Seamlessly Peel Garlic With A Warm Water Hack

Garlic is a staple flavor enhancer for a lot of recipes, thanks to its innate versatility. Whether you prefer to enjoy this vegetable pre-minced or fresh, it can bring its signature buttery and spicy flavors to pasta dishes, rice bowls, and a whole lot more.

When it comes to ingredients like garlic, fresh is usually king, since it tends to lend much more complex aromas and flavors than other jarred varieties. Still, one big barrier to using fresh garlic is that some chefs just don't know how to peel it. Even for those who have studied the tips and tricks, it feels impossible to peel every single clove perfectly, and it doesn't take long for this peeling process to become a real inconvenience. 

Well, contrary to popular belief, it isn't impossible to easily peel fresh garlic, and with the help of one useful hack, it can even be done in just a few minutes. If you want to seamlessly peel garlic, try out this warm water hack. 

To use this garlic-peeling hack, you'll first need to grab a bowl. Any size will do, as long as it can hold a few cloves of garlic. Once you've got your bowl, take a whole head of fresh garlic and peel off the outer layers. Then, pick your desired amount of cloves off and place them in your bowl. Now, pour warm water over the cloves until they're covered. Let this sit for about two minutes. When the time is up, you should be able to peel the skin off those cloves of garlic effortlessly.

This hack is a lot like blanching, as it helps preserve flavor. But at the same time, it helps to loosen the outer layer of skin on the vegetable. If you're a fan of this technique, the same water hack can be used to peel shallots as well, so keep this trick in your back pocket. For even more tried-and-true ways to peel this beloved vegetable, read on.

While the warm water trick is one of the better peeling methods for garlic, not everyone has the same experience. For another garlic peeling hack, look to your microwave for some assistance. To use this method, peel the outer layer of skin off your head of garlic to reveal the cloves. Then, place the whole head on a microwave-safe plate and heat it for about 20 seconds. Wait for the cloves to cool before peeling them. Just like with the warm water trick, the heat of the microwave will help the thin skin of the clove peel off effortlessly. 

Another way to peel garlic without the help of heat is stars by peeling your desired number of cloves and putting them in a mason jar. Then, screw on the lid and shake for about 30 seconds. Next, open the lid to reveal your peeled garlic cloves. You can throw away the skin left in the jar and then pick out the cloves to use or store.

With all these peeling hacks in mind, hopefully, you're on the way to becoming an expert on dismantling a head of garlic. Now, you just have to figure out how to use it in your next recipe. Peeled garlic will last for about a week in the fridge, so you have some time to think about it.