The first time I discovered the device known as an Apple Peeler-Corer-Slicer, I was delighted. At the time, I was making a lot of apple pies, and peeling and slicing the apples was the part I liked the least. With this amazing device, you can peel, core, and slice enough apples for a pie in a minute or two.

Once I started drying apples and pears, I appreciated it even more, because there was even more fruit to prepare.

There are a number of competing brands; they all work pretty much the same way: The fruit is impaled on a spike, which is turned by a handscrew to drive it through a coring blade and past a skinning blade, while a slicing blade cuts it into a long spiral. (A single slice down the vertical axis of the coiled fruit spring cuts it into a neat set of rounds.) The main difference is whether they have a suction cup to attach to your countertop (works only on very smooth counters), or a clamp (requires that you have a suitable lip on your counter.)

It works best with regular-shaped apples and pears, and requires them to be on the hard side. If they are too soft, the spike on which you turn them will spin inside the fruit rather than spinning the fruit. But you want less ripe fruit for pies and drying in any case, so it just means you have to get your harvest in early! In the video below, you can see what happens when your fruit is too ripe.

-- Tim O'Reilly 09/8/21