Carrots and Chinese white radishes
These are what you are left with when you use the Benriner turning slicer. I mentioned this kitchen gadget--particularly popular in Japanese kitchens--when I spotted it at The Essential Ingredient in Sydney recently. But the point of this grater is not to make wacky looking nails made of carrot. It's the slicer's ability to create continuous strands of grated vegetables at speed that makes it so fantastic.
Do you need pictures? Ok. Let's go.
Buy your turning slicer online, from your local specialty kitchen supplier, or, even better, head to Doguya Street in Sen-nichimae, the kitchen alley heaven in Osaka, where smiling polite Japanese shopkeepers who speak no English will somehow understand your broken requests for a "carrot grater" in dictionary Japanese.
Unpack your turning slicer and select and install one of the three blades provided within.
Insert your vegetable of choice between the blade and the spiked base of the handle. In this demonstration we have chosen a Chinese white radish, also known as daikon. But you may also use carrots, cucumbers, potatoes, cabbages, onions and more.
Turn the handle of the slicer with one hand, whilst using the other to brace the sliding tray on the bottom. Push the tray slowly forward using your thumb, advancing the entire radish through the blades as you continue turning the handle.
Fine, continuous, unbruised shreds will appear on the other side. A whole Chinese white radish should take no more than about twenty seconds for each half.
Remove the radish leftovers which will now resemble a giant nail. Giggle at its bizarre appearance and contemplate a series of radish vs carrot swordfights.
Look at the mountain of raw fish beside you and return your focus to your homemade sushi spectacular instead.
Use your grated daikon and carrot as palate cleansing garnishes for sashimi. Dream about the limitless potential for coleslaws, vegetable salads, rosti, sauerkraut, green papaya salads and more...
Technorati tags: Favourite kitchen gadgets
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i...must... buy... ah.. how brilliant! when i first saw it, i thought it was that spinning apple peeler gadget... i love using those...
ReplyDeleteI need one of those!!!!!
ReplyDeletewow it looks like one of those play-doh contraptions!
ReplyDeleteI always wondered what those machines were and – after telling myself i need no more gadgets – I now know that I need one. They always look so intriguing.
ReplyDeleteI want one too!
ReplyDeleteWe bought one of those from a grocery store at Cabramatta a few years back. I think it was about $90?
ReplyDeleteAlso keep an eye out for the apple peeler. Looks similar but has a spring loaded peeler on the side of the device. Stick an apple onto the prongs, turn the handle and you'll have a peeled apple in under 10 seconds! It even comes with an apple slicer/corer. You press the little device onto your apple and it will remove the core AND slice your apple into 8 equal slices!
I want one! Good thing my dad's going back to Korea in a month - must ask him to keep an eye out for this!
ReplyDeleteI have a friend who swears by her turning slicer. Wish I had it right now, as we're pulling carrots left and right. I'd love to shred every one of them into a cole slaw or something.
ReplyDeletehellooo...i'm usually a lurker in the various foodblogs i read (i'm a serial reader of foodblogs!), and it was the picture of the slicer that prompted me to post my 1st-ever comment.
ReplyDeleteMy mum has one of these slicers and every year, during Chinese New Year, she would use it to make yusheng, a traditional Singaporean CNY celebratory dish. It's a salad comprising a colorful medley of veggies (prepared easily with the use of the slicer), various pickles and super-thin slices of sashimi. Many restaurants use it to prep their carrots, white radishes and green radishes (the salad's 3 main ingredients). It's a great little nifty and inexpensive contraption!
I've been meaning to get one for myself as i'm always borrowing my mum's whenever i make yusheng-inspired salads :)
OoO... looks fun! I want one too :-P
ReplyDeleteOMG. We must try and find the place that sells it in Cabramatta.
ReplyDeleteAnd grab some mince sugar cane sticks while were there.
And an avocado shake
And.......
I bought one, after a few kilo of carrot we still have not achived a carrot stands as shown on the picture. Bummer!! $168.00 bux out of the window.
ReplyDeleteAny advise to make it work?
Hi Anon - Are you using large carrots? I tend to find the slicer only works with very wide vegetables, otherwise it will not hold properly. The other thing to check is you have the blade adjusted correctly. Good luck and hope you get the carrot garnishes you desire!
ReplyDeleteLOVE your photos! This is an amazing tool, but hard to show others how to use. You do a very good service! Can you recommend any other amazing kitchen gadgets for garnishing??
ReplyDeleteL, j
Hi LJ - Thanks. Glad you enjoyed the pics. I find the zig zag grater is also useful for garnishes and making papaya salads.
ReplyDelete