Why Garlic Presses Are Actually One Of The Worst Ways To Mince Garlic

When a recipe calls for several minced cloves of garlic, you could reach for a knife and chop it ultra-finely — but if you're in a rush or feeling lazy, maybe you'll reach for a garlic press instead. Yet many food experts (perhaps most notably, the late Anthony Bourdain) detest this quick method of preparing garlic for your meal.

The key reason for this point of view is that garlic presses intensify the flavor of garlic. While this might not sound like a bad thing to garlic lovers, the anti-press view is that it over-intensifies the garlic to the point where it's unpleasant. There's actually science to back this up. In simplified terms, when you split open the cells of garlic, it releases an amino acid called cysteine. When cysteine comes into contact with another enzyme contained in garlic, it morphs into a compound that gives off an intense garlicky smell and taste. When you press garlic, you break open a lot of these cells. Whereas if you just finely chop it with a knife, you won't break quite as many, resulting in a more balanced garlic taste. So, for those who like a more nuanced garlic flavor, mincing with a knife is better.

Some cooks also point out a second, indirect impact that garlic presses can have. Because the press squashes the allium down to tiny grains, it's easier to burn when cooking the garlic, imparting another unpleasant taste. Of course, this is avoidable if you're careful, but still another possible downside.

There are other reasons to skip garlic presses. Firstly, they can be difficult to clean, thanks to the tiny holes on them. Secondly, they're often maligned as so-called unitaskers, kitchen tools that only fulfill one task and otherwise just take up space in your drawers. That said, some might dispute this, arguing that you can also mince other things like ginger with the same press.

Some professionals recommend ditching the clumsy garlic press and using a microplane in order to get that minced texture. However, garlic that's grated using a microplane can taste more pungent than pressed — so maybe skip this method if intense garlic flavor is a concern. Instead, you could stick to good ol' chopping with a knife, or even just slicing the garlic (bear in mind, you'll have much larger pieces of garlic in your food if you take this route). A mortar and pestle is also an option, although one that takes up a lot of kitchen space.

It's worth noting that not all chefs agree that garlic presses are bad. Some also argue that the more intense garlic flavor from pressing has its place in some recipes, and that the consistently small size of pressed garlic pieces is better than the often uneven knife-chopped version. In any case, at least it means you're using fresh garlic, as opposed to the widely-hated jarred garlic.