Take the head of garlic and place it on a flat surface.
Use the palm of your hand to push the head of the garlic down. If necessary, use both hands.
Keep pressing until each clove of garlic separates from the root.
Place the unpeeled garlic cloves in a large container with a lid.
Turn the lid to close the container.
Hold the container firmly with both hands.
Shake the container vigorously for 30 seconds.
Open the lid to check on the garlic cloves.
The garlic must be peeled by this time. If the skins remain on the garlic, close the container and shake it for more time.
Once the skin has loosened from the garlic cloves, discard the loose skins. Use your hands to remove any pieces of skin still attached to the garlic.
It's done! Wasn't that simple? Now that you know how to peel garlic easily, you won't buy peeled garlic ever again.
Here are a few more tips to help with this technique:
· With this easy hack, you needn't peel all the garlic bulbs simultaneously. It's best to peel one bulb at a time when required, as the unpeeled garlic bulbs will stay fresh for months. Otherwise, you must store it in the refrigerator as you would with store-bought peeled garlic. You would also need to use it within a few weeks.
· Ensure not to place too many garlic cloves in the container. The cloves need a lot of room to smash against the container's sides. Only then will the skin loosen.
· Always store peeled garlic in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. Otherwise, the smell will permeate the shelves, getting into other stored items.
· One of the reasons some people prefer to buy peeled garlic is to avoid getting the smell on their fingers. The garlic smell is difficult to remove, even after washing with soap. A hack for easily removing the smell of garlic from the skin is to wash with soap and then rub the fingers against a steel pipe or rod. It's a no-fail way to get rid of the garlic smell.
If you aren't a fan of expending too much energy shaking a container, here are a few more hacks on how to peel garlic cloves easily:
· The microwave hack:
Follow steps 1 to 3 mentioned above to separate garlic cloves from the head. Place the cloves in a microwave-safe container and put the container in the microwave. Set the timer to 20 seconds. The skins of the garlic cloves will pop with the heat, making it easier to peel and remove them by hand. This technique works well if the recipe calls for cooked garlic, as the microwave will cook the cloves slightly.
· The rubbing hack:
Another simple way to peel the skin from a garlic clove is to separate the clove from the head and rub it between the palms. Rub vigorously to loosen the skin and peel it off the clove. Another option is to rub the garlic clove against a hard surface (such as a chopping board or counter).
· The garlic press hack
If a recipe requires just one or two garlic cloves, it's best to use the garlic press. Remove the garlic cloves from the bulb. Leave the skin intact, place the cloves inside the garlic press and press it. The minced garlic will fall through the holes, leaving the skin behind.
· The flat knife hack
Place the garlic cloves on a chopping board. Use the flat face of the knife to press down against the clove. The pressure will split the skin, making it easy to remove by hand.
Try these hacks, and you won't ever need to buy peeled garlic from the store.