Peeling the Garlic
Pick the cloves from your head or bulb of garlic. The number of cloves your head has will vary depending on the size and variety of garlic, but a medium-sized head will usually produce around 10 cloves.
Lay one clove on top of a cutting board or counter. The flat side, which was closest to the "heart" or center of the head, should face down, and the curved side should face up.
Place the broad, flat side of a large chef's knife directly over the clove. Keep the clove of garlic in between the center of the blade and the handle, with the handle slightly closer than the center of the blade. The sharp cutting edge should face outward.
Hold the handle of the knife with one hand and quickly strike the flat side of the blade with your other. Don't be afraid of striking the clove too hard. You should strike with enough force to smash the clove, removing the skin in the process. Be careful to avoid cutting yourself on the knife, however.
Repeat the smashing procedure with the remaining cloves of garlic. Strike the garlic cloves with the flat side of your knife until each one is peeled.
Using a Food Processor
Place the peeled garlic cloves into a food processor. A chopper or blender will also work, but a food processor may be easiest to work with for this amount of garlic.
Puree the cloves using a medium to high speed. Continue to puree them until you are left with a thick, creamy liquid. You should see few, if any, distinct "chunks" of garlic.
Using a Garlic Press
Place one clove of garlic into a garlic press. If you have a large enough press, you might be able to fit multiple cloves in at once. The force it takes to crush more cloves will be greater than the strength you will need to crush a single clove, however.
Hold the press over a glass bowl. Use a bowl with a large enough opening to catch the garlic that falls out of the press.
Using both hands, press the handles of the garlic together. Bring the handles together as firmly and tightly as possible. You should be left with garlic "mush" inside the bowl.
Repeat the pressing procedure for the remaining cloves of garlic. If you sense yourself getting tired, you may want to consider taking a break. Otherwise, you could end up with garlic mush that is not as well-pressed as it should be.
Straining the Juice
Transfer the garlic puree or mush into a strainer. Use a strainer with small to medium-sized gaps. Fine gaps will allow you to separate as much of the solid from the liquid as possible, but they may make the process go slower. Medium gaps offer a nice balance between speed and quality.
Position the strainer over a bowl. The bowl should have a wide enough opening to catch any liquid that falls from the strainer. If possible, select a bowl that the strainer can rest on in order to free up both hands.
Press down on the garlic with a rubber spatula. You should see juice running through the strainer and into the bowl. Keep pressing until you are unable to produce any more juice.
Discard the pulp or save it for future recipes. Garlic pulp can be used to flavor stews, soups, stir-frys, and a number of other recipes.
Position a coffee filter over a glass bowl. The filter should be secured with a rubber band so that it rests loosely over the bowl, but will not fall inside. Running the juice through a coffee filter will create an even purer product. You can also use your coffee maker, but be aware of the fact that garlic has a potent odor that may linger even after you clean your machine. As a result, any coffee you prepare in the machine afterward may have a hint of garlic flavor.
Slowly pour the garlic juice through the coffee filter. If you pour too quickly, you may spill some. Continue pouring until all of the juice is strained into the bowl.
Store the juice in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it. Keep it in a glass bowl to prevent the odor from contaminating other foods, as well as to prevent any other flavors from contaminating the garlic juice.
Comments
0 comment