Pressed For Time In The Kitchen

I love most of Anthony Bourdain's works. Kitchen Confidential remains an evergreen favourite. While Bourdain also preaches about what cooking is and how things should be done in the book, readers are reminded that everything is based on what he feels should be, his experiences in kitchens he worked at and what it took to survive in them, so do not treat his words as gospel.

So what does this have to do with the garlic press I now own and use a bit too frequently?

In "Kitchen Confidential", Bourdain scoffs at the results of garlic presses, which produces a garlic paste when, well, pressed. "I don't know what that junk is that squeezes out the end of those things, but it ain't garlic." He asks that garlic be treated with respect, and has harsh words for those who use pre-peeled cloves. "Too lazy to peel fresh? You don't deserve to eat garlic."

Bear in mind that his tone may stem from the assumption that his book won't be widely read or quoted from to browbeat wayward cooks. The swagger and machismo in Kitchen Confidential comes from a narrow perspective when compared to the big wide world of global cuisine, to be appreciated by cooks of his ilk.

Hence he may have never taken into account that some, especially the disabled, miiight take the shortcuts he dismissed whenever they're hankering for garlic. Busy restaurants will use pre-peeled or even jarred garlic, we just seldom hear about it. If the product is fine or won't make you sick, what's the problem? Does it affect the taste of the food?

And Tony B can be remarkably sensitive and empathetic, and his travels since have changed him, for better or worse. Who's to say he didn't revise some of his opinions since he wrote that book? He went back against his "don't eat fish on Monday" rule, for one.

Myself, I've been chopping extra garlic to add to my takeaways – an arduous task on some days when I can't be bothered to wash the cutting board and knife. So when I saw a Daiso selling garlic presses, I thought, what's the fuss?

That I'm using the press more now speaks of the convenience I'm enjoying. Mincing garlic can be meditative but not after peeling those annoying tiny cloves in the middle of each garlic bulb. And I seem to get more of the flavour. I think there's still some fried garlic in a jar somewhere in the kitchen. One issue is that with the press, I sometimes end up using too much garlic. The burn from raw garlic can be worse than spicy chillies.

But by all means, press your garlic. Take all the culinary shortcuts you need – but not those that mess up your dishes – because time is precious and limited. Cooking and food should be accessible and enjoyable even for non-chefs. Do what works for you.


This is a version of a post published on Instagram on 23 December 2024