{"id":41705,"date":"2023-12-11T14:36:18","date_gmt":"2023-12-11T21:36:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/?p=41705"},"modified":"2023-12-11T14:36:20","modified_gmt":"2023-12-11T21:36:20","slug":"slicers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/slicers\/","title":{"rendered":"Slicers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Once a week we\u2019ll send out a page from Cool Tools: A Catalog of Possibilities. The tools might be outdated or obsolete, and the links to them may or may not work. We present these vintage recommendations as is because\u00a0the possibilities they inspire are new.\u00a0Sign up here<\/a>\u00a0to get Tools for Possibilities a week early in your inbox.<\/em><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Precise sharp slicer for kitchen<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Microplane Grater<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Microplane began making micro-blades for woodworking use, but they\u2019ve diverged into making fantastic kitchen tools. Their kitchen graters will turn a little block of Parmigiano-Reggiano into a huge cloud of billowy cheese wisps. Vegetables grate into little strips that almost melt in your mouth. My favorite use is with citrus zest. My lemon bars, lemon tarts and key lime pie have a much greater depth of flavor than ever before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With most zesters, you end up with too much of the pithy white rind of the citrus fruit, but the Microplane takes off only the very thinnest layer of the outside of the fruit, the part which contains the intense and volatile citrus oils. Hands down, these are the best tools I\u2019ve tried for fine-grating and zesting. \u2014 Jeff Zimmerman<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Tears through tomatoes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Tomato Shark<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have dozens of tools and gadgets in my kitchen. Years working in the restaurant and catering world left me with an inventory of items that I bought for this job or that party. Some were quite expensive and most were probably only used once or twice (I\u2019m looking at you, Mother of Pearl Caviar Spoon!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But there\u2019s one tool that cost me less than $2.00 at a restaurant supply store over 10-years ago that I still use on a fairly regular basis, at least during the summer. Anytime I need to core a tomato or hull a strawberry I reach for my Tomato Shark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a simple little metal spoon with sharp teeth that digs into your tomato or strawberry, removes the core or hull cleanly, and leaves you with just the fruit to work with. Unless you have super sharp knives and great paring knife skills you are probably used to coring a batch of tomatoes for sauce being a time-consuming and sometimes messy job; the Tomato Shark makes this job easy, tidy and quick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is one of those items where you should buy the actual Tomato Shark brand. I\u2019ve found similar items just don\u2019t hold up over time: the teeth get dull quicker, and you just don\u2019t need to spend the extra money on a fancier version (unless you have problems with your hands and need a plastic handle for ergonomic reasons). \u2014 Caryl Shaw<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Quick apple peeler and corer<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Progressive Apple Peeler<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My wife\u2019s grandmother seems to effortlessly make dozens of wonderful apple pies. And yet, she has poor hand strength due to advanced rheumatoid arthritis. Finally, we convinced her to pass along the secret behind her pie-making success: She uses one machine to peel\/slice\/core her apples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simply poke the three prongs into the base of an apple and turn the crank. Before you know it, a lovely spiral of apple skin will unfurl before you, leaving a perfectly cored and peeled apple that can be quickly cut into quarters and thrown into a pie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As soon as you see the device in action, it\u2019s obvious just how elegant the mechanism is. It\u2019s safe for children to use, once the apple is situated on the prongs. Best of all, it makes prepping apples so simple you\u2019ll wish you had one years ago. There\u2019s a version that clamps to a kitchen bench, but I find the models with a vacuum base are the same price and are far easier to set up and use. \u2014 Steve Allen<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Healthy snacking in 30 seconds<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

OXO Apple Divider<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I like apples but I\u2019ve never been a fan of the form factor, which tends to be tough on the teeth and jaws. The OXO Apple Divider cores and chops in one fell swoop. Total prep time, including rinsing the apple beforehand: 30 seconds max, 20 if I\u2019m in a hurry. Like other OXO products I\u2019ve tried, the OXO Apple Divider is a well-designed, well-built version of a classic tool. The company\u2019s included its trademark \u201cgood grips\u201d and sharp blades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I appreciate it every time I use, it because I\u2019m a chocoholic with easy access during the day to cookies and hot chocolate. Bringing a plastic container filled with wholesome, fresh, organic apple chunks makes it easier for me to resist the lure of chocolate. Even if you don\u2019t consume apples as frequently as I do, the OXO Apple Divider is one single-use tool that\u2019s worth keeping around. \u2014 Jonathan Steigman<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We we bought this and use it regularly on potatoes<\/em> to make oven fries. Slice the potato, toss the pieces in olive oil and spices of your choice, and bake on a non-stick sheet for 20-30 minutes at 450F, turning once. I didn\u2019t even know this device was actually for apples until I saw it on Cool Tools! \u2014 Julee Bode<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Best garlic and ginger press<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Kuhn Rikon Epicurean Garlic Press<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve used this tool for about 10 years and it\u2019s still going strong. It\u2019s probably the best garlic press in the world. It\u2019s constructed very robustly from stainless steel; it has an unusual lever-action which is far superior to the one-to-one action of most garlic presses; it opens up easily and is trivial to clean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To see a demo, have a look at America\u2019s Test Kitchen Equipment Review (below) where they come to the same conclusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But note that Kuhn Rikon have another garlic press called the Easy Squeeze, which is a lot cheaper. It has a slightly different action and plastic handles. It\u2019s not nearly as good. \u2014 Stuart Wray<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Bulk pineapple slicer<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Pineapple Slicer\/Corer<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m not usually a big fan of single-use tools, but this is by far the only tool for this job. We had a party where I needed to core and slice three cases of pineapples, and what could have taken all day took but a few hours. No skill is needed. You just cut off the top of the pineapple and screw down the corer. Once you are at the bottom, pull out the meat and you\u2019re done. The pineapple is evenly-sliced and you are left with a usable hull (for serving fruity drinks in, of course). I have seen these on sale for as little as $7. \u2014Walter Susong III<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tools for Possibilities: issue no. 64<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[2387],"tags":[2388],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41705"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41705"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41705\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41706,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41705\/revisions\/41706"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41705"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41705"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41705"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}