Fresh garlic is a staple ingredient in many recipes. Recipes often call for whole cloves, minced garlic, crushed garlic, or sliced garlic depending on the amount of garlic flavor needed in the dish. Today we are focusing on how to slice garlic.
The best way to slice garlic cloves is by simply using a cutting board and a sharp chef's knife, two essential tools in the kitchen of every home cook.
Fresh garlic comes in the form of a whole head of garlic otherwise known as a bulb of garlic. Look for a tight firm bulb for best garlic taste.
You will want to tear off as many individual cloves as you need from the bulb. You may find it easier to use the heel of your hand to press down and break apart the bulb.
Remove the garlic peel
The first step is to remove the papery skin from the individual garlic clove. You can use a silicone rolling tool or simply a knife and your hands.
If you are using a knife, slice off the root end of your garlic clove and it should loosen the skin. Peel the rest away with your fingers.
If you are using a garlic peel remover, put the single clove of garlic inside the tube, and roll the garlic onto the counter or cutting board with the palm of your hand. The skin will slip off leaving a peeled clove.
Slice the garlic
Once you have your peeled garlic clove, it's time to slice.
- Lay the garlic clove flat on a cutting board.
- Hold the garlic clove tightly with your non-dominant hand at one end of the clove, opposite from where you are cutting. Take care to keep your finger tips slightly tucked to avoid cutting yourself.
- Then using a sharp knife, make thin even slices across the clove, using a gentle rocking motion with your chef's knife. Continue to move down the clove slicing it until the entire clove is cut. Discard the root of the clove.
- Repeat with as many garlic cloves that are needed for your dish.
Below is a video tutorial that you may find helpful.
Now you have beautiful thin slices of garlic that you can use in many different ways. Sliced garlic can be used to flavor olive oil, in stir fry, in certain pasta sauces, or sauted with vegetables like green beans.
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