I get the minced garlic-in-a-jar when I'm feeling lazy. It's not as intensely flavored as fresh so you need to use a little more. It's acceptable in flavor. You can find it packed in water or packed in oil. I've used both. Have not noticed much difference.

Prechopped onions are not nearly as flavorful. The jarred garlic is good,but as stated above,not as strong,so you will need to use more. It is in the produce aisle,usually on a shelf at the end of the onion/potato aisle.I must say I prefer it when I'm making dressing or some other dish that has raw garlic in it. I have a little 3 cup food processor that I often just throw the onion and garlic in and whiz it up instead of chopping them up with a knife. Maybe that will help.

I’m a lazy cook so I only use jarred minced garlic. Sssh, don’t tell anyone.

I have bought pre-chopped onion at Trader Joe’s (in the produce section) for soups and sauces but not for, say, salads. I definitely can’t tell the difference. Oh, I’ve gotten frozen chopped onion too from the regular grocery store. Again, for me, it’s totally fine. I’ve used frozen chopped peppers too in sauces.

I understand the dexterity issues - I have a small food processor that makes chopping onion and fresh garlic easy. I don't find that the pre-chopped garlic in the jar does the job. If the chopped onion is fresh, I think that might work.

I don't enjoy chopping garlic so I did try the chopped garlic in the jar- it smells great but the taste is definitely not the same. disappointing.

I hate peeling garlic and read a tip here. Slice the clove in half lengthwise and the skin comes right off. I wish I'd known that trick forty years ago.

If you have a good chef's knife, garlic and onions will chop easily. So many people cut onions with a paring knife or a steak knife, which takes forever.

I think once an onion has been cut and the edge exposed to air, it begins to change flavor, and not for the better. I like a slice of red onion on my burgers which I have once or twice a week. I keep the cut onion covered in the fridge, but I always cut a slice off the cut side and throw it away so the next slice is somewhat virgin. If you buy precut onions, I think you aren't going to have the same taste as freshly chopped.

A really sharp knife does make a huge difference. Also try the granulated garlic (not garlic powder!), available at Costco.

When I was cooking for our family I used bags of frozen chopped onion and green pepper in chili and casseroles. They are fine, but garlic is really best when chopped fresh. I used a mini food processor for that.

Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it.

I have a little silicon tube that rubs the skins off garlic but at times I’m even having trouble using that. I generally smash garlic with the side of my chefs knife and then mince. Maybe I’ll buy a jarred garlic as a backup for days my hands are not fully cooperating.

I’ve been having a heck of a time peeling onions. I do have a small food processor! I’ll set it out on the counter so I remember to use it for chopping.

I just used the cloves of garlic prepeeled I thought it was good, sliced it up and used it in roasted green beans.

Try the Joseph Joseph garlic rocker. Available on Amazon. You can put your arms into it and it works nicely.

I admit to having a jar of the minced garlic from Trader Joe's. It works for a lot of things. I also have a tube of minced ginger. If you have Korean supermarkets near you, you can get bags of peeled garlic cloves, but usually only in mass quantities. I wonder how long they would last?

Sealavander, those bags are huge! At my local Korean market, I was told they last about five days in the refrigerator. People generally purchase to make kimchi.

I like both fresh only. For garlic, i cannot stand the smell on my hands. So i buy the peeled fresh kind, and put it in a garlic press. I scrape off what I want to use with a knife, then use a fork to get the skin out and throw it away, and put the press in warm soapy water.

For onions, I keep on the root end but slice it in half so I have a flat side.

Have you ever tried the frozen crushed garlic ...

I buy the jarred garlic but whenever I see pre-cut onion, it looks dry to me.

I only use the fresh. Never tried pre-cut onion, but the jarred garlic tastes awful to me. If I have more than a clove or two of garlic to chop, I have one of those electric mini-choppers I use.

I don’t have the hand strength to use my garlic press. I never liked cleaning it, either. To get the garlic smell off hands, rub you hands on something metal (like a spoon) while they are under running water. It works.

The rocker thing looks promising. As does the frozen stuff.

I do cut the ends off the onion. Last night, I still had terrible trouble getting the $&#* skin off. We almost had pot roast without onion. But with plenty of mumbling under my breath and exasperated sighing.

Thank you for your ideas.

