WE HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT GARLIC.

Q: We have a question about garlic. Do you ever use a garlic press? Will it work in place of dicing?  Also, we tried using a grill basket for Brussels sprouts, cut-up potatoes and cloves of garlic. The garlic turned to mini charcoal briquettes! Mike and Janet. 

A: Mike and Janet: About garlic directly (or in a vegetable basket directly) on the grill: yes, it burns too easily, just as it would over very high heat on the stove. If you’d like a bit of char and smoke on those cloves, you could roast some cloves ahead of time, in a bath of olive oil, then finish them in a grill basket for 30-45 seconds for a bit of tasty “black bits.”

About a garlic press: yes, I have used it to get a “paste” of raw garlic.

But one of my cherished kitchen gadgets (it may be my favorite of all) is a mini-mandoline garlic slicer-grater. Mine is from Italy, but I also have one that the Germans made. (The Italian is, of course, graceful and beautiful to hold; the German is, of course, sturdier and appreciates a good grip.) You can find one at good kitchen supply stores or online. Search for “garlic grater slicer” or “garlic mandoline.” They cost under $10, so that’s a cheap date.

Here are some “hand model” shots of me using mine. Give you an idea of how it works. You’ll fall in love with it too, I'm betting.