Chopping garlic must be one of the most tedious tasks in the kitchen, no? I faintly remember a time when sipping wine over casually chopping things in the kitchen while having invigorating conversation was a thing. Ah, the memories… These days, it’s mostly about getting something edible on the table asap.
I love the taste of garlic though and I wouldn’t want to go without. My garlic press is beautiful and does a great job, but there is something about having to clean it that makes me use it less often.
Of course I can get my husband to do all unenviable tasks in the kitchen, like chopping garlic. But now that we have two kids, he often has his hands full already.
So over time it’s become clear that there are two simpler ways to add garlic to my dishes, when I can’t be bothered to chop any. Which one I use pretty much depends on how tired I am.
When I can be bothered a little bit
(This mainly applies to the peeling, which can be tedious too but I’m willing to put up with.)
Don’t chop it, grate it!
Honestly, since I learned this nifty little trick I pretty much stopped chopping garlic altogether. When you’ve had a long day, lack the knife skills and want dinner prepped quickly, this is brilliant. A microplane grater is also infinitely easier to clean than a garlic press.
When I can’t be bothered at all
Ok, and then there are days when it’s just not happening. When I can’t be bothered at all.
Cue the garlic powder!
This sounds somewhat like a cheat’s solution and I suppose it is because it doesn’t use fresh garlic. I never had garlic powder in the house until I started making vegan parmesan regularly (which consists of cashews, salt, garlic powder and nutritional yeast – it’s a game changer). Eventually I used it in a dish on one of those week nights and it’s been a trusted go-to for this tired mama ever since. I’ve got no idea why it took me so long. Maybe I just didn’t think of it as a spice to have in the house in that way.
The one I use is literally just dehydrated, ground garlic. No salt, herbs or other additives.
It’s not as bright and flavoursome as fresh garlic is, but it is a great substitute on lazy cooking days.
About 1/8 tsp of garlic powder is the equivalent of one clove apparently, but to be honest I don’t really measure it. I use it pretty liberally actually :). It won’t be exactly the same in taste, but it works so well on a number of things. Like:
- Adding it to panfried mushrooms.
- Adding it to a quick pasta sauce like this one.
- Mixing it into breadcrumbs when you’re making eggplant parmigiana.
- Making quick garlic bread with it: grill sliced, buttered bread sprinkled with garlic powder.
- Roasting a tray of broccoli florets, drizzled with olive oil, salt and garlic powder.
- Roasting chicken drumsticks or wings, drizzled with olive oil, salt and garlic powder.
Kitchen hacks are life savers
Kitchen hacks are not necessarily about getting things done faster. I think it is really important that we learn to slow down in a world that seems to be rushing all the time. Little hacks like these simply help you to stay on top of things with a little more ease. And I’m always looking for ways on how to add a little more ease to my life.
Much love,
Katrine x
