Is a spiralizer a useful kitchen tool, or just a gimmick? Do you use yours often?
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I don't use mine often, but my whole family likes "zoodles" when I make them.0
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I've got one and haven't used it in a while, but mainly because it's winter and I prefer carbier food! In the summer when I had it though, it was brilliant! Love courgette pasta and it makes great coleslaw too.0
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I love mine, I also use spaghetti squash and Shirataki noodles instead of pasta in most cases.0
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britishbroccoli wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »I'm not on any vegan, paleo, vegetarian, whole food, or other fad diet. But I recognize a few things. For one, like most Western diets, mine does not include enough vegetables and I need to eat more fibre. Two, on my calories restricted diet, I am eating smaller volumes/masses of food, which can be less satisfying - vegetables add bulk. And three, pasta is just not that good for you!
For anyone with a spiralizer, do you use it regularly, what do you make with it, and what models do you recommend (pros/cons)?
I was given one maybe 10-12 years back and have never used it. For me zucchini cut in spirals are still just zucchini and even if I would cut them in spirals, I know that they won't magically turn into spaghetti. I think the gadget is to enhance food visually and if you like that kind of thing and especially if it gets you to eat more vegetables, by all means buy one and use it often.
But at the same time I personally think there ought to be other ways to self-motivate to eat healthier.
And also, I have to disagree; pasta is neither good, nor bad. It's food that you can chose to enjoy ( if you can eat pasta ) in moderation , or chose to overdo it. As always, it's all up to you/us.
Good Luck !
Who said pasta was good or bad?
The OP, sorta:And three, pasta is just not that good for you!
No I didn't, I said it's not that good for you, and it's not.
If there are any pressing health concerns that are the result of not getting enough bleached white flour in one's diet, I am unfamiliar with them. Pasta isn't poison, but it's not particularly nutritious either.0 -
britishbroccoli wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »I'm not on any vegan, paleo, vegetarian, whole food, or other fad diet. But I recognize a few things. For one, like most Western diets, mine does not include enough vegetables and I need to eat more fibre. Two, on my calories restricted diet, I am eating smaller volumes/masses of food, which can be less satisfying - vegetables add bulk. And three, pasta is just not that good for you!
For anyone with a spiralizer, do you use it regularly, what do you make with it, and what models do you recommend (pros/cons)?
I was given one maybe 10-12 years back and have never used it. For me zucchini cut in spirals are still just zucchini and even if I would cut them in spirals, I know that they won't magically turn into spaghetti. I think the gadget is to enhance food visually and if you like that kind of thing and especially if it gets you to eat more vegetables, by all means buy one and use it often.
But at the same time I personally think there ought to be other ways to self-motivate to eat healthier.
And also, I have to disagree; pasta is neither good, nor bad. It's food that you can chose to enjoy ( if you can eat pasta ) in moderation , or chose to overdo it. As always, it's all up to you/us.
Good Luck !
Who said pasta was good or bad?
The OP, sorta:And three, pasta is just not that good for you!
Only in a black and white view of the world would "not that good for you" = "bad for you".0 -
I'm not fussed about pasta but like the idea of veggies a bit differnt and bulking meals with them...might try the hand job first (!!) - so does the gdaget use the soft middle bit too??0
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amandarunning wrote: »I'm not fussed about pasta but like the idea of veggies a bit differnt and bulking meals with them...might try the hand job first (!!) - so does the gdaget use the soft middle bit too??
It leaves behind a little core. We call it the Zucchini Weenie. (Tee hee.) I usually just chop it up and toss it in my sauce.
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I got a spiralizer in January.
I did not have a device that already does the same thing. I am not cutting pasta or rice out of my diet. I got it because I thought it would be a fun way to eat vegetables and fruits. I've cut apple, potato, zucchini and parsnip so far. I like it.
Inspiralized.com and skinnytaste.com have recipes.0 -
I have one too, and I love it! Especially during the summer when I often want to eat something light (instead of, say, pasta).
Like most, the main thing I do with it is spaghetti or salads. In fact I just had a bowl of zucchini and carrot "spaghetti" with some sauce; you get a ton of food for very little calories.
But as ever, your experience may differ.
I have the Spiralo made by Lurch, and it has three different blades for different types of cutting, and it can handle lots of different types of vegetables (I might be wrong, but I think some of the handheld ones can only do zucchini?). Makes it more useful in my opinion.0 -
I would give you mine if you were local, Zedeff. I've had the $29 tabletop version for 5 years and never use it. It's flimsy and bulky and I don't much like zucchini with spaghetti sauce. I'm good with a knife and would sooner slice a zucchini by hand.0
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I got a $5 one off amazon - does the job brilliantly for next to nothing. Doesn't take up much space either. Love my zoodles!0
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I just got one. It was only around $10. I've used it quite a bit since I got it. It doesn't take up too much space and I do foresee myself using it quite a bit.0
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I have a mandolin and a spiralizer, I usually recommend to just get a mandolin if you aren't sure about the spiralizer. The mandolin does the same thing but it also does more.
