What is it about garlic? I just love it and I use it all the time when I’m cooking. I never, however, shared the same passion for my garlic press. Using it was the easy part, but it was the cleaning that used to drive me crazy. I couldn’t simply throw it in the dishwasher without first using something pointy to remove the leftover garlic from all those little holes before rinsing it … and that was time consuming. But I had to concede that if I wanted fresh garlic, then I’d just have to put up with it … boo hoo!
Recently though, my garlic press broke … the handle just snapped clean off! I knew I would need to buy a replacement, but I completely forget and found myself with nothing to crush my garlic when I went to cook my next casserole. I didn’t have time to rush to the shop so I had to improvise … and you know what they say … necessity is the mother of all invention! So, with the intention of being creative, I rummaged through my utensil drawer for an alternative. The grater was a possibility but when I tried it, the garlic was too thick and large. I considered just chopping the garlic with a knife but I couldn’t seem to get it small enough. And then I saw my Zester and decided to give it a go. And the result … fantastic!
I simply peeled the garlic, grated it using the Zester and, just like that, my garlic was ready for the casserole. I actually preferred the texture of the garlic because it was smaller and finer, allowing it to blend more easily and consistently through my dish. There’s usually less of the garlic left over, so there’s less waste. I also find the Zester much easier to clean than the garlic press. But the best reason of all is that I’ve been able to get rid of one utensil (namely the garlic press) that really only had a single purpose … so I’ve decluttered at the same time!
I love it when a utensil intended for one purpose can pull double duty and do multiple things and that’s been the outcome here. My Zester, which I previously only used to zest the skin of oranges, lemons and limes, now finely grates my fresh garlic as well … love it!
So, tell me, do you have any utensils in your kitchen that you use for another purpose other than what it was intended?
Here are some more quick and easy tips that you might find useful:
