Which garlic presses crushed our hopes and not our cloves?

Jamie Oliver: €24

Pricewatch is quite well disposed to Jamie Oliver and his food and we have some time for some of his gadgets too so we had high hopes for this garlic press and slicer. All the initial signs were good. It had a pleasing heft and a nice brushed chrome finish and had we just used it the one time to slice one garlic clove we would probably be writing a rave review right now. But we didn't do that – we used it repeatedly over the course of a week and with each passing day we grew less and less impressed until we gave up after spending longer trying to pry individual slices out of the device than we would have done simply peeling and chopping it with a knife. It wasn't easy to clean either and we weren't mad about the price.
Verdict: It made us sad
Star rating: * *

Joseph Joseph €14

This is another brand we quite like as it has come up with all manner of crafty kitchen gadgets many of which genuinely have made our life in the kitchen just a little bit easier. The oval-shaped metal object has a serrated edge which you can use to shred garlic - and ginger. It does work pretty well and pretty quickly, and is very easy to clean. But we are not entirely sure we need this in our life as – truth be told – it doesn't really do anything more than a chopping board and a knife can do at absolutely no cost. We are concerned it will soon join the random assortment of mysterious objects in our presses before the month is out.
Verdict: A bit pointless maybe?
Star rating: ***

Oxo Garlic Press €16.55

This is an excellent product indeed. It is well made and very solid and we liked the non-slip rubber handles. We liked the easy-clean mechanism more. It doesn't slice garlic and only crushes it, but it does crush it very well. It is the kind of product we can imagine using over and over again for many years to come, which isn't too bad for this price. Be warned though, while we found this selling in the excellent Sweeney O'Rourke catering shop on Dublin's Pearse Street for the price listed, we have also seen it on sale in other shops for a fair bit dearer.
Verdict: Solid and reliable
Star rating: * * * *

A knife: Free

Okay so what you do is peel your garlic and put it on a chopping board. Then you use the broad bit of a knife – or the palm of your hand – to crush the clove, and then you take a knife to it and you are good to go. It costs absolutely nothing and can be done in no time at all. And as with so many things, the more you do it, the better you get. Not only will this allow you to feel just a bit cheffy, it will save you a few bob too.
Verdict: Free and easy
Star rating: * * * * *