This Garlic Press Is My Mortal Enemy

We registered for and received this Garlic Press/Slicer from Bed Bath & Beyond, and I would like to say that it is a colossal pain in my arse. Cassie does the cooking generally, and I do the cleaning. The thing is terrible to clean, and I from what I’ve seen it doesn’t do a very good job anyway.

Firstly, you can supposedly put an unpeeled clove of garlic in the press, and it will squeeze out minced garlic, leaving the skin behind. What actually happens is that half a clove of minced garlic comes out, leaving the other half trapped in the skin, which then has to be prized out. You can also put a peeled clove in the special slicing compartment, and it should dispense even slices. In fact it leaves bits between the blades, and you have to peel the garlic anyway.

As if to highlight the awkward design, it comes with a little plastic gizmo attached to the handle to help you clean out the holes and blades. This kind of works, but you still need to use another implement (such as a knife) to poke the rest of the bits out.

It’s apparently dishwasher safe. We don’t have a dishwasher, but I seriously doubt this thing would come out clean anyway – too many nooks and crannies. Plus everything else in the dishwasher would smell of hot garlic and soap as well. You could clean out the press first, before putting it in the expensive power- and water-hungry machine you bought specifically to clean things for you, but that would be insane. “You don’t buy a dog and bark yourself” as a friend’s Mum used to say.

Once you’ve cleaned out all the bits, washed the press and dried it, you can put it away. But be sure to reattach the cleaning gadget to the handle or you’ll lose it. And be sure that the moving pressers are correctly aligned with their holes, or the thing won’t fold up. As well as the press, you will have to clean the implement you peeled the cloves with, and the knife you poked the extra bits out of.

Verdict – Messy, ineffective, a nightmare to clean. Just use a knife and a chopping board, which you probably already have, or you can get (a cheap one) for the same price as this gadget. There are many video tutorials showing how to mince garlic, or you can follow these easy steps.

Side Note. I see that this particular garlic press is sold under the Jamie Oliver brand in the UK. I thought the idea was that Jamie was trying  to get people into cooking and healthy eating. This item doesn’t encourage learning the basic skills of cooking, and could actually put people off. It’s almost as if he just wanted to sell branded items and make money, rather than save the health of the world.