From The Straits Times    |

Peel it, press it, chop it, mould it with these cookware tools. And we’re not just talking about the typical apple peeler or garlic chopper. It’s hard to tell which new kitchen gadgetry works and which ones don’t, without trying them; especially when they come in such a dazzling range these days.

We test these eight tools for their effectiveness:

(L-R): Mastrad grapefruit and orange press, Daiso hard-boiled egg mould, Kuhn Rikon Chopper, Joseph Joseph garlic crusher, D.Line prawn peeler, Flexicado flexible avocado slicer, Joseph Joseph rotary peeler and Westmark herb scissors.

1. WE LOVE KUHN RIKON CHOPPER, $89.90, FROM TAKASHIMAYA D.S.
To use:
Pull on a string attached to the lid to chop or puree.

Verdict: A dream to use! The relatively heavy cover and rubber ring on the base makes it firm and sturdy enough to withstand the very powerful motion of the blades. It’s great with small amounts – we could chop five shallots evenly and finely. This small handful would not have reached the blades of other choppers. It makes extremely fine tomato puree too.

Takashimaya D.S. is located at 391 Orchard Road, (S) 238873; opening hours: 10am to 9.30pm daily; tel: 6738 1111; website: www.takashimaya-sin.com.

2. GREAT FIND: JOSEPH JOSEPH GARLIC CRUSHER, $39, FROM TANGS ORCHARD
To use:
Press the crusher over peeled garlic cloves and move it like a see-saw to chop.

Verdict: It took just five seconds to chop three garlic cloves at one time – easier to use than a knife or grater for small quantities of garlic. The cloves are coarsely chopped and the bits are well separated, perfect for my stir-fry.

Tangs Orchard is located at 310 Orchard Road, (S) 238864; opening hours: 10.30am to 9.30pm on Mondays to Thursdays and Saturdays, 10:30am – 11:00pm on Fridays and 11:00am – 8.30pm on Sundays; Tel: 6737 5500; website: www.tangs.com.sg.

3. MASTRAD GRAPEFRUIT AND ORANGE PRESS, $29, FROM MAJOR DEPARTMENTAL STORES
To use:
Place an orange or grapefruit on it, and turn the fruit to segment it. Or juice the fruit with the detachable dome.

Verdict: It’s more effective as a juicer than a fruit cutter. The large dome with plastic ridges juices both oranges and grapefruit easily. When I tried to segment the fruits, only two out of four were neatly sliced. And it took a lot of force to turn the fruits to cut them nicely.

4. DAISO HARD-BOILED EGG MOULD, $2,FROM DAISO VIVOCITY
To use: Make star- or heart-shaped hard-boiled eggs by placing a peeled egg into the mould while it’s still hot. Chill for five minutes, remove and slice in half to serve.

Verdict: I got a better heartshaped egg than the star-shaped one, which was not so well-defined. Use bigger eggs to fit the mould so they do not turn out misshapen.

Daiso Vivocity is located at 1 Harbourfront Walk, #03-06, Vivocity, (S) 098585; opening hours: 10am to 10pm daily; Tel: 6376 8067.

5. D.LINE PRAWN PEELER, $12.95, FROM HOWARDS STORAGE WORLD
To use:
Slide the tool between the prawn shell and flesh, then press the handle to separate the two.

Verdict: Better for cooked prawns than raw ones – the flesh and shells of the raw prawns went flying in opposite directions instead of dropping neatly into the bowl.

6. FLEXICADO FLEXIBLE AVOCADO SLICER, $14.95, FROM HOWARDS STORAGE WORLD
To use:
Halve the avocado and remove the pit. Hold the fruit and push the slicer downwards and forwards into the fruit to slice.

Verdict: This works only with big and ripe avocados. The rubber blades do not fit into small avocado halves and they can’t slice through hard flesh. The upside: You’ll know if your avocados aren’t ripe enough to be eaten yet.

Howards Storage World is located at #03-06 HarbourFront Centre and and #B-41/42 Parkway Parade; opening hours: 10.30am to 9.30pm daily at HarbourFront Centre, same weekday hours and 10am-10pm on weekends and public holidays at Parkway Parade; Tel: 6376 0300 and 6348 3933 respectively.

7. JOSEPH JOSEPH ROTARY PEELER, $29, FROM TANGS ORCHARD
To use:
There are three blades – one for harder vegetables like potatoes, one for fruit or vegetables with softer skins like tomatoes, and one to julienne vegetables like cucumber and carrots. To switch between the blades, turn the dial in the centre.

Verdict: The three blades were very effective. My potatoes and tomatoes were peeled perfectly and the cucumber came out in nice long strips. But the round shape makes it hard to grip.

Tangs Orchard is located at 310 Orchard Road, (S) 238864; opening hours: 10.30am to 9.30pm on Mondays to Thursdays and Saturdays, 10:30am – 11:00pm on Fridays and 11:00am – 8.30pm on Sundays; Tel: 6737 5500; website: www.tangs.com.sg.

8. WESTMARK HERB SCISSORS, $14, FROM TOTT
To use:
It works like a regular pair of scissors, except there are five pairs of blades to cut more herbs at one time.

Verdict: The blades are sharp and they cut through the tougher ends of spring onions easily. It’s definitely faster when cutting in bulk but the multiple blades are heavy and it got tiring to hold the scissors after a while.

All product and pricing information was correct at the time of the magazine’s publication. We advise readers to check with the store for the latest availability and pricing information.

This article was originally published in SimplyHer April 2011.