That said, I use both regularly and love them. They are cheap through Amazon and for me they were worth every penny. But I will say; zucchini noodles taste nothing like real pasta to me. If I am craving pasta, I need real pasta (that doesn't happen often). It helped me get more vegetables into my diet.0 -
AlisonH729 wrote: »amandarunning wrote: »I'm not fussed about pasta but like the idea of veggies a bit differnt and bulking meals with them...might try the hand job first (!!) - so does the gdaget use the soft middle bit too??
It leaves behind a little core. We call it the Zucchini Weenie. (Tee hee.) I usually just chop it up and toss it in my sauce.
Thanks. Love the weenie :-)
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We use our spiralizer two or three times a week for zucchini/squash noodles for alfredo pastas or stir fries. Love it.0
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I have the Paderno World Cuisine Tri-Blade Plastic Spiral Vegetable Slicer. i use it often. I can not eat pasta and use zoodles as a substitute if i make tomato or alfredo sauce and pasta for my family. it saves me from having to make an entirely different meal for myself. its also handy when the family has asian food with rice. i usually make myself an asian inspired cucumber salad0
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I like mine. It's a bit of a novelty but it takes up so little space compared to some of my other kitchen gadgets, so I keep it around.0
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I have a tabletop spiralizer that I bought for about $30 bucks with 3 blades (there is now a 4 blade version) and a hand held version I got for about $10 on Amazon recently. I've used the tabletop version many times. I love zucchini especially sauteed with a little butter some tomatoes and Parmesan cheese. I've almost completely given up pasta since a portion is so small. I can eat like 2 cups of zucchini. If you're used to pasta or really like pasta, it's not the same. It is a nice spin to put on veggies. I've also done ribbons with my spiralizer, also a nice touch. I have a julienne peeler and a mandoline (I love my kitchen gadgets). I have been able to stick to eating healthy since I've got creative with my veggie cuts. I could only eat but so much salad, broccoli and chicken breasts. I'd recommend one of the hand versions to start. If you have a big family or want more blades try the tabletop version.0
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Echoing the rest of the commenters, I have the Vegetti, we have as much fun with saying the name as making the zucchini noodles. I had linguini and red clam sauce with the zoodles and it was so satisfying and I had a huge bowl for minimal calories.0
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I have a Spirooli! I love it for zoodles, sweet potato curls, cucumber. It was quite affordable from Bed, Bath and Beyond!0
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I also have the vegetti and love it. It was like $10 at Marshall's and worth every penny. Zoodles are awesome!0
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Interesting to see healthy eating (whole foods) described as a "fad diet."0
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LOVE mine! It's a great way to incorporate veggies into your diet by substituting veggies noodles for pasta noodles (or mixing them together) to both decrease calories and increase veggie consumption. Not really sure how eating more veggies is a fad. A julienne peeler will work equally well for soft veggies like zucchini, but doesn't work as well for hard vegetables. After slicing my finger a few times trying to julienne sweet potatoes, I went for the spiralizer. I'm glad I did, and I've converted a couple other people too after they tried spiralized vegetables.
- Edit: One word of caution, though, don't expect vegetable noodles to be just like pasta or soup noodles. They are a different kind of good. Which I prefer depends on my mood and exactly how I'm using them. My mom, on the other hand, swears that she likes zucchini noodles much better than regular pasta.0 -
OP, probably more a question for you, has nothing to do with some of the comments here...do you like to cook? Are you into making different types foods? Would a kitchen gadget like this make you happy & excited in the kitchen? Seriously, if it would, then I would get it. If not, then spend your hard earned money on a different kitchen gadget that you like.0
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Just to be clear to people 'investigating' these gadgets, Spiralizer and Vegetti are quite different products. The Spiralizer is much larger and more expensive:
Personally, I have a Vegetti and quite like it, but don't use it that much.0 -
I have two different kinds:
1. Kitchen Basics® Spiral Vegetable Slicer -- for use on Zuchinni, and
2. Abco Tech New and Essential Tri-Blade Spiral Vegetable Slicer - for bigger vegetables, like celery root, potatos, etc.
I use mine quite often. I have made the faux veggie noodles to replace pasta for stir fry, speghetti and soups. Depending on what I am making, it could involve a little prep time, but I like to cook. I like looking for new ways to prepare things, I like to experiment, I like the look on my wife's face when I make something she enjoys.
I'm not looking to replace things like pasta or rice, etc. But I do enjoy researching and coming up with an occasional healthy alternative.0 -
Thanks for all the feedback, seems pretty black and white - you either love it or you don't. I might have to just get one and see if I use it, they're not super expensive.
And for the record, I actually didn't know that a Spiralizer was an actual branded product, I thought it was a generic name for a device that cuts veggies into thin strips like noodles.0 -
AlabasterVerve wrote: »Sorry, OP, I don't have a spiralizer but it's a sorry state of affairs when you have to justify eating "fad" whole foods. lol Crazy times!
This was my first reaction as well.
ps: i wish I had a spiralizer. We love sauce over squash.0 -
Love my Paderno Spiralizer. My favourite "noodles" are daikon noodles with Asian dishes and chayote noodle salad with Mexican dishes. I just got this tool 3 weeks ago so I'm experimenting!0
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I love my spiralizer. I make zoodles. I spiralizes potatoes, and sweet potatoes, toss with a little olive oil and bake them. They come out super crunchy. My dogs love the left over core from the zucchini. My Jack Russell jumps straight up and down when I take the spiralizer out. It is so funny.0
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