The peel is thicker and attached firmly to the root, so cutting off the root end first will save a lot of time and effort peeling garlic.

you can avoid stripping the peel into tiny sticky pieces or digging grooves into the clove while you gouge or scrape off the peel from the top or side.

this is another lifehack I would have appreciated learning years earlier.

  • MustardCabbage@sh.itjust.works
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    2
    ·
    4 months ago

    I would imagine it’s more the collisions with a hard surface, and metal bowls are simply the lightest way to do that. It’s actually not a lot of work; it maybe takes 20 seconds of shaking. I like the other suggestion of using a cocktail shaker, though. That would be quieter AND easier, assuming it’s equally effective

    • Varyk@sh.itjust.worksOPM
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      3
      ·
      edit-2
      4 months ago

      I couldn’t stop thinking about the shake-peel so I just gave it a whirl.

      two full bulbs pf garlic later, my first impressions of the shake-peel go like this:

      I’m shocked this works at all.

      lots of cloves are unpeeled after multiple shaking sessions.

      deeper bowls could make a difference.

      I have to clean the bowls afterward because garlic juice is coating the entire inside of the bowl.

      The garlic cloves are very bruised and damaged after the shaking.

      prep work of cutting off the root end and the top of the cloves makes them much more likely to be peeled by the end of the shaking.

      maybe if I get better at this or I have better tools, this will save time and effort; right now it’s more difficult and disrupts my chill kitchen flow with some pretty frantic shaking, but I could see it getting easier and less disruptive as I get used to it.

      definitely an interesting suggestion and something I’ll try to improve on, thanks for bringing it up.

        • Varyk@sh.itjust.worksOPM
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          edit-2
          3 months ago

          my success rate was really low without cutting off the ends, like 1-3 in 10 cloves peeled after multiple shakes, and i still had juice all over the bowls.

          i think the impacts bruised the garlic and allicin leaked out.

          without cutting the ends, do you pull apart the cloves in the beginning? or do you just toss the bulb in there and shake like crazy?

          do you use deep bowls?

          That’s the thing I’d have to try next, find some deeper bowls

          • MustardCabbage@sh.itjust.works
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            edit-2
            3 months ago

            I pull the cloves apart first, discard the loose bits of skin, and then give them a shake to loosen the stuck-on skins. I’ve never had an issue with bruising the garlic, although the method, in my experience, also isn’t 100%

            • Varyk@sh.itjust.worksOPM
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              1
              ·
              3 months ago

              got it, thanks.

              have you tried it with fresh and older garlic?

              I feel like the higher water content in the fresh garlic might make it easier to shake peel.

              since I just bought a bag of garlic, I’ll have to try this out next time and buy some fresher stuff.

    • Varyk@sh.itjust.worksOPM
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      edit-2
      4 months ago

      I have a couple bowls, I’ll have to give that a whirl tomorrow.

      I was going to make a garlic dip, and that’s an intriguing method of peeling garlic.