Table of Contents
- A Classic Tool, Rethought
- What Changed in the Susi 4
- Why It Won
- Who Makes and Sells It
- Why This Matters
- Conclusion
- Sources
A Classic Tool, Rethought
The original Susi garlic press was created in 1948 by Karl Zysset, founder of Zyliss. Zysset adapted the mechanics of a bicycle handbrake to produce a tool that could crush garlic without peeling. That design became one of the most imitated kitchen gadgets of the 20th century.
The Susi 4 is the fourth-generation redesign of that tool. It was showcased at the 2026 Inspired Home Show — the housewares industry's largest trade event, held March 10–12 at McCormick Place in Chicago — and won the top IHA award in its product category.
"The garlic press is where the Zyliss story began," said Heidi Thomas, Head of Marketing UK & Ireland at DK Household Brands, the company behind the Zyliss brand. "We've worked hard to honour that legacy while making the experience even better."
What Changed in the Susi 4
The Susi 4 retains the no-peel crushing mechanism of earlier models and adds four substantive improvements:
Larger chamber. The garlic chamber is 30% bigger than in previous versions, allowing multiple cloves to be pressed at once without reloading between each one.
Ergonomic handles. The handles are longer and shaped to improve grip and reduce hand strain — a meaningful change for anyone who finds compact or stiff presses hard to squeeze.
PFAS-free non-stick coating. The interior surface carries an explicitly PFAS-free non-stick coating. For home cooks who have been updating their pots and pans to avoid fluorinated coatings, the Susi 4 extends that concern to small hand tools — a category often overlooked.
Swing-out cleaning grid. A stainless steel swing-grid automatically opens when the handles are fully extended, clearing the inside of the chamber for rinsing without scraping. The sidewall-free design removes one of the most common cleaning complaints about garlic presses. The tool is dishwasher-safe.
The Susi 4 also ships in plastic-free, fully recyclable kraft paper packaging — a shift from the blister packs standard across kitchen gadget retail.
Why It Won
The IHA Global Innovation Awards (gia) are judged by an independent panel of designers, retailers, industry professionals, and media. This year, 12 products were named Global Honorees from a field of 60 finalists. The Susi 4 took the honor in Kitchen Hand Tools + Cutlery.
IHA President and CEO Derek Miller framed the selection standard this way: "Consumers today seek innovative solutions while injecting connection, joy and wellness into their daily lives."
A Zyliss-commissioned survey conducted in the UK found that 31% of consumers use a garlic press — the single most common garlic preparation method — ahead of hand-slicing or chopping (25%), grating or mincing (14%), and pre-prepared jarred garlic (14%).
Who Makes and Sells It
The Susi 4 is a Zyliss product. In the US, the brand is distributed by DK Household Brands Corp. The press is available through Amazon and directly from the Zyliss website.
Why This Matters
PFAS concerns have reshaped the cookware industry for several years, pushing brands toward ceramic, stainless, and other fluorine-free surfaces for pots, pans, and bakeware. The Susi 4 signals that the same shift is reaching smaller tools — an area that home cooks rarely audit for chemical exposure.
Garlic presses also see more daily use than most kitchen gadgets. A redesign that addresses real friction points — more garlic per press, easier cleanup, a safer coating — has practical value beyond the award recognition. Home cooks replacing an old or worn press now have a current benchmark to compare against.
Conclusion
The Zyliss Susi 4 is a genuine upgrade to one of the most common tools in the home kitchen, not a cosmetic refresh. Its 2026 IHA award reflects real progress: a PFAS-free coating applied to a category that has mostly been ignored in the broader nonstick safety conversation. If your current garlic press is scratched, stiff, or decades old, the Susi 4 sets the new standard to look at.