I wouldn't think twice about using whatever it takes to not make cooking frustrating or painful. We have so many options these days and one thing I don't need to feed is my inner perfectionism. If this were me, I would use jarred garlic and chopped, bagged frozen onions. Seriously, it will taste fine and delicious.

totally agree with bumblebeez, I was also going to say, how are you peeling the onion. i buy large onions and I take off the peel with one layer of onion (hope that make sense) it is a bit wasteful, but makes it a LOT easier to peel.

Yes, use whatever is easiest for you. Here, there are containers of chopped onions in the produce refrigerated section. Not frozen. I have no idea how long they last.

You wrote; "We almost had pot roast without onion" Easiest for me would be to have whoever is the other part of WE do the chopping. :)

Cut off the ends, score through the top layer, and peel it off. You might try pouring boiling water over the onion and let it sit for a minute. I do that with pearl onions and the skin slips off.

I thought about enlisting a sous chef but my next thought was to remember the other time he helped and it ended with a trip to the ER for stitches. He has many fine qualities but knife skills are not on that list. He has been useful for many other tasks but I do not want him anywhere near my knives. Not even to wash them.

I do cut the end off and score the onion and I still struggled with getting it off. Maybe it was a particularly stubborn onion.

Pre-cut onions always taste soapy to me.

I've been meaning to get one of these rocker garlic presses sushipup mentions for my mom, who has issues w/ her hands. They look so much easier & smarter than a garlic press...

And what about those mini electric choppers for onions?

And FWIW, the way I peel onions is to cut almost all the way through across the bottom and top, then use the cut piece @ the bottom first to rip the skin longitudinally, the do the same @ the top - kind of unzipping the skin, so I can pull it off. Usually, I simply hold the knife still against the cutting board after making the first cut and pull the onion bulb back and away from it to rip the length of the skin, then do the same @ the stem end. Somebody taught me this trick many, many years ago.

I hope my description is not too confusing. I found a Martha Stewart video that illustrates the concept w/ pearl & cippolini onions, using a paring knife.

& I learned to peel garlic from Jacques Pepin; smash the cloves first w/ the flat side of a large chef's knife - or you can use the bottom of a jar or glass.

HTH

IMHO, if it is the difference between using an ingredient and not, I would get what is easiest and i would bet frozen has the best flavor. Sorry you are having difficulty!

I also agree with bumblebeez......get whatever works the easiest for you. I'd venture to say that jarred chopped garlic is pretty much indistinguishable from fresh chopped and those that tell you it isn't are just blowing culinary smoke :-)) I always have a small jar on hand as cooking for one makes convenience and ready access to a limited quantity of ingredients a priority.

I often also use frozen whole small onions in various recipes as they are a PITA to peel. But for chopped, I have a mini food processor that makes short work of that chore. And chopping onions makes my eyes water so badly I can't see what I'm doing. I do slice in half first to remove top shoot and root plate, then peel back the skin. That's the easiest method I have found for peeling.

Dinner update: I scored the onion and let it sit in warm water, as per the Martha Stewart video. It was much, much easier to peel. Then I used my food processor for chopping. The recipe did not call for garlic so no news on that front.

Maybe I’ll do this once a week or so and store my own pre-chopped onion. Then I’ll know how fresh it is. And why dirty the food processor nightly?

Thank you, once again, for all the ideas. Time to finish preparing dinner.

I buy frozen garlic cubes at TJ. I would definitely do whatever is easiest for you.

I used to cut my own until I discovered McCormick’s California Minced Garlic, now I use it almost exclusively. It is stronger and sweeter in taste. Soooo good.

I also have the little green Kitchen Aid posted above and will often use it to dice up onions. I only paid 20.00 for it at BB&B and it does a very ample job, plus it’s pretty cute.

Hhireno, you could also freeze baggies of onions in comparable portion sizes you usually cook with. I have a sister with hand troubles who does that.

I like the frozen garlic too. I also use powder and fresh...but the frozen is so easy.It's sort of mashed instead of diced.

For some dishes, dried onions work well. Penzy's has a nice assortment. Their toasted dried onions are kind of neat for a slightly different flavor. I use the dried more than I used to because I have a child who won't eat onions he can see. (The other eats them raw but eats around cooked ones...)

To get the garlic smell off your hands, you can buy a bar of stainless steel "soap". You can also just rub your stinky hands on your stainless steel knife handle or metal sink or whatever. (I wash my garlic knife with a LOT of hand contact so that neither of us smell.)

I second the granules as preferred to minced in a jar. Better flavor.

I bought the frozen garlic and will buy the granules next time I’m at the store. Then I can have options and also compare to see if one works out better.

This is a wonderful community of helpful people, I appreciate all your advice and suggestions.