I am of the opinion that there's no such thing as too much garlic (especially if it's roasted). But peeling garlic is a pain in the garlic press. Also, don't use a garlic press, folks. It mushes up your cloves of garlic beyond recognition and that's a bad thing. Because I like garlic so much, I'm always on the lookout for the easiest way how to peel garlic.
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How to Peel Garlic the Easy Way
There are many, many tips for home cooks on how to peel garlic quickly. I've tried microwaving it, and that tip works, but I'm not sure it's faster since you either have to wait for the garlic to cool or burn your fingers slipping the skin off the garlic cloves. I've heard of the mason jar or metal bowl method, where you put the individual cloves in a jar with a tight lid or in two metal bowls together and shake vigorously, but I haven't tried it yet.
But there's a video online that shows a method for how to peel garlic that looks intriguing. It shows an entire head of garlic being peeled in practically no time, with very little papery skin getting everywhere.
To be honest, this method terrifies me just a little. It involves taking a knife and poking it with no small amount of force into each clove of garlic while you hold the head of garlic in the other hand. One little slip and it's stitches instead of fresh garlic.
There's a definite trick to this method. You have to get the knife in exactly the right spot and give it a good twist to break the clove away from the cloves next to it. You have to use enough force to get the knife in where you can use it as a lever to pop the clove out, but not so much as to stick the hand holding the garlic bulb. And you have to keep your fingers out of the way of the knife, while using the index finger of the knife hand to hold the clove together so that you can pop the clove of peeled garlic out whole.
I think if you practice this method at about half speed (or slower) until you get the hang of it, it could work. I definitely think wearing a cut-resistent glove is a good idea. If you have to peel more than a few whole bulbs of garlic on a regular basis, it might be worth your time to learn and practice this trick.
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Personally, I think I'll stick with my cutting board and a good paring knife, at least until I've practiced more. Or I'll just stick to roasting garlic, which is the easiest way of all: Simply cut off the top of an entire head of garlic, wrap in a little foil and pour olive oil over the cut top. Crimp the top of the foil and roast in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes, or until your whole house has that wonderful roasted garlic smell. Let the garlic cool a bit, then squeeze the outer layer until the soft garlic pops out.
