How To: Peel and Chop Garlic
Resist the urge to buy pre-chopped garlic; it has a harsher flavor, making your pesto taste mediocre. Instead, keep fresh garlic in a cool place and follow the steps in this video for a quick peel and chop.
What You Need:
Cutting board, chef's knife, garlic, garlic press, garlic peeler (optional)
Follow These Five Easy Steps:
1Peel off papery layersPeel away as many of the skins as possible and discard.
2Press into a tight garlic bulb with the palm of your handIf cloves are tight and can’t be easily pulled free, use the ball of your hand to press and roll the garlic against your cutting board to loosen the cloves.
3Peel the clovesSlice off the end of the clove, where it was attached to the bulb. Then place the clove beneath your chef’s knife and whack the knife with your other hand; this will loosen skin. Remove and discard any skins.
4Chop the garlicStart by slicing clove. For a fine chop, hold the tip of the knife with one hand and use the other to rock blade back and forth over your slices.
5To mince garlic, use a garlic pressFor garlic that’s almost pulverized, place clove into garlic press and press down until the whole clove comes through the holes.
Tip: Finely chopped garlic releases more juices, which add flavor.
