What we love: For under $15, the Cuisinart Garlic Press punches way above its weight. It’s not fancy—and it’s definitely not engineered to the degree that the Männkitchen is—but it gets the job done. The rubberized handles mean it’s comfortable to hold and maneuver, even with smaller hands, and it doesn’t tire you out after a few cloves. If you just want to occasionally skip the knife and avoid garlic-scented fingertips, this little press is a reliable sidekick.
What we don’t love: The garlic chamber is on the small side, so you’ll need to work in batches if you’re prepping for a crowd. And while it handles peeled cloves pretty well, it struggles with unpeeled garlic and thicker cloves that don’t fit neatly in the chamber.
How I tested these garlic presses
I got my hands on a bunch of garlic presses and put them to work—pressing peeled and unpeeled cloves, cleaning out the chamber (and stubborn bits of stuck garlic), and seeing how much hand strength each one required.
I paid extra attention to how comfy they were to hold, how easy they were to clean, and whether the garlic came out nicely minced or in sad little chunks. I also tapped pro chef Yumna Jawad for her take on what makes a garlic press actually worth using.
Other garlic presses we liked
KitchenAid Classic Garlic Press
What I love most about this press is the removable stainless steel basket, which makes all the difference. Once you’re done pressing, just pop the basket out and rinse it under warm water—no need to jab at clogged holes with a toothpick or deal with stuck-on bits. The fact that it pops all the way out rather than remaining hinged makes it much easier to get everything clean.
