Kalmia > wrote:

> Princeton graduate once explained why garlic produced a different
> effect if put thru a press rather than being minced. Something about
> molecular breakdown..... All I know is....I don't like pressed garlic
> in certain dishes and have noted some recipes to be sure to mince the
> cloves.

Here is what Harold McGee says <http://www.chow.com/stories/10049>.

Victor

The strong aroma and pungency of raw garlic is created when the garlic
tissue is cut or crushed. The physical damage releases enzymes that act
on certain sulfur-containing chemicals and transform them into a host of
flavorful molecules, which then go on to react with each other and with
other molecules in the vicinity, especially oxygen. The exact mix of
molecules, and so the overall flavor, depends on how the garlic is
handled. Crushing breaks many cells at once; chopping with a knife
breaks fewer cells and develops less flavor. A food processor slices
through the tissue thousands of times, exposes more cells to the air,
and often produces the harshest results.