While I was testing a garlic slicer a while ago, my cousin noticed that I was taking a long time to peel the skin from each clove. She told me she uses a tubelike garlic peeler. I had no idea how a tube would peel a garlic clove until I visited Foodland Farms at Ala Moana Center, where I found a stack of Trudeau’s garlic peelers.

I picked up one to test.

Unlike my cousin’s tubular peeler, Trudeau’s version is a flat silicone piece with five buttons that fasten to form a tube. It comes in red, yellow and green.

I placed three cloves into the tube and, applying light pressure, quickly rolled it back and forth on a table about six times. I was disappointed — the cloves were left only partially peeled. I tried again with just one clove, and seconds later a perfectly peeled clove emerged from the tube. Success!

I tried again with three cloves, this time rolling the tube about 10 times. It worked.

Another tester didn’t have as much success. While one of her cloves was perfectly peeled, another was not peeled at all, and one clove was crushed.

It seems that proper pressure is critical. My technique is to push down on the tube until I can feel the cloves, then increase the pressure while rolling. Almost every time, every clove came out peeled and uncrushed.

Pros: Peels multiple garlic cloves in seconds and keeps cloves intact, perfect for the garlic slicer. Because the gadget can be unbuttoned, it’s easy to clean. My hands didn’t smell like garlic even though I peeled the cloves of 1-1/2 bulbs. Dishwasher safe.

Cons: Although the buttons are easy for me to use, those with limited dexterity might have trouble with the task. A slight garlic odor lingers on the gadget. If you cook mostly with crushed garlic, you’re better off just crushing your cloves with a knife and removing the skin by hand.

Cost: $4.99 at Foodland Farms and at trudeaucorp.com; $5.50 and up on other websites

Worth it?: Definitely.

Got a gadget that you love? Or are you curious about one you’d like us to test? Email crave@staradvertiser.com, or write Crave, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza Suite 210, Honolulu 96813