, all well and good.

On Fri, 14 Sep 2012 01:57:41 -0400, [email protected] wrote:

> If a recipe calls for minced garlic, is it okay to put the garlic through a
> garlic press instead? Or is there a reason it calls for minced? Thanks.

Oh, good heavens. If you haven't eaten enough garlic in the various
forms you're asking about - you certainly won't be able to tell the
difference between them (if you minch, mash or press). Just do it.
After you do it, you'll start understanding why you need them whole.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

On 14-Sep-2012, [email protected] wrote:

> If a recipe calls for minced garlic, is it okay to put the garlic through
> a
> garlic press instead? Or is there a reason it calls for minced? Thanks.

Mincing garlic releases more flavor than chopping; pressing garlic releases
still more flavor. Pressed garlic will impart a bit more flavor than minced
by crushing more cell walls.
--

Change Cujo to Juno in email address.

On 9/14/2012 9:05 AM, l, not -l wrote:
> On 14-Sep-2012, [email protected] wrote:
>
>> If a recipe calls for minced garlic, is it okay to put the garlic through
>> a
>> garlic press instead? Or is there a reason it calls for minced? Thanks.
>
> Mincing garlic releases more flavor than chopping; pressing garlic releases
> still more flavor. Pressed garlic will impart a bit more flavor than minced
> by crushing more cell walls.
>
I really doubt your contention without a blind test but anyway, the
garlic taste depends on how it is cooked or used. Rubbing salad bowls
with a garlic clove does spread out the taste more than simply chopping
into a salad.

--
Jim Silverton (Potomac, MD)

Extraneous "not" in Reply To.

On Fri, 14 Sep 2012 02:23:14 -0400, [email protected] wrote:

> On Thu, 13 Sep 2012 23:21:58 -0700, "Julie Bove" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >
> ><[email protected]> wrote in message
> >news:[email protected]. .
> >> If a recipe calls for minced garlic, is it okay to put the garlic through
> >> a
> >> garlic press instead? Or is there a reason it calls for minced? Thanks.
> >
> >I thought the press did mince it?
> >
>
> Maybe so. I have no idea. I just bought a press and haven't used it yet. If the
> press minces it, all well and good.

Garlic from a press is way different from garlic you've used a knife
on. It's good for mixing with butter to make garlic bread, but not
much else (IMO, of course).

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

On Fri, 14 Sep 2012 13:05:37 GMT, "l, not -l" <[email protected]> wrote:

>
> On 14-Sep-2012, [email protected] wrote:
>
> > If a recipe calls for minced garlic, is it okay to put the garlic through
> > a
> > garlic press instead? Or is there a reason it calls for minced? Thanks.
>
> Mincing garlic releases more flavor than chopping; pressing garlic releases
> still more flavor. Pressed garlic will impart a bit more flavor than minced
> by crushing more cell walls.

You need to have really fresh garlic to press it, but I'm garlic press
impaired these days. I've even tried pressing garlic that just came
out of the ground and just ended up with a mass of smushed garlic
inside the press and virtually nothing that came out the other side.
I'm better off with a sharp knife, using the knife to smash, press and
mince.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

On Sep 14, 1:58*am, rfd...@optonline.net wrote:
> If a recipe calls for minced garlic, is it okay to put the garlic througha
> garlic press instead? Or is there a reason it calls for minced? Thanks.

No - minced is not as fine. Some recipes will burn pressed garlic in
a flash. Sheldon will soon weigh in here and explain all this. I
know it's come up before.

On Sep 14, 6:32*am, sf <s...@geemail.com> wrote:
>
> Garlic from a press is way different from garlic you've used a knife
> on. *It's good for mixing with butter to make garlic bread, but not
> much else (IMO, of course).
>
> --
> Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

It's good for Indian sauces as is minced onion and ginger.

http://www.richardfisher.com

rfdjr1 wrote:
>
>If a recipe calls for minced garlic, is it okay to put the garlic through a
>garlic press instead?
>
>Or is there a reason it calls for minced?

Without seeing the recipe all anyone can offer is wild speculation.

I mince garlic most of the time, it's easier and faster than a garlic
press, I don't own a garlic press anymore, a pain to clean... for
crushed garlic one whack with the side of a knife.

On Fri, 14 Sep 2012 02:23:14 -0400, [email protected] wrote:

>On Thu, 13 Sep 2012 23:21:58 -0700, "Julie Bove" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>
>><[email protected]> wrote in message
>>news:[email protected] ..
>>> If a recipe calls for minced garlic, is it okay to put the garlic through
>>> a
>>> garlic press instead? Or is there a reason it calls for minced? Thanks.
>>
>>I thought the press did mince it?
>>
>
>Maybe so. I have no idea. I just bought a press and haven't used it yet. If the
>press minces it, all well and good.

Return it and get your money back.

[email protected] wrote:
> If a recipe calls for minced garlic, is it okay to put the garlic
> through a garlic press instead? Or is there a reason it calls for
> minced? Thanks.

IMO it's no problem, in fact it might be better in terms of releasing
flavor. Even better, run garlic through a fine (zester) Microplane (R).

As far as the burning issues being discussed here, yes, one must be careful
how it is exposed to heat and the more the garlic is pressed or otherwise
semi-liquefied, the more one must pay attention to the burning issue. But
it's easy to modify or adjust timing in a recipe so that doesn't happen. IMO
minced garlic put in earlier in the recipe is more likely to leave you with
bitter burned bits of garlic.

MartyB

MartyB

On Sep 13, 7:58*pm, rfd...@optonline.net wrote:
> If a recipe calls for minced garlic, is it okay to put the garlic througha
> garlic press instead? Or is there a reason it calls for minced? Thanks.

