The 2 Garlic-Peeling Hacks Gordon Ramsay Uses (For Cloves And Bulbs)

Garlic is an essential aromatic flavoring agent and the foundation for recipes worldwide, whether it's salad dressings, marinades, stews, or spreads. Since most recipes begin with a clove or two of garlic, knowing how to peel them quickly and easily is essential. We've provided many tips for peeling garlic like a pro, but why not get those tips directly from the pro's mouth? And the pro, in this case, is none other than acclaimed celebrity chef and restaurateur Gordon Ramsay.

In a YouTube video, Ramsay shares his preferred methods for peeling a single clove and an entire garlic bulb. If you need one or two cloves, "simply bash it with the back of a knife and the skin comes off easily." No need to dirty a tool or turn on the stove. Since you'll use the knife to mince the garlic and any other ingredients your recipe calls for, the knife crushing hack is the ultimate act of efficiency.

If you need multiple cloves, chef Ramsay quickly peels an entire head of garlic with the shaking hack. He crushes the head with his hands by firmly pressing down on the top of the bulb to separate the cloves. Then, he puts the cloves in a sauce pan with a top, shaking the covered pan vigorously for 10 seconds. Once he removes the top, the cloves have magically evacuated their peels, and he picks the clean cloves out of the peel debris.

While Martha Stewart swears by a silicone garlic peeler and Ina Garten turns on the stove to blanch garlic bulbs, Chef Ramsay's method for peeling an entire head of garlic is fuss-free and foolproof. If you don't have a shallow dutch oven like Ramsay uses in the video you can also place the crushed garlic bulb into a mason jar. Even if you just need one garlic clove, the shaking hack is a great way to peel all your garlic for the entire week at once. You can store leftover garlic cloves in the fridge in an air-tight jar. If you're using a mason jar, for example, it'll serve as a peeler and storage container.

Chef Ramsay's garlic tips don't end with the peel. He also recommends salting garlic before mincing it. Instead of relying on a garlic press like this one, Ramsay says that a sprinkle of salt is the surest way to get the finest mince. After roughly chopping garlic cloves, sprinkle some salt over the garlic before starting the mince. Just as salt breaks down the fibers in meat, it will likewise work to tenderize the garlic, making it even easier for your knife to cut the garlic into the finest mince possible.