How to Peel Garlic: 4 Ways to Peel Garlic

Garlic is an allium species that belongs to the lily family and is closely related to shallots, onions, and chives. It grows underground in the form of a garlic bulb, also called a head, which is composed of individual sections called cloves. The entire head and the cloves are covered with thin layers of inedible, papery skin.

From a culinary standpoint, garlic is a common ingredient in savory dishes and condiments—such as in garlic butter or a garlicky hummus—and can add immense flavor to meats and veggies. While it’s necessary to peel garlic cloves before you eat them, you can roast whole heads of garlic without first removing the papery coverings.

Peeling garlic involves removing the skin from the outer layer of the entire head of garlic and from each individual clove. You may find that one garlic peeling method is more convenient for you and provides the right amount of garlic, depending on whether you need a whole bulb of garlic or simply a few cloves of garlic. Here are four ways to peel garlic fast:

1. 1. Mince the garlic with a garlic press. A garlic press is a small gadget that lets you pop in unpeeled individual garlic cloves and squeeze them (one at a time) through the small openings in the press. This method creates very finely minced garlic but can also be messy, as it squeezes out the garlic juice.
2. 2. Smash the garlic with a knife. Place a clove of garlic on a cutting board and press the flat side of a knife against the clove. Tap the heel of your palm against the flat side of the knife until you have smashed the garlic clove slightly. Now you should be able to remove the partially flattened clove from its layer of skin.
3. 3. Peel the garlic by hand. Use a paring knife to first cut off the root end of the garlic clove and then manually peel away the garlic skin.
4. 4. Shake the garlic in mixing bowls. Some people call this garlic peeling trick the “shaking method.” First, find two similarly sized mixing bowls to execute this garlic peeling hack. Next, gently crush a head of garlic (or several individual garlic cloves) using the heel of your hand. Finally, place the garlic in a mixing bowl, cover it with another mixing bowl, and shake everything vigorously until the garlic’s skin releases.

Garlic flavor is strongest immediately after you’ve peeled it, but you can store peeled, fresh garlic in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about seven days. A glass mason jar is ideal because glass does not absorb the garlic odor. Storing large quantities of peeled garlic cloves this way can facilitate meal prep for home cooks who plan to use a lot of garlic over the course of a week.

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