Forget about the garlic press and use a knife instead. It's a lot
faster. There's no reason to ever use a press. Every single time I've
used one, was a waste of time.

On Thu, 13 Sep 2012 23:21:58 -0700, "Julie Bove"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>
><[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]. .
>> If a recipe calls for minced garlic, is it okay to put the garlic through
>> a
>> garlic press instead? Or is there a reason it calls for minced? Thanks.
>
>I thought the press did mince it?

A garlic press produces smushed garlic... a whack with the side of a
knife is faster and easier clean up. A garlic press is another set of
training wheels for those with no knife skills/can't cook. Besides
minced there's sliced and slivered. It's very easy to mince garlic,
and contrary to what the dwarf believes I've never used jarred garlic.
I don't mind all the precision kitchen chores, they're what make
cooking worthwhile, shortcuts always show up in the final product...
when anyone serves me food from a food processor I politely decline, I
don't eat excrement from the insinkerator:
http://i47.tinypic.com/1zz6oig.jpg

On Fri, 14 Sep 2012 13:05:37 GMT, "l, not -l" <[email protected]> wrote:

>
>On 14-Sep-2012, [email protected] wrote:
>
>> If a recipe calls for minced garlic, is it okay to put the garlic through
>> a
>> garlic press instead? Or is there a reason it calls for minced? Thanks.
>
>Mincing garlic releases more flavor than chopping;

Not true... mincing and chopping are synonymous... mincing is dicing,
chopping is hacking, but both can prouduce equally small or large
bits.

>pressing garlic releases
>still more flavor. Pressed garlic will impart a bit more flavor than minced
>by crushing more cell walls.

None of that is true. The only determinant for the various sizes of
garlic bits is the length of cooking time... shorter times dictate
smaller bits, for quick stir fry use smushed or thin slices, for long
cooking dishes like soups/stews use whole garlic cloves so they can
release layers of flavor throughout the cooking process, and for very
long cooking add more cloves at points during the cooking process. And
left whole if one desires cloves can be easily removed. For shorter
cooking times use whole cloves with slits sliced part way through,
those can still be easily retrieved. In many dishes seeing chunks of
garlic detracts from the appearance of the dish. Chopping any food
makes it very unappetizing, foods should be sliced ito definite
configurations; diced, slivered, sliced... chopped is what the otiose
do, they produce disgusting dishes, AKA Pandorized! LOL-LOL

My husband bought a garlic press years ago, as we use so much garlic and
thought it would be a 'neat' gadget, but with arthritis in my hands, it
was hard for me to squeeze it hard enough to get good results, and seems
so much was wasted inside of it still left. All it succeeds in doing is
crushing it, and I mostly like it minced, which for me, the easiest way
is with my small food processor. It just takes a second to get it the
"right" size and I scoop it out with a teaspoon. I have a large
processor too, but not going to dirty it for a tiny amount of garlic. I
haven't used the garlic press for ages now.

Hubby and I feel more garlic is better, so use more than a recipe calls
for and often add it to main dishes that don't call for it, because
AFAIC everything is better with garlic in it!

Judy

On Sep 14, 8:42*am, dsi1 <dsi...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> On Sep 13, 7:58*pm, rfd...@optonline.net wrote:
>
> > If a recipe calls for minced garlic, is it okay to put the garlic through a
> > garlic press instead? Or is there a reason it calls for minced? Thanks.
>
> Forget about the garlic press and use a knife instead. It's a lot
> faster. There's no reason to ever use a press. Every single time I've
> used one, was a waste of time.

Didn't learn the first time?

On Sep 14, 9:15*am, Brooklyn1 <Gravesend1> wrote:
> On Fri, 14 Sep 2012 13:05:37 GMT, "l, not -l" <lal...@cujo.com> wrote:
>
> >On 14-Sep-2012, rfd...@optonline.net wrote:
>
> >> If a recipe calls for minced garlic, is it okay to put the garlic through
> >> a
> >> garlic press instead? Or is there a reason it calls for minced? Thanks..
>
> >Mincing garlic releases more flavor than chopping;
>
> Not true... mincing and chopping are synonymous... mincing is dicing,
> chopping is hacking, but both can prouduce equally small or large
> bits.
>
> >pressing garlic releases
> >still more flavor. *Pressed garlic will impart a bit more flavor than minced
> >by crushing more cell walls.
>
> None of that is true. *The only determinant for the various sizes of
> garlic bits is the length of cooking time... shorter times dictate
> smaller bits, for quick stir fry use smushed or thin slices, for long
> cooking dishes like soups/stews use whole garlic cloves so they can
> release layers of flavor throughout the cooking process, and for very
> long cooking add more cloves at points during the cooking process. And
> left whole if one desires cloves can be easily removed. *For shorter
> cooking times use whole cloves with slits sliced part way through,
> those can still be easily retrieved. *In many dishes seeing chunks of
> garlic detracts from the appearance of the dish. *Chopping any food
> makes it very unappetizing, foods should be sliced ito definite
> configurations; diced, slivered, sliced... chopped is what the otiose
> do, they produce disgusting dishes, AKA Pandorized! LOL-LOL

Now you're suddenly the guru of garlic?

On 9/14/2012 7:15 AM, Chemo wrote:
> On Sep 14, 8:42 am, dsi1 <dsi...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>> On Sep 13, 7:58 pm, rfd...@optonline.net wrote:
>>
>>> If a recipe calls for minced garlic, is it okay to put the garlic through a
>>> garlic press instead? Or is there a reason it calls for minced? Thanks.
>>
>> Forget about the garlic press and use a knife instead. It's a lot
>> faster. There's no reason to ever use a press. Every single time I've
>> used one, was a waste of time.
>
> Didn't learn the first time?
>

Evidently not. This time, I'm through with the press!