The Easiest Hack To Slicing A Ton Of Garlic In Almost No Time

Many of the best dishes begin with a clove, or several, of garlic. If you have a garlic press then you can make quick work breaking down those cloves. But if you don't, you may find yourself chopping away with abandon, making irregular cuts and, possibly, not giving the garlic the royal treatment it deserves.

While Michael Symon's simple garlic technique, which involved smashing the individual cloves with the flat side of the knife before giving them a rough chop, blew up on TikTok, you may be standing over your cutting board for quite a while if you're faced with a large quantity of garlic that needs to be broken down.

But, there's a chefs secret when it comes to readying a large quantity of garlic, and it doesn't come in a jar that you buy at the store. In fact, Four Seasons chef Michael Goralski told Today that the pre-chopped stuff just isn't the same.

If you're working with a recipe that calls for a massive amount of garlic, don't make the mistake of reaching for the jarred, pre-chopped option. 

Today reports that you should start with fresh bulbs that are firm and have unbroken skins. These can be bought in large quantities that will not go bad for several weeks. When you've selected your bulbs, start separating the cloves and loosening the skins. Then pop the cloves in a jar, and shake it for about 30 seconds to completely remove the skins.

When the time comes to chop, you have several options. If you're chopping by hand, begin by slicing the cloves into rounds. Then chop with abandon until you achieve the size of your desired minced. If you're dealing with dozens of cloves, a food processor is a quicker way to get the job done.

Another hack for breaking down a garlic clove comes from professional chefs. A truffle slicer works like a dream to separate the cloves into thin, uniform pieces, according to US Foods.