Crush

To crush means to break food into pieces by pressing or pounding it, rather than cutting it cleanly. Crushing tears the cell walls open, which releases juice, oils and smell. Recipes crush garlic, ginger, whole spices, nuts, crackers, cookies and canned tomatoes.

How to do it

For a garlic clove:

1. Lay the clove on the board and place the flat side of a chef's knife on top, edge facing away from you.
2. Press down firmly with the heel of your hand. The skin cracks and slips off.
3. Press again to flatten the clove, or keep going with a pinch of salt and the flat of the blade to make a paste.

For whole spices, put them in a mortar and pestle and pound them until they break into coarse pieces. You can also put them in a sturdy bag and press with a rolling pin or the bottom of a heavy pan.

For crackers, cookies and nuts, put them in a bag, press out the air, and roll over them with a rolling pin.

Why it works

A clean cut damages only the cells on the cut face. Crushing breaks many more cells at once. With garlic, that matters: its sharp, hot flavor forms only when the cells are broken and their contents mix. Crushed garlic tastes stronger than sliced garlic, and garlic paste is stronger still.

Common mistakes

• Hitting the knife with your fist with the edge facing you. Always keep the edge pointing away and press with your palm.
• Crushing spices to a fine powder when the recipe wants coarse pieces.
• Crushing garlic for a dish that should taste mild. Slice it instead.
• Putting crushed garlic into very hot oil. It burns in seconds and turns bitter.

In recipes

"Crushed garlic" can mean a lightly flattened clove or garlic pressed into a paste, so check how the recipe uses it. A clove left whole but flattened is often called smashed. "Crushed red pepper" is dried chili flakes. "Crushed tomatoes" are canned tomatoes broken into a chunky purée.