Onions may have a reputation for making cooks cry, but peeling garlic--especially the small, skinny cloves that hide in the middle of a bulb--is just as much a tear jerker, if only for the frustration factor. Soaking garlic cloves in water for up to half an hour will help the skins pop off easily, but if you don't have half an hour to wait, there are still a couple of options for peeling that garlic clove quickly and easily.
Peeling Cloves Individually
Step 1
Place the garlic clove on a cutting board, resting on one of its relatively flat sides.
Step 2
Place the flat of a large-bladed knife across the clove of garlic.
Step 3
Whack the flat of the knife blade firmly with the heel of your hand. Take care not to hit the sharp edge of the blade.
Step 4
Remove the knife and inspect the garlic. The peel should be cracked and loosened, ready to come off quickly and easily under your fingers. You may need to chop off the hard end of the clove (which was at the bottom of the bulb), which holds the peel in place. If the peel hasn't fully separated from the clove, repeat Steps 2 and 3.
Peeling Cloves in Bulk
Step 1
Separate the garlic bulbs into cloves.
Step 2
Place the cloves in the wide-mouth mason jar. Fasten the lid firmly.
Step 3
Shake the jar vigorously. As the garlic cloves bump around in the jar, the peel should crack and fall off.
Step 4
Remove the jar's lid, extract the garlic, and brush off any remaining bits of garlic peel. You may need to trim off the hard ends of the cloves to completely detach the remaining peel.
Things You'll Need
- Garlic cloves
- Cutting board
- Large-bladed knife
- Wide-mouth mason jar with lid
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