During the first few years when I was cohabitating with my now-husband, we really tried our hardest to be adults. When you hit your mid-20s, you sort of assume that you should start getting serious about learning how to function without having your parents help out all that much. That means that a lot of our dinners and meals focused on rice, bread, and canned goods.
One of the first dishes I tried to make for him was Chana Masala. At the time, I ate primarily a vegetarian diet, so the fact that it was mostly chickpeas was a win. Also — know what’s inexpensive? Chickpeas.
The recipe called for minced garlic. Prior to, I always cheapened out and got garlic powder. But since I wanted to be an adult, I went ahead and bought the real thing. And, hoo boy. That took a lot of prep.
Garlic is notoriously tough to peel. Since that moment, I’ve learned a lot of tricks of the trade to help save a little time.
And while they’re all beneficial in their own way, there isn’t a method as easy as the one that Chrissy Teigen just shared on Twitter. Even she was amazed.
In case you didn’t know, Teigen is somewhat of a master chef. She’s published two cookbooks that have literally revolutionized the kitchens of many young chefs.
Got The Kid Chrissy Teigen’s #Cravings cookbook for Xmas and tonight she made the Sesame Chicken Noodles. Best thing ever. Thanks to Chrissy for inspiring her to want to cook. I could def get used to this. Does she need to go back to college? @chrissyteigen pic.twitter.com/2Bw4Uv89Dv
— Mo (@momfeld) January 2, 2018
The garlic trick was initially posted by a Twitter user named @VPestilenZ. “As someone who makes a lot of Korean food, this is the best method for getting garlic peeled!” she wrote.
As you can see, all it takes to flawlessly remove garlic is a knife. And that’s it.
— Tokyo (@xafs_) June 17, 2019
Even though the proof is right there that this method works, a lot of people feel like it can’t be true. It’s very similar to the video that went viral not so long ago of a person alternatively eating a pineapple. Remember this phenomenon?
FAAAAMMM... I TRIED IT... It is true... We've been eating pineapples wrong all our lives.... They come off as one one pieces.... MY MIND IS BLOWN!! Whaaaattt pic.twitter.com/PZIx5kEgDH
— KIBURI FC !! (@PossumBlu) March 7, 2019
Much like the pineapple, people ran out to get garlic after Teigen helped circulate the video. Because when you see something so life-changing like this, you want to take part.
And, results varied. Some people had no luck.
Before you say that the garlic hack is too good to be true, just know that there’s a lot involved in the initial video that you may have missed. For one, the exact maneuver.
Also, the type of knife may be important. You can’t just shove a butter knife in there and hope it’ll give you the same results.
Just tried and it kind of worked. Need to use a short thick paring knife. Feel like with practice and playing with technique, will totally work & be a game changer. Now guess I’ll add this unneeded peeled garlic to my smoothie!
— Lisa Raden (@LisaRadenNYC) June 17, 2019
Some people had better luck after microwaving the garlic. But, that method is also not giving the same results 100% of the time.
No matter what, the result will end the same way. You’ll still have garlic hands, even if you’re not touching the garlic bulb as actively as you would using a different method.
There’s a knack to it. Also - your hands will reek of garlic, dudes. I. Mean. You. Will. Smell. Bad.
— Ellastractia (@ellastractia) June 17, 2019
Plenty of Teigen’s fans felt like she shouldn’t just be spreading tutorials and rumors. She should try it herself, and maybe make an Instagram video out of it.
The only way we will know for sure is if you try it and post the vid. Do this for us!!!
— Kim (@kaplyn0521) June 17, 2019
So, should you give this hack a try? Definitely.
Just tried to peel garlic with paring knife. Absolutely brilliant tip! Easy and fast.
— Eugene D. (@oldbindlestiff) June 17, 2019
And if it doesn’t work, remember that sometimes, practice makes perfect.
Teigen’s fans also offered alternative ways to remove your garlic cloves with little difficulty. For one, try using a mason jar.
Put the bulb in a mason jar. Close the lid. Shake.
— Steven Seagull (@Brockster310) June 17, 2019
You can also try simply using the palm of your hand. As a reminder, stainless steel will help you get rid of the odor a little better.
If you can master this garlic hack, just think of how much time you’ll save while prepping your ingredients. If I learned about these methods back in 2010, my Chana Masala would have been flawless.
