The 10 Best Garlic Presses

Most cooks will get on best with the OXO Good Grips, a heavy die-cast zinc press with thick, soft handles that soak up the pressure of a squeeze. The roomy hopper takes several cloves at once, peeled or not, and the skins stay behind. Flip the top handle over and a ribbed red tab pushes leftover pulp out of the holes, so cleanup takes seconds. It is dishwasher safe. The catch is heft, which a small hand will notice.

Zyliss first sold a Susi press in 1948, and the Zyliss Susi 4 brings the old design up to date with a steel grid that swings all the way open, so every scrap rinses out. Long handles give good leverage, and the large chamber takes unpeeled cloves or a chunk of ginger. The light aluminum body wears a nonstick coating made without PFAS chemicals. Zyliss backs it for five years. Keep scouring pads away, since a coating can wear.

Built entirely from 18/10 stainless steel, the Rosle 12895 has no coating to chip and no plastic to crack. Its sieve uses rows of tapered holes that the German maker says take less force to push garlic or fresh ginger through. The sieve folds out for rinsing, a small scraper comes with it, and the whole tool is dishwasher safe. The drawback is the price, which is steep for something that does one job.

If you want a sturdy press without spending much, the Zulay Metal comes with a silicone tube that peels a clove when you roll it and a small brush for the holes. Studs on the plunger line up with the holes to push more garlic through. Zulay offers a lifetime warranty on it and says the dishwasher is fine. The seller never names the exact metal, and dried pulp sticks hard if you don't rinse it right away.

There's no hinge to break on the Joseph Joseph Rocker, a curved stainless bar with holes along its belly. Set it on a peeled clove, press down and rock it back and forth, and the crushed garlic gathers inside the curve, ready to scoop into the pan. It stores flat in a drawer and survives the dishwasher. Peeling comes first, though, and the result is coarser and wetter than a fine paste.

The Kuhn Rikon Epicurean is a heavy stainless press from the Swiss cookware maker, built around a long lever that Kuhn Rikon says can cut hand strain by up to 60 percent. The holes are beveled, so the clove is cut rather than mashed, and the sieve pulls out for cleaning. It takes cloves with or without their skins. It's dishwasher safe, but the maker suggests hand washing, and it's a pricey buy for one small job.

Cleaning the holes is the chore people dread, and the Joseph Joseph CleanForce answers it with a trigger. Squeeze it after pressing and a wiper blade sweeps the crushed garlic off the plate. A small pick stored inside the handle pokes out any skin stuck in the holes. The body is nylon with a steel plate, so it's light and dishwasher safe. The trade-off is feel: plastic never feels as solid as metal does.

The Orblue AK005 is a stainless press with a basket that tips out for rinsing, and the box adds a silicone peeling tube and a small brush. Its round handles end in loops, so it can hang on a rail by the stove. The steel isn't painted where it touches food, and Orblue promises a replacement or refund for life. The bare steel handles have no soft grip, which sore hands will notice.

Made for tired hands and big batches, the Mannkitchen Double-Lever uses a second lever to multiply the force of each squeeze. The body is solid stainless steel with wide handles, and there's no separate cup to dig garlic out of: the press swings wide open, so it rinses clean under the tap or in the dishwasher. The chamber holds plenty of cloves. It's big and heavy, and it takes up real room in a drawer.

Instead of squeezing, you twist the Joseph Joseph Helix: the handles turn against each other and drive a plunger down through a steel cup. Turning uses your wrist and arm rather than your grip, which some cooks with sore hands find easier. It holds several cloves at a time and comes apart for washing by hand or machine. Joseph Joseph covers defects for one year. It takes both hands and a little practice.