Veggie Spiralizers

ReenieHJ
ReenieHJ Posts: 9,724 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Anyone have this gadget and is it worth the money? They're not that expensive really but if it ends up simply being a space sucker then it's money wasted.
I used to love noodles but they're one of those foods I just don't eat anymore. But I'd definitely eat veggie noodles. Besides, who couldn't use more veggies in their diet?
If you do have one, do you have any favorite recipes or hints?
Thanks!!

Replies

  • BarbaraHelen2013
    BarbaraHelen2013 Posts: 1,940 Member
    I have a spiraliser ‘extra’ unit which came as a freebie send off with a food processor. It’s an extra lid, pusher and disc assembly for the main bowl.

    I used it a few times when it first arrived but not since I’m afraid. Mainly because it’s at the back of a cupboard that I need a step stool to reach, so I don’t bother! 😂

    The theory of vegetable noodles is great, and I think it’s worth a try. I’ll resolve to get mine out now you’ve reminded me I own it!

    I did like the result with raw carrots, as the texture was great in salads. Courgettes are the classic for noodles, and if you use them to bulk up actual pasta, are pretty good. I found them a bit lacking in texture when subbed 100% for pasta.

    We also loved potato spiralised and fried but I only did it once because - calories! 😂

    Oh and I also used it a few times to spiralise cucumber for a quick Asian pickle. That was great, looked so pretty and reacted well to the pickling because it was so finely sliced.
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    I had a big one that suctioned to the counter and was always disappointed with it, then I have a handheld one I got at Target which is fantastic. I do raw zucchini in summer and have it with cottage cheese and an heirloom tomato as a salad alternative.
  • Momepro
    Momepro Posts: 1,509 Member
    I have one with like 8 blades. I use 3 fairly frequently. I'd use it more often, but my hubby is a big, whiney vegetable hater. I like using it for myself though.
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,997 Member
    edited January 2020
    I've got a handheld 1 that cost me $3 at Ross.

    I use it now and then. It's worth what I paid 4 it & doesn't take up that much rm.

    I seldom eat pasta anymore as well but don't consider sprialized veggies a sub for pasta.

    I mainly use it as a different way of preping certain veggies (mainly carrots, cucumbers and zuchinni) for soups and or salads.
  • windra06
    windra06 Posts: 50 Member
    I have a Lurch spiralize and also an attachment for the food processor. although both are great The fad wore off rather quickly so both just sit in the cupboard.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,964 Member
    I don't use mine that often and only replace maybe 30%-50% of pasta with spiralized vegetables. Useful for making SE asian salads substituting spiralized carrot and granny smith apple for green mangoes and green papaya. I don't have a shortage of counter space though. If you are going to get a counter top model I prefer the vertical feed models to the horizontal feed. Less vegetable waste and easier to use.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    I have 4. One crank type, one top down food processor type, one pencil sharpener type, and one kitchen aid mixer attachment. I don't use any of them. I need to stop buying stuff just because they sound cool knowing how much more I tend to lean towards convenience. Chopping vegetables is way less work and cleanup and they taste the same, so I find myself using a knife for most things and all the spiralizers, choppers, and single purpose gadgets and whatnot sit in their boxes. If I have to take them out, assemble them, use them, disassemble them, clean them, then cram them back into the box, it feels like I'm spending more time and effort than I want to in the kitchen.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,285 Member
    I agree - Ive never found chopping vegetables arduous, even for those recipes which call for finely diced veg.

    However i do like zucchini spiralized noodles and sometimes spiralized carrots - I buy them ready made ;)
  • nighthawk584
    nighthawk584 Posts: 2,023 Member
    I bought one about 6 months ago...used it twice and it is buried in on of my cupboards now. 😂
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    amusedmonkey wrote: »
    Chopping vegetables is way less work and cleanup and they taste the same, so I find myself using a knife for most things and all the spiralizers, choppers, and single purpose gadgets and whatnot sit in their boxes. If I have to take them out, assemble them, use them, disassemble them, clean them, then cram them back into the box, it feels like I'm spending more time and effort than I want to in the kitchen.

    This is me, but for once I know myself enough to not have purchased one in the first place. Yet still I'm sitting here wondering if maybe my food processor has an attachment I didn't notice and thinking the fast pickle thing sounds great. But long and super thin isn't a shape I want veg in most of the time anyway, although I've had the substitute pasta thing at a restaurant (it was a more interesting dish than that sounds), and liked it. I don't feel a need to do it at home, though.
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,129 Member
    edited January 2020
    I have one, it's ok if you're going to use it, I use mine rarely, but it only cost me around £10 as I got it at rep's price through Avon (their Kitchen Magik Range).

    I quite enjoyed spiralizing potato and making it sort of baked noodles with a little garlic oil sprayed on before cooking and some Parmesan melting onto it.

    Mostly I will just use my potato peeler for courgette (zucchini) ribbons as it's quicker in the long run and less mess.
  • ReenieHJ
    ReenieHJ Posts: 9,724 Member
    Thank you everybody. I'm always wondering about different gadgets but find when they become more bother than they're worth, they just end up wasting space(and money!) anyways. :blush:
    I still need to update my blender into something of a better quality and have been putting that off so maybe I'll start with that item. :) And buy a pkg. of zoodles at the store just to see. :blush:
  • aries68mc
    aries68mc Posts: 173 Member
    I got one of those hand ones, which was way to hard to use, hard to clean and took too long. Got rid of that. Last year I got a Ninja one and it is great. I spiralized the heck out of zucchini last summer. Takes only seconds.
  • Priasmama416
    Priasmama416 Posts: 103 Member
    I had an electric one from bed bath and beyond, that came with 5 different blades. My family and I loved it, my kids liked to help use it, but the gears broke on it after less than a year. I would give the 3 1/2 stars. Easy and fun to use not expensive, but the parts are small and break easily.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    I have one of the manual handheld ones, I think I paid $8 for it. I find it to be worth the money because I eat a lot of zucchini/cucumber "noodles" during the summer.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    We use ours quite a bit...more in the summer than winter. We don't use it as a substitute for pasta or noodles though...just a different way to serve vegetables. We have done a few different things, but mostly spiraled zucchini. A frequent dish we make is a butter and lemon shrimp over spiraled zucchini.

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