Having garlic on hand is a given for nearly every home cook. It’s a key ingredient in so many dishes worldwide that you couldn’t possibly list them all. But prepping those cloves can be time-consuming. After peeling, you still have to chop them — and because most recipes call for a fine mince, this process…
Don’t Chop, Pulverize
If you own an immersion blender, though, you can whip up minced garlic in mere seconds, saving you the time and effort of chopping it yourself. With the power off for safety, hold your immersion blender with the blades facing up. Place several peeled garlic cloves between the blades, making sure they fit within the bell-shaped blade guard. Cover the entire head of the immersion blender tightly with an open, resealable plastic bag, using one hand to secure it around the shaft. Then, turn on your immersion blender — start with a low setting — and in just a few seconds, your garlic will be pulverized. As a bonus, you won’t have to deal with that persistent garlic smell on your fingers.
This hack also works for mincing ginger, shallots, and chilies, or for grinding spices such as peppercorns, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, and mustard seeds. Because the mess is contained in a plastic bag, your favorite aromatics are easy to store and ready to use.
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How To Store Minced Garlic in the Freezer
Looking to save time by prepping garlic in bulk? Mince several bulbs of garlic at once using a food processor (or do multiple rounds of the immersion blender trick). Put the minced garlic into a freezer-safe plastic bag and roll it flat with a rolling pin or your hands. Next, use the back of a knife to draw (not cut) a grid of vertical and horizontal lines across the bag. Place it in the freezer on a flat surface. Once it’s frozen, you’ll have perfectly portioned garlic squares that you can pop out and use as needed whenever you cook.
