Genius garlic peeling hack could be Christmas game-changer

This was one of Herald Lifestyle's most read stories in 2019.

How do you peel garlic?

Professional chefs and at-home cooks swear by many different methods — from shaking garlic in a container to smashing garlic cloves on a cutting board. Then there's the old soaking them in water technique or microwaving them if you're more tech savvy.

But on Sunday, a Twitter user posted an apparently new, or seemingly unknown, way to remove cloves from a head of garlic, and people are shocked, Fox News reports.

A video posted online shows someone using a knife, or a pointed blade, to stab the individual cloves from the head. They then pull out each clove quickly and easily from the bulb.

"As someone who makes a lot of Korean food, this is the best method for getting garlic peeled!" the caption read.

The clip soon caught the attention of model-turned-cook Chrissy Teigen, who tweeted, "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT," seemingly sharing Twitter's reaction.

It worked for me! This person is obviously more proficient, but in principle it worked; the garlic just popped out when I stabbed and twisted it. I feel so betrayed for not being taught this before. (Knife on left worked best.) pic.twitter.com/imoKUcLjag

— Patrick Alba (@patrickthealba) June 17, 2019

Other social media users had a very similar reaction, explaining their minds had been "blown" by the revelation.

"What kind of sorcery is this?!!?!?" one user asked, while someone else said their weekend plans would consist of trying this new method — what they dubbed a "culinary moon landing".

"My life just changed forever," another user quipped, while someone else tweeted: "This kind of info exchange is why the internet exists."

OK. I just tested this. I think it *could* work w/ a little more practice, but there’s a definite learning curve, and I think you at least have to peel the top layer first.

(Ignore my grown-out manicure and #BelowDeck in the background. Though both are v on-brand for me, tbh.) pic.twitter.com/CxAHVbd2Ov

— Meghan Elizabeth (@BitterMeg) June 17, 2019

Many people said they wished they knew of the garlic-peeling trick sooner in their lives.

"I'm 33 years old. I've lost no less than 4 years of my life peeling garlic. It's too late for me. I hope younger generations can benefit," someone joked.

"Not sure how I never knew about this. I lament when I consider how much more garlic I could have used during all these years had I only known of this technique," another said.

🤯 pic.twitter.com/ErxfXCoAXP

— Shmully (@ShmullyWolfson) June 17, 2019

"Time to not think about all the time I've lost peeling garlic in any other way," someone else tweeted.

Some even proudly shared their results after giving the technique a whirl.

But others who watched the video were skeptical. One said the garlic-peeling trick "looks like something that doesn't actually work well in real life".

Another who claimed to have attempted it for herself said, "We have tried it in our office and it DOES NOT WORK."

In response, another Twitter user suggested she was using the wrong knife for the job.

"It does (work)!" the user wrote. "You need to use a knife that's not too sharp and a little thicker!"

Since it was shared less than two days ago, the clip has been viewed more than 7.5 million times, proving just how in awe the internet is.