Do you cook with garlic paste? Or always mince your own garlic?

Raw garlic is nowhere near as good as baked garlic cloves. You can make a lovely, mild spread with it as well.

I use fresh garlic whenever I need a decent amount, 2-3 big cloves or thereabouts at least. When I'm looking for only a very small bit I reach for the jar.

I’m loathe to mincing garlic simply due to cleaning all the crap out of the mincer tool after - chopping finely takes seconds - I’d never dream of buying garlic gunk in a tube - sounds vile

I always keep one of them tubes handy in case I cross paths with a vampire.

pestle and mortar and a bit of salt for lazy days and slow cooker dishes I just grate the garlic clove into dish but then it’s not really minced but works for me and as it’s cooking slow for hours it tends to breakdown anyway I think.

My lazy option is the minced frozen garlic from Tesco or M&S. The pastes are always massively disappointing and, as in the post above, the Too Lazy stuff is pickled in vinegar and basically unusuable.

I also buy ginger like that and pretty much have given up buying fresh ginger since… but I do buy fresh garlic for most things

Always grated it - have a Microplane that was just for that, and now sits unloved in a corner!

Peeling it is the pain, even using the spoon technique.

Garlic (80%), Water

Acidity Regulators: Acetic Acid, Citric Acid, Rapeseed Oil, Salt

Preservatives: Sodium Metabisulphite, Sodium Benzoate

Not that bad, surely?

I just squash the bulbs with the palm of my hand against the chopping board with the peel still on.

Remove the peel and throw it into the pan.

Takes two seconds.

I've big meaty farmer hands though.

I use loads of garlic also as it's supposed be good for me.

Also I like big pieces of it in my food.

I do the same with boiled potatoes. Squash them with my hand with the peel still on them. Then butter and black pepper.

I'm not very refined but goddamnit I'm efficient.

has anyone ever seen those massive bags of peeled cloves you can get in the US? I’d love to get my hands on one to make a confit

One of the best cooking gadgets I ever bought.