If you are like me, I am always trying to find ways to cut down on calories and eat healthier One of our main dishes that we have always loved eating in our home is spaghetti. While it is oh so good, it does add many carbohydrates, causing our blood sugar to rise. One way I have found that is fun and unique, is to use a spiral slicer. I am able to enjoy spaghetti like dishes, using root vegetables for the noodles. Zucchini and cucumbers make a great choice for spaghetti noodles.
A spiral slicer is a nifty little kitchen tool that takes the work out of slicing. Using a spiral slicer is one way to get those noodles ready very fast and easy, while not causing guilty thoughts, as you are using vegetables to create noodles. When mixed with your favorite marinara sauce, it makes for such a healthy meal.
You must skin the vegetable of choice, making sure the ends are cut evenly. The vegetable is attached to the spiral slicer and the fun begins. You turn the crank manually, watching as beautiful spiral noodles are formed. You can throw them in a little warm water to heat them up and then drain or eat them raw.
Finding the right spiral slicer may take some investigating. Some are very cheaply made, and sold at a rather a high price. After doing some research on my own, I have found some top sellers that may be within your budget. With their pros and cons, they all seem to have some common factors.
Joyce Chen 51-0662 Saladacco Spiral Slicer, White
The rating is 3.5 stars on Amazon. This product runs for about $35.00. This spiral slicer is one used most commonly on many raw food videos, and sites. Many find this spiral slicer very easy to operate, although the blades were hard to assemble as noted by some reviews. There are imitations out there and it is very important you are careful in purchasing the Saldacco spiral slicer. The reviews were quite conflicting, as some really loved it, while some did not. One of the features I like was the little plastic tray that catches the vegetables after they are sliced. It appears very user friendly. One customer review on Amazon stated, “It works nicely, but you definitely need to learn how to use it, otherwise it will feel like a cheap toy that never did what you wanted it to. I was frustrated when I first tried to use it, but now that I know how it’s a dream to make noodles!”
World Cuisine 48297-99 Tri-Blade Plastic Spiral Vegetable Slicer
This item is sold on Amazon for around $40.00. The rating is 4.5 stars with good reviews. Most reviews report it is a good device for the money as some spiral slicers are much more costly. One review stated that if you plan to use smaller vegetables that this spiral slicer may not be a good choice, however for the larger vegetables works fine. One complaint said that the rubber suction feet on the bottom were no good after a couple years and had to find a way to keep in stable so that it would not move. This may be frustrating in trying to hold the slicer and crank at the same time. One positive review noted on Amazon for this product stated, “I am very happy with the product. It does exactly what it says it should do. As a matter of fact, the first time I used it on zucchini; it created an 18-foot long noodle! Of course, THAT fascinated everyone. I’ve used it on yams, carrots, onions, zucchini and cucumber…all of which turned out just as I wanted.”
Benriner Cook Helper Slicer
This is sold on Amazon for around $50.00. The rating is 4.5 stars with good reviews. It appears sturdier even though it is plastic. The only complaint that I saw was that the directions are in Japanese, but the device is simple to figure out. Replacement blades are available on quite a few websites. One review was quite positive after trying the other two spiral slicers above; they settled on this one and as you can see, has the highest rating. I found this review on Amazon concerning this product. “The Benriner is sturdy, despite the fact that it’s plastic. I have cranked on it ruthlessly, and I’m sure it will hold up to years of use. It does a good job making raw pasta from zucchini and squash. Carrots are tricky because of the size–play around with the way you slice them first, and you’ll get it to work. One of my favorite uses for the Benriner is spiralizing beets. It makes quick work of an otherwise messy job, and a spiral-sliced beet salad is one of the sexiest summer meals you’ll ever meet.”
In my opinion, nothing is going to work 100% perfectly if the conditions are not right. Some common problems noted that might not be the spiral slicer itself as much as the operator.
Make sure the vegetables are ripe, but not too ripe.
Root vegetables work the very best.
The vegetables need to be cut off even at the ends so that they are easy to attach.
You will find there will be some vegetable left over on the ends in majority of cases.
Most spiral slicer are plastic unless you pay for a high dollar one, which are metal.
Make sure you buy one where you can buy replacement blades.
Small vegetables may be hard to use on most spiral slicers.
I hope this review on spiral slicers has introduced you to the world of vegetable noodles, helping you become more aware of the differences in purchasing a spiral slicer. Eating healthy vegetable noodles is one way to combat those carbs and calories, while still being able to enjoy that beloved spaghetti dinner.
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