How to Mince Fresh Garlic
Many recipes call for fresh garlic, and many dishes are enhanced by the addition of garlic. Knowing how to mince your own garlic will save you money, and is a giant step up in flavor from using garlic powder or dry minced garlic. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Pick a clove off of a bulb of garlic, or as many cloves as required. You can buy cloves of garlic individually, or already peeled, but it is most cost effective to buy garlic by the bulb and then use the cloves as you need them.
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Place the garlic clove on a cutting board. Using the side of a large kitchen knife, smash the clove just enough to break the skin. However, do not completely crush the clove. You should be able to remove the garlic from it's skin now.
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Before mincing, cut off the wooden looking end of the clove from where the clove is attached to the bulb. Discard the piece. If mincing multiple cloves, peel them all so they can then be chopped together.
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Use a mincer. Put a clove of garlic in the hand held device, and then press the garlic out the other end. Mincing by hand is easy, and allows for full control.
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Grab your knife. With the garlic in a pile on the cutting board, begin mincing by using a chef's knife. To mince, place the blade of the knife just over the cutting board and the target ingredients, with only the tip of the knife touching the cutting board. If you are right-handed, hold the handle of the knife in your right hand, and place your left hand on the top (not-sharp) edge of the knife blade.
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Keeping your left hand on the top of the knife, use your right hand to chop the garlic. Rather than just chop up and down, slide the knife forward on the downward motion, and bring it back as the blade leaves the cutting board. This will create a circular motion allowing the knife to slice as it chops. This method will allow for cleaner cuts of the garlic.
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Finish off the cutting. If you spread the garlic out in a line on the cutting board, go from end to end in this motion. When you reach the end, use the knife to make a new pile, and scrape any garlic on the side of the knife back onto the cutting board.
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Continue this process until the garlic is the desired size. Some ingredients call for "chopped" garlic, while others call for garlic to be "finely chopped" or minced.
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Tips & Warnings
After handling garlic, the smell can be removed by rubbing your hands on a piece of steel, along with water. Soap-shaped pieces of metal are available for this purpose at most kitchen stores.
Always be careful when using a sharp knife.
Be sure to use a clean cutting board and knife, and wash them both when finished.
