Joseph Joseph Helix 20102 Garlic Press Uses a Two-Handed Twist for Multiple Cloves

If a conventional garlic press feels like a hand-strength contest, the Joseph Joseph Helix 20102 offers a different mechanism. Its two handles separate, a clove goes into the stainless-steel chamber, and the upper piece turns into the lower one. Joseph Joseph says the geometry lets the user apply more pressing power with less effort, while the chamber can take multiple cloves at once.

Because the two halves come completely apart, there is no fixed hinge trapping garlic paste, and both pieces are dishwasher safe. This is not a one-handed press, the parts must be aligned before each batch, and an independent Serious Eats test found that gaps in the Helix left some garlic unpressed and demanded more force than its top performers. It makes the most sense for a cook who values a roomy chamber and easy cleanup access more than maximum extraction.

A two-handed twist replaces the long squeeze

The Helix works differently from the familiar plier-style press. Crate & Barrel's instructions are straightforward: separate the handles, put cloves in the stainless-steel compartment, place the upper handle on top, then twist to crush. The circular path gives both hands long handles to work against rather than asking one hand to close two levers through their full travel.

That does not make every batch effortless. “Less effort” is Joseph Joseph's manufacturer claim, and the amount of force still depends on clove size, load and hand position. The real, visible benefit is the change in motion. Someone who dislikes a hard one-handed squeeze may prefer sharing the work across both hands. Someone who wants to hold a bowl with one hand while pressing with the other will probably prefer a conventional hinged model.

The chamber handles more than one clove

Joseph Joseph specifically states that the Helix can crush multiple cloves at once. The open cylindrical chamber is easy to load when the handles are apart, so a recipe that starts with several cloves does not automatically require a one-clove rhythm. The official use image also shows crushed garlic exiting through the stainless-steel basket while the two long nylon handles are rotated together.

Capacity is not the same as perfect yield. Serious Eats reported that the small gaps in this press required more force and left a noticeable amount of garlic behind. That is an important counterweight to the large chamber: the Helix can reduce the number of loading cycles, but it is not the strongest choice for cooks who want every clove pressed with minimal residue. Scraping the underside after pressing should be part of the expected routine.

Full separation makes the pressing surfaces accessible

Cleanup is where the two-piece construction has its least ambiguous advantage. Pulling the handles apart exposes the stainless-steel cup and the matching upper press instead of leaving either surface tucked behind a hinge. Garlic pulp can be scraped or rinsed from both sides directly, and Joseph Joseph lists the complete tool as dishwasher safe.

The materials are clearly specified: stainless steel forms the food-contact pressing chamber, while nylon forms the green handles and surrounding structure. Joseph Joseph gives the assembled dimensions as 7 by 2 by 2.25 inches.

Separation also creates a small organizational cost. There are two loose pieces in a drawer, and the upper spiral must meet the lower chamber correctly before twisting. If keeping a utensil in one connected piece matters more than unrestricted access to its surfaces, a hinged press is simpler.

Choose it for batch capacity and cleanup, not perfect extraction

The Joseph Joseph Helix 20102 is a focused alternative for cooks who repeatedly face two annoyances: loading a small garlic press clove by clove and picking residue from a fixed hinge. Its chamber is designed for multiple cloves, its twisting handles spread the motion across two hands, and its fully separable, dishwasher-safe construction leaves both pressing surfaces exposed.

Skip it if one-handed operation is essential, if two loose components are likely to disappear in a crowded drawer, or if independent extraction performance matters more than cleanup access. Serious Eats' finding about leftover garlic prevents the twist mechanism from being treated as an automatic upgrade. For the right kitchen, though, the Helix makes a sensible trade: a little alignment and two-handed twisting in exchange for fewer loading cycles and a press that opens completely when the cooking is done.