I feel like all the bad reviews of this have come from people who didn’t even know what a garlic rocker was, muchless how to use it. I used to have a Joseph Joseph garlic rocker and loved it, but gave it to my daughter. This looked like a fancy variation of that one. My previous one didn’t have a handle and this one is much larger, so that was cool. When I tested it out, I didn’t read the instructions first because I knew how to use it. But after I minced a clove, I read the insert and realized that I was supposed to use the stand to help push out the garlic. That’s such a cool idea! I don’t think it’s absolutely necessary, but I do think you get more garlic out of the holes that way. I didn’t care for the spoon included, I have a small silicone spatula shaped just like the spoon (flat on one end, curved on the other), but worked much better.
The metal grid is not sharp, but with force (you pushing the rocker down onto it) it will mince the garlic, well more like chopped, as the holes in the grid are fairly big. But after chopping it the first time, if you were to run the rocker over the chopped garlic, I imagine it would be minced, or even crushed. I really liked my last garlic rocker, but now I’m wondering why, because this one is so much more efficient. After pushing the garlic through, I was able to peel off the the thin skin from the bottom of the rocker, easy peasy. And it washes so easily… it’s dishwasher safe, but I don’t know why I’d even need to put it in the dishwasher when I can wash it by hand in 10 seconds.
So… the one problem I have with this helpful kitchen gadget is the price. I know it’s good quality, but it’s 3 times the price as nearly identical ones. I am glad I have this, it will get used a lot. But I just wish it were more affordable so I could buy some as gifts.