How does Paulie slice garlic in "Goodfellas"?

In "Goodfellas," Paulie slices garlic with a razor blade. During the prison dinner sequence, Paulie Cicero carefully shaves a garlic clove into extremely thin slices, claiming that it will liquefy in the pan with a little oil.

The scene comes from Martin Scorsese’s 1990 crime film, which follows Henry Hill’s rise and fall in the Lucchese crime family’s orbit. Paulie’s meticulous cooking contrasts with the violence surrounding the gangsters and helps make the prison sequence one of the film’s most memorable domestic moments.

Paulie is played by Paul Sorvino, while Henry Hill is portrayed by Ray Liotta. Viewers sometimes remember the tool as a knife because the slices are so fine, but the film specifically shows a razor blade. The cooking claim is part of the scene’s character detail and cinematic mythology; it should not be treated as a standard or safe kitchen technique.