The Best Garlic Press – a new winner!

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Why the Dreamfarm Garject is the best garlic press:

  • Hefty chrome-plated die-cast zinc metal makes it easier to press garlic with little effort.
  • Eject button! No handling the stinky peel
  • Squeegee action means you get every last nugget of garlic
  • Review includes PROs and CONs of the Dreamfarm Garject

The Best Garlic Press – Dreamfarm Garject Review

I spent a week getting cozy with the Dreamfarm Garject Garlic Press. Even with its first use, the Garject has dethroned the Zyliss Garlic Press and the Oxo Good Grips Garlic Press as the “Best Garlic Press in the World” title!

Dreamfarms, based in Australia, is the designer and manufacturer of quirky-named kitchen products like the Levoon, Teafu, Supoon and Chopula. I’ve known about them for several years, having purchased a Vebo (silicone steamer basket) to steam vegetables.

Their garlic peeler, the Garject (a smashup for “garlic” and “eject” — you’ll see why in the video below), launched years ago, but I didn’t know about it until last week. Here’s the product:

Dreamfarm Garject PROs:

Okay, brace yourself, but I am really going to get into the nitty gritty of the design and functionality of this garlic press.

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Heavy duty material

The Garject is made of chrome-plated, diecast zinc metal with nylon plastic parts. It is strong metal that won’t stain, scratch, rust, bend or warp. The plastic is strong, the springs that cause the peel to eject is made of metal.

It’s heavy, and that’s a good thing. Weighing in around 13 ounces (my Zyliss only weighs 4 ounces), it’s like holding a small wrench in your hand. I wouldn’t hesitate one second to use this as a self defense weapon against vampires 🙂 Also, because its heavier, it feels more stable in my hand when I’m pressing.

Long arm for leverage

A garlic press’ function is the squeeze the living daylights out of a garlic clove – so hard that it pops out of its papery skin and through the itty bitty holes in the press to get smushed garlic.

It takes quite of force to do this. The task is made easier if you first peel the garlic or pre-smash it with the side of a knife to break the skin seal and start the process.

Most of the power comes from the “arms” of the garlic press, as levers to apply force to the small head of the press. The longer the arms, the more leverage you get, the easier it is to press the garlic.

The Garject garlic press is on top, my beloved, well used and abused Zyliss press is on the bottom. The extra inch or so really does make a big difference in the amount of force needed.

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Fat, wide head

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Most garlic presses, including the Oxo and Zyliss, have cavities (where you place the garlic) that are small, deep and narrow. Larger garlic cloves don’t fit well (sometimes I even have to cut the cloves in half before pressing. Worse yet, the cloves go in only a certain way.

As you can see from the photo above, the Garject press has a wide, garlic-clove shaped cavity. This allows me to place the garlic clove on its side, making it SO much easier to press. You get more surface area to to press with, and you exert less energy and force.

Compare that to the Zyliss garlic press where you have to press down on a very small area of the garlic clove – and lengthwise.

Reinforced Hinge

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Look at the difference between the hinges. The Garject has a wide, thick hinge making the pressing smooth, strong and steady. It won’t wiggle or break. The smaller hinges break, shakes and wiggles.

No digging out the skin!

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The eject button really does work! The skin flies out. With my Oxo and Zyliss, I would have to dig out the skin with my finger nails. The Oxo has little rubber cleaner, which helps, but it still leaves some skin on.

Squeegee action

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As you saw in the video in the beginning, opening the Garject triggers the little scraper to squeegee the garlic pulp onto your cutting board or bowl. Use every bit of the garlic. Don’t get your hands dirty.

Normally, I would have to use the back side of my chef’s knife to scrape off all the garlic from a press. The designers of the Garject has thoughtfully built this functionality in. Super smart.

Garject Garlic Press CONs

Okay, now it’s time for the flip side of this review. What do I not like about the Garject?

It’s expensive

At $35, it’s the most expensive garlic press that I’ll ever buy. Most garlic presses are under $15.

Don’t drop it

Trust me, a nearly 1 pound metal garlic press dropped on your foot will make your toe black.

But they have two different models

The Garject Lite is made of plastic. It’s lightweight (about 5 ounces), at only 40% of the weight of its big brother. Same size, same shape, same functionality. Different price point – shave off $12 from the price (it’s less than $20)

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But…does it work as well? Not quite….but still a fantastic garlic press. Watch the video below to see the difference in action:

I would not recommend the Garject Lite – not because it doesn’t work well – but because the heavy duty Garject is just SO much better at just $13 more.

Don’t real chefs just mince garlic with a knife?

Most fancy chefs will turn their noses at garlic presses, saying that you can do the same thing with a chef’s knife. Here’s why I use a garlic press and why I recommend you should too:

  1. The garlic press gets the garlic much more fine than mincing by hand. While I love the flavor and aroma of garlic, I really don’t want to bite into a garlic piece. I’d rather have the garlic melt and disperse in the butter or oil.
  2. The garlic press smushes the garlic – which helps release more flavor. The press breaks the fibers, the structure of the cellular walls, extracting more garlic aroma and flavor.
  3. Most people don’t have super sharp chef’s knives. It’s so dangerous trying to mince a small, slippery, roundish shaped ingredient into super fine dice. If you have mad knife skills, feel free to do the mincing with a knife. But I prefer to stick to the garlic press.

What’s the best garlic press?

Dreamfarm Garject, hands down. Just don’t drop it.

 

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Garject and Garject Lite Giveaway

You get one of each, so you can decide which you like….and give one to a friend! Dreamfarm provided product.

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