I’ve had several not so effective garlic press, but the Oxo I bought 2-3 years ago has been the so far best garlic press as of yet.
I do wish it was made from stainless steel though - it feels really solid and heavy in your hand, but unfortunately it’s made from rather cheap zamack pot metal so it most likely won’t last a lifetime.
Also it could make smaller pieces of garlic - the pieces it makes are on the larger size for a garlic press.
However when I want garlic puréed I use a chef’s knife or a santoku to smash the garlic or my extra fine Microplane grater.
Other than that, the Oxo garlic press is phenomenal and I can only recommend it highly. It also is dishwasher safe.
And should pieces of garlic get stuck in the press it has a cleaner on the other side of the press and contrary to other garlic press, this cleaner works very effectively.
I’ve never had a specialised garlic press. I’ll either use my knife (pound and/or slice), Microplane grater, or my mortar and pestle. The latter will of course also give you the option to add things, like chillies below in the pic but also rosemary for bbq-ed meat.
There isn’t one way how I like my garlic. Can be sliced thinly, pound in coarse chunks, or pulverised. Depends on what I’m cooking.
I own their fine grater - in fact own the entire series if their Master graters, but my fingers are too big to comfortably hold on to a clove of garlic without risking mixing blood and skin together with the garlic.
I also have trouble getting rid of the garlic scent from my fingers, if I try to grate it or cut it with a knife.
I do enjoy garlic, once it has been cooked, but find the scent of raw garlic almost nasty.
In order to avoid a unitasker like the garlic press, I should use a kitchen knife and then cut up a lemon each time I use garlic in my cooking, if I want to avoid smelly fingers ?!?
Then I’d rather save the lemon for a G&T and use my garlic press
I do also use my mortar and pestle, but not just for one or two cloves of garlic.
If I’m making a pesto or dip I’ll use my M&P.
In fact love to use it
My main problem with using a grater for garlic is my big clumsy fingers. I seem to be in constant danger of mixing skin & blood with garlic each time I try to grate garlic. Same reason I bought a dedicated nutmeg grinder (still love that unitasker)
While I do enjoy the taste and scent of cooked garlic, I almost detest the scent of raw garlic.
That’s why I never cut garlic with my kitchen knife without wearing gloves.
I find it very hard to remove the stink from my fingers afterwards.
I also put on gloves when cutting garlic, but if a garlic press can spare a set of gloves, I find the unitasker worth it in the long run. That’s my logic anyway.
Over the years, I’ve bought, tried and broken or discarded several garlic presses, some rather fancy.
The sole survivor is one of my first purchases and the oldest of them all, bought for a few cents at a flea market. It’s built like a tank and it works like one too, reliably crushing clove after clove into a fine purée without pause. As it’s cast aluminum, I prefer not to put it in the DW and use a brush to clean it under running water. Cleanup is sometimes a bit tricky but it has been the case with all the models I tried so far except with the flimsiest.
When just one or two cloves are needed, I use a knife.
I would never use a sharp grater. I care too much about my fingertips!
Did I mention that my garlic press could also pit olives, crack nuts and open bottles?