I use a lot of garlic in my cooking. Whether I’m making a savory pasta dish, a rich stew or a flavorful marinade, garlic is always a must-have ingredient. But as much as I love it, peeling garlic can be a real pain. The papery skin sticks to everything, and if you need multiple cloves, it can be time-consuming to peel each one by hand.
Sure, jarred garlic is an option, and I’ve used it plenty of times. It’s convenient, lasts longer and saves time, but jarred garlic doesn’t always measure up to fresh. The flavor is often milder, sometimes even a little bitter and it lacks that bright, punchy aroma that fresh garlic brings to a dish. Plus, many jarred garlic products contain preservatives or oils that can alter the taste. For dishes where garlic is the star, I always reach for fresh.
So, when I saw a trick on TikTok, shared by content creator My Nguyen (@myhealthydish), that promised to make peeling garlic easier, I had to try it!
Related: How to Store Garlic So It Stays Fresh, According to Italian Cooks and Nonna-Trained Pros
?? SIGN UP to get delicious recipes, handy kitchen hacks & more in our daily Pop Kitchen newsletter ??
View this post on InstagramA post shared by My Nguyen (@myhealthydish)
The trick is simple—just separate a whole head of garlic into individual cloves, place them on a microwave-safe plate and cook them for about 15 seconds.
Remove them and watch the skins slip right off!
I was skeptical at first, but this trick actually works! The heat from the microwave loosens the skin and slightly steams the garlic from the inside, making the outer layer much easier to remove. No more struggling with stubborn, flaky bits of skin!
This technique is a game-changer if you need a lot of garlic quickly. Instead of tediously peeling each clove by hand, you can have them ready in seconds.
Related: The Supersmart Garlic Trick We Wish We’d Known About Sooner
Why Does This Garlic Trick Work?
The science behind this hack is pretty simple. When heated, the moisture inside the clove creates steam, which helps separate the papery skin from the clove. This makes it easier to slip off without all the usual peeling and frustration.
Related: The Secret Ingredient for the Best Garlic Bread You’ll Ever Have
Other Ways to Make Peeling Garlic Easier
If you don’t have a microwave or want to try other garlic-peeling methods, you can let the garlic sit in warm water for a few minutes to loosen the skins. This technique is slower than microwaving but is useful if you have some extra prep time.
You can also place some cloves into a lidded container and shake vigorously for about 20 seconds. The motion loosens the skins and, in many cases, peels them right off. This works best if you need a lot of garlic at once. If you have two metal bowls of the same size, you can also use that as a DIY garlic-shaking container.
Like warming the garlic, freezing also works well, but for different reasons. Freeze the whole cloves for a few hours or overnight and the skins become brittle and crack easily when you’re ready to use them.
Peeling garlic doesn’t have to be a tedious task. While I still love the convenience of jarred garlic when I’m in a pinch, fresh garlic wins for the best flavor. Thanks to this TikTok trick, I can get fresh garlic ready faster than ever. If you use garlic as much as I do, this method is worth trying!
Up Next:
Related: My Husband Cracked the Code to the Best-Ever Mashed Potatoes
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( The Genius Garlic-Peeling Trick We Wish We’d Known About Sooner )
Also on site :
- Andrea Fuder, Chief Purchasing Officer at Volvo Group has tragically passed away
- Lawyer admits ‘embarrassing’ mistake after Anthropic’s Claude made up a source in a legal filing—and no one caught it
- Israel Launches New Ground Operation in Gaza