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garlic press

garlic press

2 2.8
A small kitchen tool that squeezes garlic cloves into small pieces
  • noun
  • /ˈɡɑrlɪk prɛs/
translation icon : prensa de ajo
  • At a restaurant-supply store near Chinatown, they bought a garlic press, a set of wire whisks, and what they decided was their most frivolous purchase to date: a lemon zester.
  • garlic press for cloves
  • crushed with garlic press

Examples

  • For a stronger taste, crush two cloves of garlic with a garlic press and add them to the sauce.

  • Using a garlic press or a blender, mix 2 cloves of garlic with a drop of water or smash them.

    Blog text (15)
  • How can you not have a garlic press?

  • You got a garlic press?

  • I'm gonna go cook without the garlic press.

  • The kitchen began to fill with utensils, not just forks and spoons, but garlic presses and salad spinners.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • To enhance the flavor of the dish, use a garlic press to crush the garlic cloves before adding them.

  • She easily squeezed the garlic cloves through the garlic press, making the recipe much simpler.

Synonyms

press
vsgarlic press
141 4.1

A machine that uses pressure to shape, cut, or squeeze things

is a small kitchen tool that forces cloves through tiny holes
pestle
vsgarlic press
5 7.4

A heavy hand tool with a rounded end used with a bowl to crush and grind food or spices

extracts juice by forcing cloves through a perforated surface

How Effective

juicer
12 1.4
garlic press
2 2.8

Surface Forms

garlic press singular

Morphology

garlic + press

The compound 'garlic press' is directly compositional: it names a device that presses garlic. The constituent meanings ('garlic' as the ingredient and 'press' as a device that exerts pressure) combine via a common noun+noun compounding pattern found in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows both words can readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Garlic press is a simple kitchen tool. The name comes from the literal action: you put a clove of garlic into the tool and press it through small holes to 'crush' it and get soft pieces and juice, so the name directly describes what the tool does.