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4 Best Garlic Presses of 2023
Our pros pressed over 252 cloves of garlic to find the best garlic press.
A good chef’s knife will no doubt chop through a pile of garlic, but sometimes even pro chefs don’t want to haul out their cutting board and knife, and wash both once they’re done. That’s where a garlic press comes in: a lever tool designed to “mince” or finely chop garlic for recipes like Shakshuka without having to peel it.
Forget the shaking and other garlic peeling hacks — you don’t have to peel garlic before putting it in a garlic press. The peel will separate from the flesh as you push it through the basket, and even allow you to continue pressing more cloves without constantly cleaning it out. Results are usually loose and a little wet, similar to a loose paste, ideal for cooking garlic into oil at the beginning of a recipe or incorporating into a marinade. The resulting pressed garlic is very potent though, so you’ll want to avoid using it raw.
Our top picks:
In the Good Housekeeping Institute we have put 42 presses to the test. We’ve pressed more than 252 cloves of garlic, peeled and unpeeled, reviewing total yield, sturdiness and ease of cleaning. To hear more about our testing process, keep reading to the end of this article. If you’re looking for more garlic content, check out our articles on the health benefits of garlic and how to properly store garlic.
Oxo Good Grips Soft-Handled Garlic Press
Pros
- Strong
- Soft handles feel comfortable in the palm
Cons
- Heavy
This Oxo garlic press is heavy-duty, something we appreciate when it comes to garlic presses. It has large handles that are wrapped in silicone, which offer a slip-proof grip. It also fits very comfortable in the hand, making it easy to use, even though it can be heavy to some. Its large head fits multiple cloves at once and is easy to reach into to remove the peels. At 75%, it yielded the most amount of unpeeled garlic than any others we tested.
It also offers a cleaning tool on the opposite side to help release any buildup, which is extremely useful. Plus, the holes are square (unlike most of the garlic presses we tested which were round) and as a result, the pressed garlic was a little bigger and more minced looking than others.
Tomorrows Kitchen Die Cast Garlic Press
Tomorrows Kitchen Die Cast Garlic Press
Pros
- Sturdy
- Produces a large yield
Cons
- Bulky
In our test, Tomorrow's Kitchen Die Cast came out on top for both performance and ease of use. It produced a 72% yield for peeled garlic and 66% for unpeeled, earning it a five out of five and a four out of five, respectively. It offers a strong design made out of die-cast metal, which is known for being durable and long lasting: It barely had any give, no matter how hard we pressed, yet it only took a bit of pressure to press the garlic. The basket was also able to hold multiple cloves at once for big recipes. The green lever on the head works as a scraper and is actually useful, and we liked that the lever is manual versus automatic. It is a bit bulkier than others though.
| Material | Stainless steel |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 1 x 2.5 x 1.75 inches |
| Dishwasher safe | Yes |
Amco Garlic Press and Slicer
Amco Garlic Press and Slicer
Pros
- Durable
- Doubles as a slicer
Cons
- Brushed stainless scuffs easily
We were skeptical of the Amco Garlic Press and Slicer's dual design at first: Two swinging pushers seemed like they'd cause more trouble than it was worth, but we were pleasantly surprised by the results. You can press and slice garlic in one swift motion that feels durable. Both sections can handle peeled and unpeeled garlic, though we recommend peeling before slicing to avoid having to rummage through results later. Slices were clean-cut and even, perfect for stirring into recipes toward the end of cooking. The garlic press and slicer also comes with a cleaning tool that stores well in the handle and can be used for the press and slicer. The brushed stainless scuffs easily though, so it might pick up some scratches after a few uses.
Orblue Garlic Press
Pros
- Won't bend or deform
- Easy to clean
Cons
- Mulitple parts to store
Nearly 8,000 five-star reviews on Amazon makes this garlic press from Orblue stand out. Reviewers say it's sturdy, easy to clean and a good value; we agree. In our test, it was able to press peeled and unpeeled garlic without bending. Its basket swings out for easy cleaning and doesn't require a special tool, although the included brush helps. The Orblue Garlic Press also comes with a silicone tube that can be used to peel garlic by rolling back and forth. As handy as all these parts are, there is a lot to keep track of and store together.
