Store-Bought Shortcuts: What's Worth It, What's Not

Prepeeled Garlic

Not worth it. Often sold in pint-size containers, the cloves may taste fine the first time you use them (and they'll certainly come in handy if you're making a dish that requires, say, an entire head of garlic). Unfortunately, though, if you use only one or two cloves and then come back a week or so later to grab more, you'll find they've deteriorated into tasteless bulbs. Peeling one or two for dinner isn't difficult: Either whack them on a cutting board with a wooden spoon or the flat part of a chef's knife, use an E-Z-Rol peeler, or try this two-bowl technique, which supposedly yields an entire peeled head of garlic in less than 10 seconds.