Garlic gadgets galore To mark National Garlic Day, we tested two garlic chopping tools: the Garlic Twist and the Garlic Pro E Zee Dice.
We see the appeal with these new tools. They quickly turn peeled garlic into a fine dice and are easy to clean with a quick slosh of hot water and soap. These are a quick way to chop up large piles of garlic, but both tools have limitations.
Since many cooks find that garlic crushed in a press has a more aggressive flavor and burns easily, both gadgets are designed to chop without squeezing.
We found that the Garlic Twist ($14.95) was too short for some larger size garlic cloves. This meant that we had to squeeze the garlic into the tool before chopping. The Twist is made entirely from polycarbonate, even the blades. The lack of metal blades might be why some users complain that it takes strong hands to get the Twist going. Still, the Twist does quickly create a super-fine, even garlic paste. This spread was great for garlic bread.
The Garlic Pro E Zee Dice ($19.98), trimmed in green in the picture, is larger. The tool's metal blades make it easier to turn. We were very frustrated that the E Zee Dice couldn't make an even dice. A few odd sized chunks of garlic consistently stuck on the side of the tool. The space between the last blade and the wall of the tool is too large.
While prefer the Garlic Twist, we wanted more precision from both gadgets. For our money, we'll stick to whacking our garlic with the side of a chef's knife to crush it, break through the peels, and give it a good chop.
We know there a few readers are Garlic Twist fans. Are we missing something here?
I loved my Garlic Genius before I broke it. It is more expensive, but makes perfect little garlic cubes with no mess. I need to pick another one up--chopping garlic is one of my least favorite tasks!
view cem21's profile
aww. I was really hoping for a solution here... i'm such an inconsistent chopper. my only tip is that I wet my knife with cold water. so the garlic doesn't stick quite so much. And i've seen those nice deep (i.e. tall) chinese chopping blades do a fine job ... my kitchen and chopping boards are so small and short... inevitably the garlic slices crawl up the side of my knife and fall off the board or onto the floor. the tall blades erase that problem. Think i'm gonna try the "twist".
view amy's profile
What about a garlic press? doesn't that do about the same thing?
Amy, A little oil in the mix also helps keep the garlic from sticking.
view Eliza's profile