How To Use Crushed Garlic To Its Full Potential

When it comes to garlic, it's either yay or nay. You either can't stand its pungent smell and avoid it as if you were Dracula's long-lost cousin, or you can't quite imagine setting foot in the kitchen without it. But for all of you out there who don't mind a bit of spiciness in your meals and know that the intensity of garlic's flavor depends on how you chop it, has it occurred to you to give crushed garlic a chance?

If you're an ultimate garlic fan and you've mastered the expert guide to cooking with garlic, perhaps you already know that crushing it, rather than mincing or slicing it, can infuse slow-cooked dishes with a more delicate flavor. Not only does crushing the cloves bring out more of their natural oils, but it also supports the formation of allicin, which is the sulfur compound responsible for garlic's distinct flavor and aroma. This happens because crushing the cloves doesn't break all of the cell walls that contain allicin, the way that chopping or grating does, but it does damage some, thus allowing garlic to fully develop a unique, subtle flavor profile.

Crushed garlic boasting a unique flavor isn't just one of the many myths about garlic you thought were true, but turned out false; it's a well-known fact. That's why it holds a spot in a number of recipes that aim to capture this delicate variation of the garlic notes. So, in addition to countless stir-fries or versions of garlic butter where it's first crushed to release all the flavors and then minced, it also plays a great role in many marinades, pasta sauces, and salad dressings.

But to bring out that crushed flavor, you've got to have some game, or at least some simple kitchen skills. Although garlic presses (also known as garlic crushers) are a go-to choice these days, they tend to result in a much stronger flavor as they mince rather than crush. For crushing in the purest sense of the word, nothing really beats the precision of a good old kitchen knife.

So after you take a few unpeeled garlic cloves — and make sure to carefully crush them one at a time to prevent any kitchen mishaps — set them on a chopping board and let the knife do the rest. Position the blade flat on the clove, press down on the blade with your palm, being mindful of the sharp edge, and watch the garlic skin split as those bold aromas slowly make their way to your nose. Once you've removed the remaining bits of skin from your crushed cloves, all that's left is to jump into action and add them to your favorite dish.