I am not a huge fan of garlic myself, but my partner is a big fan of it and likes it added to a large proportion of the meals I prepare. I decided that in order to make my life easier, a garlic press was needed and I picked one up off Ebay from the Pampered Chef range.

I was a little shocked when I saw the price. The one I purchased was £15.00 on Ebay and retails from the actual Pampered Chef website for £19.99, which I thought was a little extortionate for such a little gadget. However, I needed one so I purchased it anyway.

This is quite a lightweight garlic press, but it in no way feels cheap and flimsy which is a good job considering the price I paid for it! It works the same way as any other garlic press by which you simply insert the garlic and press the two handles together, trapping the garlic in the process. When you push the handles together, the garlic is pressed through and the great thing about this press is that the garlic doesn't even need to be peeled as it does it for you! My arms have very little strength in them and it did concern me that I may have trouble squeezing the press together enough to crush the garlic fully, but I needn't have worried. It did take a little elbow grease, but nothing major and if I can do it, then believe me anyone can!

Considering my reservations when I first purchased my little garlic press, I have become quite fond of the little contraption and it gets a lot of use. The money I paid for this press now seems quite justified as it is still going strong a good few months later and still looks and works as good now as it did on day 1. One slight problem I have found with it is that it can be a bit of a pain to clean. You can get the majority of bits out, but I find there are always a few bits here and there that seem to get wedged and it can be a bit fiddly to get them out, but a bit of perseverance does the trick.

This garlic press does have a detachable cleaner to help push bits through and clear out the holes which does help, but I have found that it does not eliminate all bits so a little bit of work is needed to get rid of it all. This garlic press is dishwasher safe so you can just throw it in there if you have one and can't be bothered to stand there cleaning it! The detachable part pushes the garlic through so you never have to touch the garlic with your hands if you so wish which I actually think is quite good as the smell of garlic on your hands can be a pain to get rid of.

The garlic is crushed to a perfect size in my opinion and is then easily distributed over our food. The only thing left behind is the skin as it is peeled whilst being crushed. You can also use it for things like ginger too.

This garlic press does everything you need it too really and although some, like myself, may have reservations over the initial cost, it is worth remembering that Pampered Chef goods tend to be of a very high standard and although you pay extra for them, they are generally worth it and this is certainly true for my little garlic press. It is reliable, handy and does a very good job. It is easier to clean than other makes of garlic presses I am led to believe and I wouldn't now be without one. Overall, this is a great little kitchen utensil which makes crushing garlic a breeze and if you haven't already guessed, it comes with a high recommendation from me.