Helpful Lesson 8: Mince Garlic without "Mincing"

So many times, I have almost chopped my fingertips when I mince garlic. Those slippery things are so small! Once again, Alex Delaney of Bon Appetit gives us four ways to get the big, evenly-dispersed garlic flavor you're after as easily and painlessly as possible.

Just Microplane It!

With a microplane, which is a very sharp zester with tiny teeth, you can just grate garlic the same way you’d grate cheese or citrus zest. This method is perfect when you're putting together a quick salad dressing or other uncooked sauce that involves garlic.

Smash and Destroy

Smashing garlic is a great way to avoid spending too much time chopping garlic. When you don't care about completely pulverizing garlic, simply position the flat side of your chef's knife over a peeled clove and then give it a good thwack with your palm or side of your fist. Smashing the cloves thoroughly is key here—you're breaking up the cell walls that contain all that irresistibly sticky, stinky garlic flavor in one deft motion. Once the clove is good and flattened, you can just run your knife through it a few times to break it all up, producing a rough but ready-to-fall-apart-in-hot-oil paste.

Use a Mandoline

If you have a mandoline, you can slice garlic so thinly that it disintegrates right into a sauce or braise without ever having to get your knife dirty. (Of course, you do have to clean the mandoline blade and plate!)

Cook, Then Attack

Switch up the process and cook the garlic first, then mash it. Just peel the cloves, sauté or fry them in oil over medium-low heat, and use a slotted spoon to take them out once they've gone all golden-brown. By then, the cloves will have become soft enough to mash with a fork or spoon. You’ll end up with a squishy garlic paste that’s easy to mix into a pasta, broth, stir fry, and just about anything else. Bonus: The oil that you've fried them in is infused with tons of incredible garlicky flavor. Use it.

https://www.bonappetit.com/story/how-to-mince-garlic