Answer to Kris's Question: 90s Garlic Press

A little over a week ago I wrote about cleaning, mincing, and freezing lots of garlic at one time to save precious time on busy weeknights when cooking dinner. Doing this work is my best garlic hack. In the comments, Kris asked what brand garlic press I used. 

It's a Zyliss Susi from the 90s. (So on Etsy or ebay, it's called vintage.) It's heavy duty, cast aluminum, and has been a power house for us for over 30 years. Before this one, I had a flimsy stainless garlic press that got bent out of shape. When my sister asked me what I could use for my birthday one year, I said a new garlic press. She sent me this one.

Ones just like mine can be seen here, this one on Etsy or here,  this one on ebay. You can see the resale price varies quite a bit. 

If something happened to the one I have, I wouldn't hesitate to replace it with a second-hand (Etsy or ebay) garlic press just like the one I have, spending up to $20. 

As a cool add-on, in the package with the garlic press it came with this red cleaning tool. You press it into the backside of the press and push any stuck bits out. It makes cleaning the press super easy.

The drawback to this model is it's aluminum and oxidizes. Hand washing this isn't so much of a problem. But running it through the dishwasher will cause serious oxidation over time, causing pitting and corrosion, due to the alkalinity of dishwasher detergent combined with high temperatures. So we wash it by hand.

The hinge is strong, it always closes easily on the garlic clove, and most of the garlci is pressed through on one squeeze. After that first squeeze, I use a table knife to scrape any unpressed bits back into the base of the press and squeeze again. When I press a bunch of cloves at once, I just keep loading them one or two peeled cloves at a time into the chamber/basket and press away without cleaning out the press until the very end.

If you have any further questions, please ask.

No Waste Cooking: The Pan From Cooking Bacon

After frying bacon and draining off most of the bacon fat, I allow the pan to cool then place it in the fridge until an evening when I'm sautéing green vegetables.

For my birthday breakfast last week, we had some bacon with fresh fruit. I saved the bacon grease in a small dish, leaving just a little fat still in the pan, maybe a table spoon. I kept this pan, unwashed for about 2 days in the fridge, until I wanted to sauté some broccoli. I used the bacon-crusted pan to do the broccoli. It was delicious, and made use of some flavoring that might have been washed down the drain.

Our favorite vegetables for cooking in bacon-crusted pans include fresh green beans, cabbage, broccoli, spinach, and frozen corn. After the initial quick sauté of about 30 seconds, I put a lid on the pan and allow to continue cooking, softening up the bacon crust as the vegetables finish cooking. The liquid naturally in the vegetables provides the moisture needed to create steam, preventing drying out. (Green beans tend to have a lower water content and tougher fibers. Adding 3 to 4 tablespoons of water to the frying pan just before putting the lid on the pan will provide all the moisture needed to create a good steam and reduce fibrousness.) The vegetables tenderize and complete cooking quickly. A sprinkling of salt and the veggies are ready for the table.

Not only does this use every last bit from frying bacon, but the steaming of veggies makes the pan easier to clean afterward. A double win!

What are your favorite no-waste cooking tips?