CHOPPING up garlic is one of the fiddliest kitchen tasks to do so we’ve rounded up the best garlic presses to help make that a little easier.
Read on to find out how to use them and see our picks of the best.
How to use a garlic press
There are a few different gadgets around for chopping up or mincing garlic but the traditional garlic press has two handles and a chamber where you put the clove.
The bottom handle is usually attached to the chamber itself, which has holes on the bottom where the garlic comes out, while the top handle is the presser that squeezes the garlic through.
You simply put your peeled clove into the chamber and squeeze the handles until your garlic comes out of the bottom.
Some garlic presses will let you put the garlic in with the skin on but we find this more messy when you come to clean it and you don’t get as much garlic out.
Aside from the traditional garlic press, you also have grinders that you can use to mash the garlic against a chopping board and easy choppers where you just pop the clove on a screen, push down the top and the garlic comes out at the bottom.
We’ve tested a range of different garlic presses and rounded up our favourites below.
1. Zyliss Susi garlic press
- Zyliss Susi garlic press, £21.99 from Amazon – buy here
This compact garlic press won’t take up much space in your kitchen but it’s extremely efficient.
The chamber is spacious enough to fit larger cloves of garlic and you can even pop them in unpeeled – although we’d always recommend peeling them first.
The best thing about this is that it comes with a handy brush – it’s stored in the handle – that you can use to remove every little bit of garlic and clean the device afterwards.
2. Lakeland Garlic Slice and Dice
- Lakeland Garlic Slice and Dice, £9.99 from Lakeland – buy here
This handy device is a three-in-one chopper and is extremely versatile in the kitchen.
It comes with two interchangeable blades that you can use to slice or dice your garlic, depending on what your recipe requires.
The storage pot also has a grater at the bottom if you need minced garlic.
3. ProCook garlic press
- ProCook garlic press, £5 from ProCook – buy here
For a seriously budget-friendly option, pick this one from ProCook.
Even though the handles are plastic, it’s extremely sturdy in use and it comes with a one-year guarantee.
It also has a huge garlic chamber and is dishwasher safe, too.
4. Stellar garlic press
- Stellar garlic press, £11 from Horwood – buy here
This budget-friendly garlic press is designed to last and comes with a lifetime guarantee.
The back of the press features nodules that you can use to push out any garlic that’s stuck in the chamber – a great feature to ensure there’s absolutely zero waste.
The non-slip handles are moulded but they are quite thin, so this one is best for those with smaller hands.
5. OXO Good Grips garlic press
- OXO Good Grips garlic press, £13.99 from Lakeland – buy here
A great alternative to the Stellar version is this one from cooks’ favourite brand, Oxo Good Grips.
The chunky easy-grip handles are really comfortable to hold, making squeezing the device that much easier.
Plus, you just have to flip the top handle back on itself to push out any garlic left in the chamber.
6. ZWILLING Pro garlic press
- ZWILLING Pro garlic press, £29.95 from Zwilling – buy here
For a premium garlic press, try this one from Zwilling.
It’s designed by Matteo Thun and Antonio Rodriguez, a design duo based in Italy.
Far from style over substance though, this garlic press features ergonomic handles and a garlic chamber that flips out so you can clean it easily.
What else can you use a garlic press for?
Most garlic presses are designed just for crushing garlic but you could in theory put in anything that’s small enough to fit in the chamber and soft enough to be squeezed through the holes.
Examples include chillies, ginger, onions and shallots.
Bear in mind that the flavour of the other ingredients will likely taint your garlic press and, in the case of ginger, the fibres might get stuck and you’ll end up with a lot of cleaning up.
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