jeff Swart

I used to be a “side-of-the-chef's-knife crusher person”, smacking the knife with the bottom of my fisted hand. Then, one day, after smacking a large number of garlic cloves, I had an AHA! moment - bet that’s not real good for my hand (indeed, it was ‘expressing’ some pain at the time).

I subsequently switched to using a rubber mallet to do the deed. Note, however, this can get kinda messy as smacked cloves often splat out in all directions. One solution I tried, especially when doing a large amount of garlic, was using a 3-sided cardboard ‘shield’ lined with a disposable piece of parchment paper to contain any splatting. Subsequently, I found that (1) cutting the cloves in half (lengthwise) and placing them cut side down [Note 1], (2) ensuring the mallet strikes the clove perpendicularly and with just the right amount of force and, (3) using my other hand to form a 3-sided shield during the smack, work together pretty well, minimizing out-splatting. Fresh garlic generally ends up being pretty well minced whereas smacking older garlic tends to result in flattened, but not minced garlic. The flattened garlic can be gathered into a ‘ball’ and thence thinly sliced (minced) with a paring knife. (Tip: use wet fingers and knife blade to minimize the amount of minced garlic sticking to everything)

[Note 1] cutting cloves in this way, plus cutting off the hard butts and very tip of the cloves facilitates easier removal of the skin as a bonus… sometimes the skins may need more encouragement to let loose their grip on the clove - one way is twisting the clove + skin back and forth OR a gentle smack with the ‘smacker’ helps

Yeah, sounds like extra work and messy but there’s something about handling our food, adding a bit of the chef to the mix. that might have some ‘energetic’ merit.

...I still have a garlic press - similar to the one Tereza Okava pictured above - in my kitchen tool kit gathering dust

As always, lots of good advice and ideas shared here - thanks

Another thing you might try - an oil (e.g., olive oil) infusion of plantain and jewelweed rubbed onto the skin. Great for itchy people bodies, too!!

And I agree, a proper ‘natural’ diet is high on the list - do a search for “B.A.R.F” diet for additional advice

Here’s a good article by Amandha Vollmer - "Natural Pet Care” - https://yummy.doctor/blog/natural-pet-care/

Howdy

On/about 07/22/25 I posted a reply @ “Chemerical by Take Action Films (Streaming)” - https://permies.com/wiki/chemerical#3155164

After posting the reply it appeared in the thread

On 07/24/25 I revisited the thread on being advised (permies email) there was a new reply. My earlier reply was not there and I proceeded to repost my reply

Similarly, today (07/25/25) the same thing - my reply is not there.

Haven’t ever experienced this before @ permies forums and welcome any advice

Here’s what I’ve been using since 05/20/2025
- According to “My posts” @ my user account, My last successful post was on 06/04/2025

Mac mini (2024) M4
macOS Sequoia 15.5
Safari 18.5

Thanks in advance

Forgot about a couple of obvious hand-mixers - not blenders per se
…sometimes the obvious goes un-noticed

Chop Sticks & Spoons (wood & metal)

I particularly like using a pair of chop sticks (held about a finger’s width apart) when adding herbs & spices on top of whatever I’m brewing (soup, stew, eggs, etc) - especially dry things that seem to adhere to spoons

Vickey McDonald wrote:
I have this model, and absolutely LOVE it. Do yourself a favor if you get one and go ahead and get the accessories pack with it. You won't regret it. I have been using mine for several years and wouldn't go back to trying to crush and strain in the old metal mill style again.

Thanks for the recommendation Vickey - one of the product videos on Amazon mentioned her grandmother had one, so it's been around awhile
Sure looks a lot easier than the "old metal mill style" which I use for a lot of things and could even replace my current electric juicing machine

Ha! Just checked out the “Non-Electric Gadgets” thread at the bottom of this page. Thanks to Google’s image search I found two models that look pretty appealing - check ‘em out

- Weston Metal Tomato Strainer, 1 Gallon Hopper, Stainless Steel
https://www.amazon.com/Weston-07-1201-W-Tomato-Strainer-Stainless/dp/B07T7D1594/ref=pd_lpo_d_sccl_2/132-3873340-7376235?pd_rd_w=C5pbp&content-id=amzn1.sym.4c8c52db-06f8-4e42-8e56-912796f2ea6c&pf_rd_p=4c8c52db-06f8-4e42-8e56-912796f2ea6c&pf_rd_r=D09NNVB3HG4973BW6J9M&pd_rd_wg=2Vewt&pd_rd_r=3c5d6c02-fa5e-40d1-82b1-15fd2ffe5b2b&pd_rd_i=B07T7D1594&th=1

- Amazon.com: Johnny Apple Sauce Maker, Tomato Sauce Maker, Remove Skins & Seeds From Produce, Model 250 Clamp Based Food Strainer (Basic Strainer): Apple Sauce Maker: Home & Kitchen
https://www.amazon.com/Deluxe-Strainer-Sauce-VICTORIO-VKP250/dp/B001I7FP54?th=1

FWIW Health-wise, “masticating” cold press juicers retain vital nutrients, enzymes, etc., better than other types of juicers. First (?) championed by the Gerson Institute, originally they recommend three, now only two brands. They’re only electric and standby to pay the piper big buck$

The current two are Pure Juicer and Norwalk Juicer and the other is Champion.

The Pure Juicer is an improved version of the Norwalk

Currently Norwalks are only available used
Champions are also only available used, although Champion still offers parts

PURE Juicer - https://purejuicer.com

Here's a pix of one of the Norwalk Juicers



Here’s a pix of a Champion 2000 Model

Lif Strand wrote:

jeff Swart wrote:

John F Dean wrote:Has anyone here had experience using a hand cranked blender… such as the ones sold at Lehman’s?

John, is this the Lehman’s blender you’re referring to? It’s the only one I can find there
Hand Crank Mixer: Little Dutch Maid | Lehman's - https://www.lehmans.com/product/dual-speed-hand-cranked-mixer/

No blades, only a mixer, right? Or can blades be added?

Evidently, no blades - they say “2 stainless steel attachments - twin beating whisks and dough hook” although there’s three attachments shown in the pix. I asked one of their “chat” reps if there’s a blade attachment - NADA

John F Dean wrote:Has anyone here had experience using a hand cranked blender… such as the ones sold at Lehman’s?

John, is this the Lehman’s blender you’re referring to? It’s the only one I can find there
Hand Crank Mixer: Little Dutch Maid | Lehman's - https://www.lehmans.com/product/dual-speed-hand-cranked-mixer/

Pricy! but looks pretty nice for the type of blending it can do.
I’m a long-time fan of Lehman’s and have been well pleased with the quality of their products in general

The first ‘blender’ that came to mind when I came upon this thread is the old fashioned egg beater type - I find it useful for blending soups, stews, etc. in their cooking pot when I want a smoother texture. Caution ! they can splash hot stuff onto body parts
- Mine (my grandma’s) has the handle on top but I found pix of versions with handles at 45 and 90 degrees from the vertical axis of the blenders that might be more ergonomic

Those Vortex blenders are quite appealing, too.
- I’m a pretty regular smoothie maker and having an ‘off-grid’ version would be very nice. While I’m ‘on the grid’, living out in the sticks we have numerous power outages, gratefully they’re usually resolved within hours - we did have one several years ago that lasted ten days! during an ice storm with sub-freezing temps - yee-ikes! that was a trip!