Cook’s Illustrated did an update in January 2007 to their previous review that liked the Zyliss Jumbo garlic press. But they found that the nonstick coating was peeling on the Zyliss. I haven’t had a problem with mine and I’ve had it for at least 5 years.
Here is a portion of CI’s review:
“So which press is the best? Kuhn Rikon’s Epicurean Garlic Press ($34.95) was the top performer, producing fine, uniform garlic with minimal effort. Made of solidly constructed stainless steel, it has a luxurious feel, with curved handles that are comfortable to squeeze and a hopper that smoothly and automatically lifts out for cleaning as you open the handles. However, at nearly $35, it’s costly. At one-third the price, we found the chrome-plated Trudeau Garlic Press produced uniform pieces of garlic, had a generous hopper, and was easy to clean. It’s our Best Buy.
The Case of the Peeling Press
When we first noticed that the coating had peeled off in patches on all of the Zyliss garlic presses in the test kitchen, we didn’t worry. Recently, however, we noted that a tiny amount of black substance sometimes oozes onto our garlic as we press it. After some digging, we discovered that when the nonstick coating peels off, copper and iron in the aluminum base metal react with the air and sulfur compounds in the garlic to create oxides and sulfides, which we sometimes see as a black substance on our extruded garlic. It’s similar to the discoloration from an old-fashioned carbon steel knife, and it’s not toxic, according to science experts we spoke to. Patrice Gerber, director of product development international at Zyliss USA, concedes, “It doesn’t look nice, for sure, but it’s not dangerous.” He said some peeling is normal inside the hopper, where the plunger “scratches against the basket.” It might be normal, but it’s not very appealing.”
Now Cook's Illustrated likes the Kuhn-Rikon (of pressure cooker fame) Epicurean garlic press, and I see that Fine Cooking magazine also rates it #1. I haven’t found it in retail stores, but it might be out there, but it can be ordered from the Kuhn-Rikon site. A bit pricey, but it’s something many of us use every day. Also, there is a strong probability that it is made in Switzerland, not the country that is trying to poison us.
http://www.kuhnrikon.com/products/tools/tools.php3?id=51
Rita
Edit: Here it is at Amazon, clicked through TVWB (long URL, will wrap -- following is the tiny URL of the page):
http://www.amazon.com/Kuhn-Rikon-Epicurean-Garlic-Press...id=1195866235&sr=8-1
http://tinyurl.com/yvbgph