Press vs. Chopper: The Best Way to Mince Garlic Without Sticky Hands

Everyone’s a fan of garlic, right? But really, we all know how much of a drag the prep can be.

The skin comes right off, and yeah, it gets all over your fingers. When you chop it, the juices stick to your fingers. You can scrub your hands all you want with lemon, stainless steel soap, and even prayer, but that smell just sticks around for a couple of days.

For years, if you didn’t want to use a knife, your only option for garlic was a metal press. But lately, everyone seems to want a manual garlic chopper.

These little gadgets promise to chop whole bulbs in seconds without you messing with the cloves at all. So, are you thinking of retiring your heavy metal press? We looked at both ways to find out which one would keep your hands cleaner and make your dinner taste better.

Kitessensu High Effective Garlic Press With Studs, Heavy Duty Gar…

• Maximal Amount & Minimal Pressure – The garlic press has 37 small spikes that match up with the holes in the chamber ide…
• Ease of Use – Avoid the stress by selecting a garlic mincer with an ergonomic, streamlined design that’s easy to clamp a…
• Built to Last – Zinc is an ideal material for garlic presses, it is strong enough to easily press through garlic, withst…

$11.39

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The Old School: The Garlic Press

This is the tool your grandmother used. It’s like a simple lever. Just pop in a clove, really squeeze it, and crushed garlic just comes right out.

The Good:

• Flavor: The best part? You get so much flavor. When you press garlic, it really breaks down those cell walls, letting out all the oils and giving you that strong, awesome taste.
• Speed: For just one clove, you can’t get any quicker. Just squeeze and that’s it.

The “Sticky” Reality: Here’s the problem. After you squeeze it, you’re left with this odd film of garlic skin hanging out in the chamber. Yeah, you really gotta just scratch it out with your nail. Afterward, you’ll need to spoon the mashed garlic from the press.

You still touch the garlic. Your hands still have that smell.

OXO Good Grips Vegetable Chopper

• Chops veggies, herbs, nuts and more into uniform pieces
• Sharp, stainless steel blade rotates as you pump the handle
• Comfortable knob designed for minimal effort on your part

$22.58

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The New School: The Manual Garlic Chopper

For folks who use a ton of garlic in their cooking (like, at least 4-5 cloves every time), the usual press just doesn’t cut it.

Just pop in the manual garlic chopper. Yeah, these are typically little containers that have blades inside that spin around. You either pull a cord, kinda like a Zyliss, or push down on a pump, like the OXO ones, to get them going.

The Good:

• Volume: You can throw in 5, 8, or even 10 cloves all at the same time.
• Consistency: You get to decide how smooth or chunky you want it. For chunks, give it two pulls. If you want a really fine mince, pull it about ten times.

The “Clean Hands” Victory? That right there is what changes everything. You just peel the garlic, or get the kind that’s already peeled, toss the cloves in the cup, pop the lid on, and give it a whirl. Once you’re finished, just pop out the blade and tip the garlic right into your pan.

The Reality Check: We have more to clean up. A press is a single thing, but a chopper has three parts: a bowl, a blade, and a lid. Most of them are safe to put in the dishwasher, though, so if you’ve got one, that’s not really a problem.

Which One Should You Choose?

So, you’re trying to figure out which garlic tool is right for you, huh? Let’s break it down.

Stick with the Press If:

• You just want to use a little bit of garlic. If a recipe only asks for one clove, it just isn’t worth making a mess with the whole chopper.
• You want immediate satisfaction. It gives you a nice paste or crushed texture instantly. However, cleaning it can be annoying because the garlic skin gets stuck, and you end up touching the garlic a lot trying to scrape it out.

Go for a Manual Chopper If:

• You measure garlic with your heart. If you’re cooking for a crowd and using a good amount of garlic, like half a head for one dish, a garlic press just slows things down.
• You absolutely despise the odor. The chopper is a sealed system. The natural oils end up in the cup, not on your body.
• You want texture. Sometimes you just want those little pieces of garlic sizzling in oil, not some watery garlic paste that’s going to burn up right away.

The Bottom Line

If you’re really aiming for no more sticky hands, the manual garlic chopper is definitely the top pick.

It’s real simple: the cup traps all the mess, so you can just drop the garlic right into your pot without getting those sticky, smelly bits on your fingers. Your family and your nose will be pretty happy about this.