After I tested three garlic gadgets in April 2016, I heard from Susan Nakai about her favorite garlic press — “the Susi … now known by the name of Zyliss.” She said, “The one I have is probably 30-plus years old! It continues to work perfectly.”
I recently came across a self-cleaning garlic press and immediately thought of Nakai. Dreamfarm’s Garject Lite works like Nakai’s favorite Zyliss press, but has a couple of improvements.
While the metal Zyliss device feels sturdier than Dreamfarm’s plastic one, I liked the Garject Lite because I didn’t have to touch the crushed garlic. And the fact that it comes in eight pretty colors — purple, pink, blue, green, yellow, red, orange, black — is a definite plus for me.
How it works: As with other presses, unpeeled cloves go into the compartment and are crushed when the handles are squeezed. Dreamfarm’s version adds a scraper that removes the tiny garlic pieces along the grid when the handles are opened all the way. An eject button pops out the peel.
TO USE THE GARJECT LITE
1. Place unpeeled cloves in compartment.
2. Squeeze handles together.
3. Spread handles apart (until you hear a click) and the scraper will remove stuck-on garlic pieces.
4. Press the eject button (under the thumb) to remove remnants of crushed cloves.
Does it work?: Yes!
Pros: No stinky fingers. Dishwasher safe.
Cons: You may go through a lot of garlic because the device is fun to play with.
Cost and availability: $19.95 on dreamfarm.com (free shipping with $50 order) and amazon.com (free shipping on eligible orders). If you prefer metal presses, a metal Garject is $37.95. If color and stinky fingers don’t matter, Zyliss garlic presses are available at several websites with prices starting from $9.53 for the Susi 3 on amazon.com.
Worth it?: For me, yes, because I like the color options and the tool did work well. However, basic garlic presses go for as low as $3.69 online.
Got a gadget that you love? Curious about one youd like us to test? Email crave@staradvertiser.com or write Crave, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, Honolulu 96813.
