Qfyilyi

What type of a grarlic press would require the minimum amout of force to operate? (for people with hand problems)

Would this one where the pressing part is pivoted require less force than one with a fixed pressing part?

Any other designs which requires less force?

(one could extend the handles attaching something to them to get more leverage obviously)

Not really an answer to your question, but a possible alternative - why not frozen garlic?

I use a lot of fresh, but there are 2 different sorts of frozen I use too - one is Indian in origin & comes as a bag of 'cubes' of frozen paste. It loses some of the punch of fresh, but you can simply add more if required.

UK pricing maybe £1.10 for 500g.

The other type is 'european' & is finely chopped & loose in a bag. This is more expensive but still retains the full flavour & aroma.

It doesn't cook down quite as well as the cubes. Even though the aroma is better for a short cook, if I'm doing a long cook where the garlic should 'vanish' I will use the cube-paste instead.

UK pricing closer to £1.50 for 100g.

Either is close enough that no-one could tell once it's cooked into a dish.

Effort required == zero in both cases.

I found a fairly random supermarket link with both alternatives - Tesco UK

Re comments on the question...

Both of these are significantly closer to fresh than anything you can buy in a jar.

The extra pivot does nothing to ease the hand force required. Coarsely chopping first can help, but not by a huge amount.

I've seen (never used) something that should help a lot: a screw garlic press, either cheap or a bit more expensive (links are to arbitrary examples on eBay and Amazon). You'd want to make sure that the hand that's holding it (as opposed to the one turning the screw) has something to get hold of.

Another tool I have used is a mandolin grater (one side slices, the other grates). Mine did a good job of finely grating garlic, but did tend to waste a ragged slice of every clove.

The problem with extending the handles is that it becomes a two-handed operation because they start too far apart for one hand to close round both handles. You may also find the weak point in the press, as at this stage you're using arm muscles rather than hand muscles (I've snapped a metal garlic press using two hands).

I cannot give a first hand review of this device, so do not promise it is more than a gimmick, but there is a product called a "Garlic Zoom" and some other names such by companies such as chef'n. Not endorsing one name or company, only giving that one because it can be used for a generic search. The basic design it a series of rotating blades in a chamber. You put in the garlic clove, close it and then roll it on wheels across the counter. Blades are gear attached to the wheels and move back and forth to chop the garlic. Worth a look.

PS. There seems to be a number of Youtube videos out there of these in action. I am not overly fond of single application items, but this may be usable for some other fresh herbs as well and is relatively small so would not waste a lot of space. No more than the press it replaces would.

For most applications, I can usually get away with using a miniature food processor, similar to this. As it's electric, no force is required.

It usually helps if you can chop it with some other ingredients or a quantity of oil/water, as small volumes of garlic can lead to inconsistent chopping.

There are a couple of options besides garlic presses. I rarely use mine anymore.

1. Use the flat of the knife to crush it really well, then chop.

2. Depending on the recipe, saute it whole then it crushes extremely easily with a fork.

There are two things to look for in a garlic press if you want it to be easy: longer handles and narrower crushing piston (I don't know what else to call it). The longer the handles, the greater the leverage on the garlic. The narrower the crushing piston, the more concentrated the force is. To be clear, when I say narrow, I mean the amount of piston that touches the garlic is smaller.

I used to have a great garlic press from IKEA that had a very narrow piston and it was much easier to use than any other garlic press I've ever had.