How to Mince Garlic
Free the individual cloves from the bulb., Peel the cloves., Slice the entire garlic clove lengthwise., Slice the clove crosswise., If desired, keep mincing.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Free the individual cloves from the bulb.
You can't mince garlic until you prepare the cloves for use.
Start by using the palm of your hand to press down firmly on the bulb.
The individual cloves will separate from each other as gentle pressure is applied.
The loose outer skin, which has a brittle papery appearance and texture, can be pulled off and discarded to get to the cloves.
Take care not to discard small cloves of garlic that may be hidden within the peel.Most recipes will indicate the number of cloves, or bulbs, required.
If not, one medium-sized clove usually gives about one tablespoon of minced garlic. -
Step 2: Peel the cloves.
The tight, transparent skin around each clove needs to be removed prior to its use in cooking.
There are a few different ways to do this.
See below:
One way is to cut off the hard stem end of the clove (where it attached to the garlic bulb) and squeeze the clove out from its skin using gentle, but steady, pressure.
Another is to place the side of the knife blade on top of the clove and press down firmly until you feel the skin release.
Peel the skin off with your fingers.
Take care not to smash the clove completely, which may cause the clove "meat" to mix with the waste. , The thinner the slices, the better.
A sharp knife will help greatly here, but since garlic cloves are so small, extra care must be taken to avoid cutting yourself.
See below:
One trick chefs use to prevent cutting accidents is to hold the thing they are cutting (in this case a clove of garlic) with their fingertips, putting a bend in their knuckles as they press it into the cutting board.
This way, the side of the knife rests against the knuckle, leaving a gap between it and the tips of the fingers, making an accident less likely.
To get better control over the knife, hold it against the board and use a rocking motion to slice the garlic, rather than moving it up and down., Turn the clove 90 degrees and slice it once more.
Here, again, thin cuts across the layers will produce a finer mince.
Use the same slicing technique as before.
When finished, you should be left with dozens (or even hundreds) of tiny garlic cubes.
Congratulations — you've just minced a clove of garlic. , The more you mince a clove of garlic, the more tiny pieces you'll get, which will give you greater flavor and aroma.
If the recipe calls for it, keep running your knife back and forth over the pile of minced garlic to achieve a finer cut, or to eliminate any large pieces that may remain.
As a reminder, finely minced garlic is garlic that's been minced a lot into many tiny pieces.
Coarsely minced garlic is garlic that's been minced into just a few big pieces. -
Step 3: Slice the entire garlic clove lengthwise.
-
Step 4: Slice the clove crosswise.
-
Step 5: If desired
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Step 6: keep mincing.
Detailed Guide
You can't mince garlic until you prepare the cloves for use.
Start by using the palm of your hand to press down firmly on the bulb.
The individual cloves will separate from each other as gentle pressure is applied.
The loose outer skin, which has a brittle papery appearance and texture, can be pulled off and discarded to get to the cloves.
Take care not to discard small cloves of garlic that may be hidden within the peel.Most recipes will indicate the number of cloves, or bulbs, required.
If not, one medium-sized clove usually gives about one tablespoon of minced garlic.
The tight, transparent skin around each clove needs to be removed prior to its use in cooking.
There are a few different ways to do this.
See below:
One way is to cut off the hard stem end of the clove (where it attached to the garlic bulb) and squeeze the clove out from its skin using gentle, but steady, pressure.
Another is to place the side of the knife blade on top of the clove and press down firmly until you feel the skin release.
Peel the skin off with your fingers.
Take care not to smash the clove completely, which may cause the clove "meat" to mix with the waste. , The thinner the slices, the better.
A sharp knife will help greatly here, but since garlic cloves are so small, extra care must be taken to avoid cutting yourself.
See below:
One trick chefs use to prevent cutting accidents is to hold the thing they are cutting (in this case a clove of garlic) with their fingertips, putting a bend in their knuckles as they press it into the cutting board.
This way, the side of the knife rests against the knuckle, leaving a gap between it and the tips of the fingers, making an accident less likely.
To get better control over the knife, hold it against the board and use a rocking motion to slice the garlic, rather than moving it up and down., Turn the clove 90 degrees and slice it once more.
Here, again, thin cuts across the layers will produce a finer mince.
Use the same slicing technique as before.
When finished, you should be left with dozens (or even hundreds) of tiny garlic cubes.
Congratulations — you've just minced a clove of garlic. , The more you mince a clove of garlic, the more tiny pieces you'll get, which will give you greater flavor and aroma.
If the recipe calls for it, keep running your knife back and forth over the pile of minced garlic to achieve a finer cut, or to eliminate any large pieces that may remain.
As a reminder, finely minced garlic is garlic that's been minced a lot into many tiny pieces.
Coarsely minced garlic is garlic that's been minced into just a few big pieces.
About the Author
Melissa Gonzalez
Specializes in breaking down complex pet care topics into simple steps.
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