I use a lot of garlic in my recipes.  I mean, a lot of garlic.  Having owned a restaurant for 12 years and, prior to that, working as a cook for almost 28 years, I don’t think that I peeled a single clove of garlic, at least not that I remember or care to remember.  Every place at which I’ve worked during the last 40 years used already-peeled fresh garlic.  It is wonderful stuff.  It comes in one-gallon containers.  I used gallons a week.  It spoiled me.

Since losing my restaurant in April of this year, it seems as if I’ve divided my time between looking for a job and peeling garlic.  I’m not sure which sucks more, but I’m leaning towards peeling garlic as taking the “Suck Award” on this one.

The other day my wife, Michelle, brought home a rubber garlic peeler.  A natural skepticism prohibited me from thinking that this thing would ever work.  It looked like something someone had discarded: a 4-inch colorful rubber cylinder with about a 1 inch diameter, the two ends looking as if they had been snipped by pinking shears.

Amazingly, the rubber garlic peeler works!  Put 4 or 5 cloves inside the cylinder; press it down on a flat, hard surface with your hand, roll it back and forth a few times and—presto—the garlic is peeled.  And here, I’m tempted to say, “But wait, there’s more!”: but there really isn’t.  As you’ll see in the pictures below, it’s so simple and a lot quicker than whacking the cloves with the blade of a French knife and peeling every single, sticky clove.

This yielded a little more than one cup.  So, if you’re interested in trying any of the upcoming recipes (links below), or just want to keep the vampires away, and don’t have a faster way of peeling garlic, you can check out one of these rubber peelers on Amazon. 

It will save you some time.  Time saved is tedium averted.

Try these garlic recipes:

Garlic and Peppercorn Marinade