Say hello to our latest gadget obsession!
From the same people who make our favorite mandoline, this counter-top device holds vegetables firmly in place while you turn the crank to slice them into spirals. Zucchini, beets, potatoes, carrots, and other hard vegetables are all fair game here.
Do we need to spiral-cut our veggies into thin shoe-strings? ...No. But do we want to? ...Oh, yes!
Light salads of raw squash ribbons and mixed-vegetable coleslaws have put in frequent appearances at our table this summer. Curly ribbons would put a fun new twist on those dishes. (Not to mention homemade curly fries, anyone?!)
I also wonder if spiral-cut vegetables would hold up to pickling. Those would make fantastic toppings for burgers and other sandwiches later this winter.
On the "con" side, this gadget is fairly single use and it's shape makes it awkward to store. Unless you regularly eat a lot of raw foods in your diet, I wonder how much play-time this would get once the summer produce and our desire for fresh cool salads starts to wane.
Has anyone tried this spiral slicer? What do you think?
• Find It! Benriner Cook Help Spiral Vegatable Slicer, $39 from Amazon
Related: Simple Appetizer: Raw Veggies with Olive Oil and Sea Salt
(Image: Amazon.com)
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I JUST bought this slicer, and it is amazing! I am having so much fun with it. I read lots of reviews on Amazon, and this one seemed to be the most durable for the price. Love it!
This has been on my wish list for some time. After using one in restaurants for years, it seems like an almost essential tool!
I finally caved and got one, justified by a request from one of my clients for raw veggie noodles. Now I can't stop turning everything into ribbons and shoestrings!!!
One of my favourites right now is raw zucchini "spaghetti" tossed with pesto -- let sit for about 20 mins or so and the zucchini softens slightly.
They are great for making cloudy, pillowy piles of carrots and daikon radish for salads or little nests for garnish.
I eat a very high raw diet, and this type of gadget really does come in handy to allow different textures to be added to your meals. This helps to mix things up. I can see that it probably wouldn't be the best option for folks who don't choose this kind of diet. What a fun design though! Hard to store, but would look great on an open shelf or as a bookend when not in use.
This would certainly be good for homes with kids. Otherwise I am not so sure if I want to store it. I just wish there was a disk for my food processor!
I have a similar product but it's more horizontal than upright so it's easier to store with the way my cupboards are configured.
Zucchini pasta is one of my favorite things to make. Long curly strands of vegetables are so attractive and fun to eat without all the carb guilt.