Trudeau Garlic Press, Black
by Trudeau
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List Price: Our Price: $11.99 You Save: $5.00 (29%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $9.23 (click here) Category: Kitchen See more product details |
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Trudeau Garlic Press, Black
Customer Review: Trudeau Garlic Press-- works very well!!
Summary: 4 Stars
I recently purchased this item with a Oxo Good Grips Garlic Peeler to perhaps speed up and ease the very frequent chore of prepping fesh garlic for cooking. I have used many garlic presses in the past and never felt that any of them lived up to their promise and always abandoned them for the sticky mess of the process using a kitchen knife and chopping board. Years pass and new friends arrive and LOTS of garlic is back on the menu. Amazingly, over the years, I didn't get any younger or more patient so I went searching for the possible modern device that is actually worthwhile. After reading all the reviews here on Amazon, I concluded that this was the product with the cost/function ratio that I was looking for so I ordered it along with a new type of silicone garlic peeler that resembles a plastic manicotti. Much to my delight, I found that both devices met or exceeded my hopes. I was preparing pasta with sauteed garlic and needed to prepare an entire bulb for the dish. In less than 5 min, I had the cloves all peeled and ready for the press with very little effort and mess. You break the cloves of the bulb, insert 3-4 into the "manicotti" and roll on the counter. Then you pour the contents into a bowl (keeps the paper from covering the counter) and easily seperate the garlic. The press works like all others-- put 2-3 large cloves into the device and squeeze the handles. With a full load of cloves, the handles can require a somewhat forceful squeeze but it is not impossible and reducing the number of bulbs being pressed at a time can make this easier. This is the only reason that I gave only 4 stars-- there will be some who are annoyed at the force it takes. It will also crush unpeeled cloves with some more pressure and a small waste of garlic which clings to the peels. When using it this way, the handles flip around and an attached cleaner presses the residue back out of the seive. The Oxo Peeler works so quickly and with such little mess that I prefer to peel the cloves first. Both tools clean up quickly with a hand wash.Customer Review: Solid garlic press
Summary: 4 Stars
I cook a great deal from America's Test Kitchen, which recommends use of a garlic press vs mincing by hand.
ATK recommended two presses, the Rikon Kuhn at some $35 (which I own), and this one, as their best buy (which I purchased for my girl). Though the Rikon is nicer overall, it gets just a bit more garlic out of each press vs the Trudeau. The Rikon is sleeker and a bit more ergonomic, which does provide you a warmer and a fuzzier feeling, but does not significantly contribute to your garlic production. The Trudeau is heavy, solid, and presses garlic just fine.
The Rikon opens up in an unusual way that allows you to easily clean out the stringier garlic that is leftover in the press. In contrast, the Trudeau offers an integrated plastic piece with male prongs which poke out the garlic left in the wholes when the handles are rotated 180 degrees. Although the plastic piece shown no signs of falling off, the male prongs don't fit into the female wholes perfectly, requiring a bit of force to clean the press, and then pry them apart. I'm concerned that, over time, the plastic might loosen with repeated attempts to separate the tight fitting male prongs. Even if it does, you will still be able to clean out any remaining garlic by reaching in with your fingers etc...
I purchased the Rikon based on the ATK recommendation, before I realized that they also backed this press as their best buy. In retrospect, though I am completely happy with the Rikon, I would not have spent $35 on the Rikon had I known of this as a suitable replacement.
Customer Review: A kitchen neccesity
Summary: 4 Stars
Every home cook needs a garlic press. The stuff that comes in a jar has a distinct metallic flavor, and while the people with television shows can do a great job cutting up garlic with a knife, they're professionals. Yes, you can get pretty much the same flavor by chopping, but you'll still get little lumps that will mess with the texture. You can live without it, but you can also follow the recipes on soup cans -- that's eating, not cooking.
That said, a garlic press is still a B list item. It should be easy to use, easy to clean, and provide a reasonably even distribution of well crushed garlic, but the price should still be affordable. The Trudeau, rated a best buy by Cook's Illustrated, meets these standards. It's well made, apparently highly durable, and cleans easily under running water (although a spray helps -- this is true of just about every press). The price is good for what you get.
I bought this to replace an old, bargain price garlic press that required two hands for a single clove, and was a pain to clean -- and that's my only personal comparison. The Trudea needn't replace a satisfactory press, but for a first purchase it's a good choice at a fair price, and compared to some of the garlic presses on the market it's a real step up.
Customer Review: Works
Summary: 4 Stars
How do you rate a garlic press? If it works, I guess. This one does. I see some specific negative comments, so I'll try to address those issues. First, it does the basic job. Put in unpealed cloves, press, and get pureed garlic out, leaving peals behind. I didn't find it to take any extraordinary pressure. You're putting a raw product with skin through tiny holes. You do have to squeeze. Get over it. I found it pretty easy to clean. Flip it around the other way, and tiny pegs push debris out of the tiny holes. Holding it under a running faucet when you're done with it seems to finish off the debris. I can't comment on the dishwasher leaving water under the handle grips, because I don't put my cooking tools in the evil dishwasher. Feels substantial, and I obviously can't say much about the comments that the hinge pin is weak unless and until mine breaks, which it hasn't.
A garlic press isn't an essential tool. It's just an easy way to reduce a few cloves to a fine puree for when you don't want palpable pieces to appear in the food. I can smash, skin, and dice a bunch of cloves more quickly and easily with the side of a knife and my fingers than with a press, so I don't use it constantly.
Customer Review: It works, but it's not great
Summary: 4 Stars
My old enamel garlic press finally bit the dust. I spent months searching for a replacement but never found one even remotely similar. It was lightweight and easily minced the garlic through fairly large holes. I loved it!
I really wanted to love this one too, but I don't. It's quite heavy and you have to have a vice-like grip to squeeze the cloves. (I can barely squeeze it all the way, and I'm pretty strong.) It mostly just mashes the cloves and leaves you a wad of pulp. I do like the self-cleaning feature, but I'd rather have a press like my old one. I'll keep hunting.
OK, I wrote this ten months ago and have upgraded my rating from two stars to four. I do like this garlic press, mainly because of the large holes and the self-cleaning feature. I still don't like it as well as my old one, but it's a good press, for the most part. The main drawback is you have to be really strong to squeeze it all the way, so for older people this would not work.