Well ain’t this something.
We took a short getaway, and spent a couple days at Borgata Casino in Atlantic City. (We won enough to cover the costs and then some.) They have a giveaway Thursdays and Fridays of every month; this month it is small stupid kitchen appliances. They used to hand them out right then and there, but now you register for it, make your selection, and they ship it to you. I picked a mini vegetable steamer, which hasn’t arrived yet; Mrs picked the quick chopper/slicer, and it was already in front of the door when we got home yesterday afternoon!
It’s one of these things:
Eh. I’m a knife guy. I don’t even like using a mandoline; I can slice stuff more finely with a sharp nakiri, with less danger, and less assembly and cleanup. The slicing isn’t quicker with a knife, but the entire job is. But hey: free gadget.
Before using it, I read the manual, and there are warnings everywhere to BE CAREFUL! BLADES ARE SHARP! And damned if they aren’t. They’re cheap, but sharp, the way those cheap Sam’s Club Members Mark knives are sharp. Really sharp. That’s a good start! And it’s actually pretty sturdy. Everything fits together tightly, and the collector box has a nice pair of anti-skid feet.
I decided to look on line for reviews, because to me these are “Ronco” products, infomercial darlings. And sure enough, I found some. But guess what? The Mueller is actually listed as the best! Oh, wait… “Manual vegetable choppers are the worst. The Mueller was the best of the worst.” Oh boy. Here goes nothin’.
Guess what? This thing isn’t half bad.
First up: a serrano pepper. You do have to trim the stem, of course, and cut it to the size of the square.
A quick push:
Huh. Not bad.
How about a quarter of an onion? I decided to do a video.
Easy peasy!
okay, something harder. Or better said, softer. A roasted red pepper:
Looks good! But this was actually less successful. It left a lot of the pepper on the device:
The machine comes with a little brush, and a pair of tiny fork-looking things to clean that out. Still.
The instructions say “Dishwasher safe, top rack”. This is a common plastic. It is going to be dishwasher safe, as long as you use the top rack. I’ll report if I find otherwise, but I’m not worried.
I’m not sure how long the blades will stay sharp; there’s no way to sharpen them, and you can’t buy replacements. On the other hand, it costs about $18, whether you get the full size or the compact (this one).
Overall, I’m actually pleased with something I thought was going to be sort of a joke! I’m still a knife guy. I’m sure I can grab the knife off the wall, dice two peppers and a quarter of an onion, and wipe the knife clean, faster than I get out the multi chopper, assemble the blade, dice two peppers and a quarter of an onion, and clean the tool in the dishwasher. But someone else might not be able to do that.
Oh: take those peppers and onion, and sauté them with some Peruvianish seasoning…
Add eggs and cheese and make yourself some breakfast tacos.
We took a short getaway, and spent a couple days at Borgata Casino in Atlantic City. (We won enough to cover the costs and then some.) They have a giveaway Thursdays and Fridays of every month; this month it is small stupid kitchen appliances. They used to hand them out right then and there, but now you register for it, make your selection, and they ship it to you. I picked a mini vegetable steamer, which hasn’t arrived yet; Mrs picked the quick chopper/slicer, and it was already in front of the door when we got home yesterday afternoon!
It’s one of these things:
Eh. I’m a knife guy. I don’t even like using a mandoline; I can slice stuff more finely with a sharp nakiri, with less danger, and less assembly and cleanup. The slicing isn’t quicker with a knife, but the entire job is. But hey: free gadget.
Before using it, I read the manual, and there are warnings everywhere to BE CAREFUL! BLADES ARE SHARP! And damned if they aren’t. They’re cheap, but sharp, the way those cheap Sam’s Club Members Mark knives are sharp. Really sharp. That’s a good start! And it’s actually pretty sturdy. Everything fits together tightly, and the collector box has a nice pair of anti-skid feet.
I decided to look on line for reviews, because to me these are “Ronco” products, infomercial darlings. And sure enough, I found some. But guess what? The Mueller is actually listed as the best! Oh, wait… “Manual vegetable choppers are the worst. The Mueller was the best of the worst.” Oh boy. Here goes nothin’.
Guess what? This thing isn’t half bad.
First up: a serrano pepper. You do have to trim the stem, of course, and cut it to the size of the square.
A quick push:
Huh. Not bad.
How about a quarter of an onion? I decided to do a video.
Easy peasy!
okay, something harder. Or better said, softer. A roasted red pepper:
Looks good! But this was actually less successful. It left a lot of the pepper on the device:
The machine comes with a little brush, and a pair of tiny fork-looking things to clean that out. Still.
The instructions say “Dishwasher safe, top rack”. This is a common plastic. It is going to be dishwasher safe, as long as you use the top rack. I’ll report if I find otherwise, but I’m not worried.
I’m not sure how long the blades will stay sharp; there’s no way to sharpen them, and you can’t buy replacements. On the other hand, it costs about $18, whether you get the full size or the compact (this one).
Overall, I’m actually pleased with something I thought was going to be sort of a joke! I’m still a knife guy. I’m sure I can grab the knife off the wall, dice two peppers and a quarter of an onion, and wipe the knife clean, faster than I get out the multi chopper, assemble the blade, dice two peppers and a quarter of an onion, and clean the tool in the dishwasher. But someone else might not be able to do that.
Oh: take those peppers and onion, and sauté them with some Peruvianish seasoning…
Add eggs and cheese and make yourself some breakfast tacos.
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