Zyliss Susi 3 Garlic Press
Zyliss Susi 3 Garlic Press
Pros
- Lightweight yet sturdy
- Useful cleaning tool
Cons
- Works best with one garlic clove at a time
The Zyliss 3 Garlic Press is lightweight, among the slimmest of the bunch and as sturdy as the other top-rated garlic presses on our list. While it couldn't easily handle multiple cloves at once, it produced a good yield, particularly when garlic was pre-peeled. Its long cleaning tool, which stores securely in the handle and pops out when you push on it, proved to be very useful with a pointed and toothed end that was able to get into corners and poke out peels.
How we test the best garlic presses
At the Good Housekeeping Institute’s Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab we’ve put 42 garlic presses to the test and pressed more than 252 garlic cloves. (Imagine how much garlic bread that could make.) We checked how sturdy each press was and to see if it bent when we exerted force pressing the garlic. We also tested how easy they were to clean and if they could be thrown in the dishwasher. Our favorite presses didn’t bend over pressure, were easy to clean and produced the most garlic paste.
What to look for when shopping for a garlic press
A garlic press that doesn't do a good job pressing garlic can be frustrating to deal with and even more so to clean up. Keep these things in mind when shopping to help find a garlic press that can keep up:
✔️ Construction: A garlic press should be sturdy and not bend or deform when you squeeze the handles together. Look for words like "cast" or "die cast" on the packaging, which means its parts are made out of solid, molded pieces of metal.
✔️ Style: Most garlic presses work by squeezing the handles together to press. One that we tested had a two-handed design that we found a little tricky to align and use.
✔️ Hole size and shape: Almost all of the garlic presses we tested had round holes versus square. The larger the holes, the more minced the results instead of pasty.
✔️ Basket styles: Garlic presses can be designed with baskets or holders that remain in place or swing out for easier cleaning. We do not prefer one style to the other as long as the ones that remain in place are large enough to easily reach inside and pick out peels.
How to clean a garlic press
All of our picks are dishwasher safe, so you can just toss it in your dishwasher. If you’d prefer to hand wash, that means you have to get all the little pieces out of the nooks and crannies. Some presses come with a scraper to pull out all the little bits to make it easier to clean, usually with a pointed tip for getting out peels and other pieces. Try a toothpick to push out all the little pieces that get trapped in the holes and then use a small brush, toothbrush or bottle brush to get in all the tight spaces. You can also use a pair of tweezers to get any stubborn bits. Yes, tweezers! They're a popular tool in a pro chef's tool kit and are used for delicate jobs that need a precise hand. Think fancy plating or removing small bones from fish.
Is a garlic press better than chopping?
Long story short: it depends on what you’re looking for. Flavor-wise, pressed garlic is stronger than chopped garlic when raw. Flavor intensity depends on how many cell walls in the garlic are ruptured; it’s the same process that makes you cry when you cut an onion with a dull knife. Pressed garlic is stronger than chopped, similar to grating or grinding. It's best to add pressed garlic to the beginning of recipes where it'll almost melt into the dish and have time to mellow out during the cooking process. A press is much easier use, and most of the time you can run them through the dishwasher (which you shouldn’t do with knives). So if you really don't fell like chopping, a garlic press is a good alternative in a pinch.
Why trust Good Housekeeping?
Nicole Papantoniou, director of the Good Housekeeping Institute’s Kitchen and Appliances and Innovation Lab, oversees all of Good Housekeeping’s content and testing related to kitchen appliances, tools, gadgets and gear. She conducted our most recent tests of garlic peelers and uses the Zyliss at home regularly.
Nicole (she/her) is the director of the Good Housekeeping Institute's Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab, where she has overseen content and testing related to kitchen and cooking appliances, tools and gear since 2019. She’s an experienced product tester and recipe creator, trained in classic culinary arts and culinary nutrition. She has worked in test kitchens for small kitchen appliance brands and national magazines, including Family Circle and Ladies’ Home Journal.
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