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How to crush garlic? Here’s a quick tutorial for how to crush it for use in recipes or as the step before mincing it.
Want to know how to crush garlic? Around here, we do it on the daily. In fact, we use garlic in more recipes than we can count! What makes this method different from mincing? How do you do it? Here’s a bit more about terminology, and how to put it into practice in your kitchen.
What is crushed garlic?
There is some confusion in terminology around crushed garlic. Perhaps that’s because a garlic press is also known as a garlic crusher, but it results in minced garlic. Here’s what to know about the way terminology may be used in recipes:
- Crushed garlic in some recipes is the same as smashed. In this case, the garlic clove is used whole, and then usually pulled out of the dish and discarded later. This helps to infuse a subtle garlic flavor.
- In other recipes, crushed garlic is the same as minced. These recipes use the garlic as a whole ingredient, and you mince it in exactly the same way as you would minced garlic. The recipe may refer to a garlic crusher.
Bottom line: This terminology isn’t standardized, and it varies between countries! Take a look at your recipe and make a best guess on whether the writer meant “smashed” or “minced.” On this website, you’ll see those terms used in all our recipes.
How to crush garlic
Though it might seem intuitive, we don’t recommend using a garlic crusher. Otherwise known as a garlic press, it’s not the best tool for the job. It makes very fine shreds that are more pungent, making for a potentially overpowering flavor. It’s also hard to clean and can be difficult to use. The best way to crush garlic is with a chef’s knife! Here’s how to do it:
- Slice off the end of the garlic clove. This makes it easy to peel once it’s smashed.
- Use the knife blade or a jar to smash the clove. Place your knife blade flat on top of the garlic. Taking care of the sharp part of the blade, gently smash it with a fist or the heel of your hand. Or, you use the bottom of a ball jar or can of beans to smash the garlic.
- Remove the paper. Use your fingers to remove the paper around the clove.
- Mince if desired: Then you can mince the garlic or use the crushed clove whole, whatever your recipe specifies (see the definitions above).
How did it go? Let us know in the comments below.
More garlic recipes
There are so many tasty garlic recipes to try! It infuses major flavor in many of our recipes, but there are some where it’s the star. Here are some of our favorites where you can practice your new skill:
- Whip up easy and impressive Garlic Butter
- Make your kitchen smell magical with Roasted Garlic or Garlic Confit
- Mix up simple and tasty Garlic Butter Sauce Pasta or Garlic Noodles
- Go big with Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Try our fan favorite Classic Garlic Bread or Garlic Toast
- Pair it with seafood for Garlic Butter Shrimp
- Make shortcut Garlic Mayo (Mayo Aioli) as a dipping sauce
- Mix up a batch of Garlic Naan Bread
How to Crush Garlic
How to crush garlic? Here’s a quick tutorial for how to crush it for use in recipes, or as a step prior to mincing it.
- Prep Time: 1 minute
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 1 minute
- Yield: 1 clove 1x
- Category: How to
- Method: Crushing
- Cuisine: Garlic
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 garlic clove
Instructions
- Slice off the end of the garlic clove.
- Place your knife blade flat on top of the garlic. Taking care of the sharp part of the blade, gently smash it with a fist or the heel of your hand. Or, you use the bottom of a ball jar or can of beans to smash the garlic.
- Use your fingers to remove the garlic paper. Then you can mince the garlic or use the crushed clove whole, whatever your recipe specifies.
There needs to be a video here of you crushing garlic. Thanks
Your cooking procedure suggestions are clear, professional and useful especially for an inexperienced cook. Well done.S