Garlic Gadgets: More Ways to Peel
Yesterday we talked about a few quick ways to peel garlic without using anything fancy. But if fancy’s your style, here are a few different tools that will do the job for you:
The Rubber Tube
I was a little confused when I got a plastic-wrapped rubber tube as a gift recently. For what it is, this thing is pretty impressive.
Stick your garlic clove inside it and roll it back and forth on the counter (or between your hands), applying a good amount of pressure. I usually do it over the sink, as some of the skins fall out as you roll. Most of them, though, stick to the inside, leaving a beautifully peeled clove to roll out into your hand.
You can pop it in the dishwasher to clean, but it has to be perfectly dry to work with. And, it’s tricky to do more than a couple cloves at a time.
But, for as cheap as $1.50, it’s a nifty thing to have. Don’t pay too much more than that—Williams Sonoma will try to get $9 out of you for the exact same thing, just in a classy butter yellow.
The Electric Peeler
….is actually just the rubber tube in the form of an insert, which you can change out with a blade to also make it a chopper. It doesn’t offer any miracle way to pick the peels out from the cloves, so you’d have to fish out whatever didn’t stick before you swapped to chop. Chops up to two cups (of any veggie).
At $25, I’m not sure I’d personally spring for it. Especially considering yesterday’s method for cleaning a whole head (or more) in a quick shake.
The Peel’n’Grater
If you’re going for minced, this little $13-dollar contraption will peel and grate one large or two small cloves with a few turns of the handle. The skin stays separated on top of the grater, leaving a clean pile of garlic bits in the bottom, which pops out.
So many ways to peel! Goodbye garlic hands.
