Garlic Peelers
When you need to peel garlic, you can whack the clove with the side of a knife blade (which works beautifully, but you get a crushed clove) or you can use a garlic peeler. You roll these devices—simple silicone or rubber tubes, or sheets that you shape into a tube—with the garlic inside, a process that gently tugs the papery skin off the cloves and leaves them intact. Thus, garlic peelers are perfect for recipes calling for whole or sliced cloves. We tried three models priced from $6.50 to $8.79, peeling both single and multiple cloves, and evaluated them on their peeling performance, ease of use, and cleanup. While all were easy to wash in the dishwasher or by hand, the real differences lay in how comfortable they were—or were not—to press down on and roll, and how quickly and effectively they removed the peels. Our winner lived up to its name. It was the thickest and most well cushioned, making rolling easy and painless. Its grippy silicone surface thoroughly and speedily removed the skins from cloves of all sizes without bruising them. It’s our new favorite way to peel garlic.
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EQUIPMENT
Garlic Presses -
EQUIPMENT
Rasp Graters
- Good:
- ★★★
- Fair:
- ★★
- Poor:
- ★
- N/A:
- ----
| Product Tested | Performance | Comfort | Price* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highly Recommended | ||||
 |
Victorinox (formerly Victorinox Forschner) 6-inch Straight Boning Knife: FlexibleThe nonslip grip and narrow, straight blade let testers remove the smallest bones with precision and complete comfort. Perfectly balanced with enough flexibility to maneuver around tight joints. The low price was a bonus. |
★★★ | ★★★ | $19.95 |
| Recommended | ||||
 |
Wüsthof Classic Boning KnifeHefty in weight, this knife was a solid performer when removing poultry bones, and the handle was easy to grip, even when covered in chicken fat. Piercing silver skin was a challenge since the tip wasn’t sharp enough and the long narrow blade produced slightly jagged cuts. |
★★ | ★★★ | $99.95 |
| Recommended with Reservations | ||||
 |
Mundial Boning Knife: FlexibleThe sharp tip performed well when removing silver skin, but it was too flexible when maneuvering around poultry joints, leaving testers feeling a lack of control. The heavy handle was slightly unbalanced and became slippery once covered in poultry fat. |
★★ | ★★ | $19.95 |
| Not Recommended | ||||
 |
Shun Gokujo Filet KnifeDesigned to replicate a samurai blade, this expensive knife was a disappointment. It struggled to pierce the silver skin, although long cuts were smooth and even. Minimal flexibility and extreme curve got in the way when maneuvering around joints. The smooth handle was hard to grip and slippery. |
★★ | ★ | $179.95 |
 |
MAC Boning Knife—Chef SeriesThe large, cumbersome handle reminded testers of an outdoors knife for fishing and hunting. The blade was too wide to maneuver around joints and it struggled to pierce silver skin. Unlike other knives, this boning knife could only slice in one direction, making intricate cuts around joints difficult. |
★ | ★★ | $34.95 |
 |
Messermeister San Moritz Elite Flexible Boning KnifeThe blade was so flexible it led to erratic cuttings; testers said the knife was hard to control. The blade was not sturdy enough to maneuver around joints and the lightweight handle felt flimsy and unbalanced. |
★ | ★ | $53.60 |
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