I've heard the garlic press is evil, and I generally don't use it, but I wouldn't mind being proven wrong...I understand it wrings the juice out of the garlic bits.

It does wring out the juice. I don't know if you've used one, but if so, you can see the juice streaming out when you crush it. I only use my press for some recipes. For example, I put garlic in my beef stew (but I don't brown it first, it just goes in the broth), so I use the press right over the soup pot, because the juices go in, too. I also use it for the garlic I put in the cheese filling mixture for my lasagna.

I have a hard time cooking fresh garlic, properly. I love it, but I seem to scorch it, no matter what I do. It's oddly sticky, somehow. I've gone back to garlic powder for making red sauces. I mostly use fresh for things I've mentioned like the above, or for alio e olio.

Darn. Now I want something really garlicky.

Actually, many days, my garlic chopper is 6'1" with ginger hair and great taste in wives. I forget I make him prep prolly 3 out of 5 meals I cook.

thinks

OK all the time. I guess my daily garlic chopping thinking was just an illusion! We EAT garlic almost every night though. Of this I am certain.

I buy my garlic in a jar, minced. It might cost me a little more, but saves me from stinky hands.

Does it taste/smell the same to you, Sail? I used to do that, but then I stopped liking it.

In fact, we had so much food left over from all the cooking we did the days before opening the presents (it was sooo difficult not to just make her open the new knives while I was chopping with the old ones), we didn't need to make any food for a while.

I chopped up a clove of garlic just because, and mixed it in with some of the food we already had.

I also have one of those metal rock-like things to take away the garlic smell, mostly because it's so astonishing that they work.

And the Zyliss press comes with a little plastic brush that fits precisely int the holes of the press, pushing out all the trapped bits of garlic. Clean up is way easy.

Good lord but I'm hungry now.

What knives did you buy, Sean?

I also have one of those metal rock-like things to take away the garlic smell, mostly because it's so astonishing that they work.

A stainless steel piece of cutlery also does this.

Does it taste/smell the same to you, Sail? I used to do that, but then I stopped liking it.

I use that stuff, for some things. It isn't as good, but I don't cook all that often, so my fresh garlic always seems to be sprouting or dried out by the time I go to use it. The jar is a lot easier.

Seanycakes, did you use fig preserves in the quesadillas?

Does it taste/smell the same to you

Pretty much. The only time I don't use it is if I'm roasting whole cloves (teh yum.) I think it sautes up nicer than what comes out of a garlic press. The trick is not to get the oil too hot. If you're searing something, put the garlic in the pan before you turn the heat on and keep it low for a while.