[2 - 7] Oh, you want a strawberry? (upbeat music)
[8 - 11] There are a few things as delicious in the world
[11 - 13] as a beautifully ripe juicy piece of fruit,
[13 - 15] it truly can be nature's candy.
[15 - 16] - You can always use your knife
[16 - 18] and your cutting board to prep that fruit,
[18 - 20] but there's a whole world of different gear out there
[20 - 21] that really helps you get the most
[21 - 23] out of your fresh seasonal produce.
[23 - 25] - Some of these tools are really great
[25 - 26] and actually save you time
[26 - 28] and some are not worth buying at all.
[28 - 29] And we have tested all kinds of things,
[29 - 33] tomato corers, pineapple corers, avocado gadgets.
[33 - 35] Today, we're gonna show you which ones are worth getting
[35 - 36] and which ones are not.
[36 - 41] - First up, Hannah. (upbeat music)
[41 - 42] - First up, tomato corers.
[42 - 44] And before you start chirping in the comments
[44 - 48] about tomato's status as a fruit, let's settle the score.
[48 - 50] Technically, it's both a fruit and a vegetable.
[50 - 54] Botanically speaking, a fruit is a ripened flower ovary
[54 - 56] that contains seeds.
[56 - 58] Botanists may think of tomatoes as fruit,
[58 - 60] but most chefs and nutritionists
[60 - 61] think of them as a vegetable.
[61 - 64] So, long story short, it's really both, but you know what?
[64 - 66] Today, we're covering fruit prep tools,
[66 - 68] so today tomatoes are a fruit.
[68 - 71] First up tomato corers, they help you hollow out the stem
[71 - 73] and tasteless core of a tomato.
[73 - 75] I have our winner right here from "Norpro".
[75 - 77] I don't know, I was like, who needs one of these?
[77 - 79] I could not believe how much faster
[79 - 81] these made it to go through a bunch of tomatoes.
[81 - 83] With a regular pairing knife,
[83 - 86] you have to make several cuts to cut all around the core,
[86 - 88] with this, these super sharp teeth,
[88 - 89] dig right in and pluck it out,
[89 - 92] it truly makes it a faster process.
[92 - 93] If you're canning tomatoes,
[93 - 95] you're making a big tomato salad,
[95 - 96] this truly will save you time.
[96 - 98] So, let me show you how to use one of these things.
[98 - 100] Simply take a tomato like this
[100 - 103] and scoop it in like that, go around.
[104 - 106] Not all of them were this easy though.
[106 - 109] Our winner had super sharp teeth.
[109 - 111] Some of the other ones were really dull
[111 - 112] and they just mangled the tomatoes,
[112 - 113] that's not what you want,
[113 - 115] you want a nice, beautiful, clean, sweeping motion,
[115 - 117] nice clean tomato left behind.
[117 - 119] Handles also really matter,
[119 - 120] this is something you're holding in your hand
[120 - 122] and you're using, you know, over and over again.
[122 - 124] Some of them dug into our palms,
[124 - 126] they were too skinny, they weren't comfortable.
[126 - 129] This simple rounded handle was all it took
[129 - 130] to make it comfortable enough.
[130 - 131] This is a very light deft tool,
[131 - 134] you don't need some like overdesigned handle.
[134 - 135] We tested a bunch of these,
[135 - 137] we also tested our winning strawberry huller,
[137 - 138] which we love for strawberries,
[138 - 140] they say you can use it for tomatoes, too.
[140 - 142] We think it's great for strawberries,
[142 - 143] but it's not so good for tomatoes.
[143 - 146] The "Norpro" really won the day for its comfort
[146 - 149] and sharp design that made the process super seamless
[149 - 153] and really cut down on our time for tomato prep.
[153 - 156] Next up, pineapple corers, which in my humble opinion
[156 - 159] is one of the most essential fruit prep tools.
[159 - 161] If you've ever wrestled with one of these,
[161 - 164] you know they can be spiky and it can be really hard
[164 - 166] to cleanly remove all of the eyes
[166 - 170] without sacrificing a lot of the beautiful flesh underneath,
[170 - 172] enter pineapple corers.
[172 - 173] This handy little device here,
[173 - 175] this is our winner from "Oxo",
[175 - 177] will do all of the hard part for you.
[177 - 179] We loved this for a lot of reasons,
[179 - 183] it was easy to use, it made beautiful, clean slices.
[183 - 185] You're gonna lose a little bit of flesh
[185 - 186] trying to get the skin off,
[186 - 188] but this one allowed us to keep
[188 - 190] the most possible amount of fruit.
[190 - 192] Some of the other ones were super wasteful,
[192 - 193] they didn't cut cleanly,
[193 - 195] they drove crookedly down the fruit,
[195 - 197] they were really hard to turn.
[197 - 201] The "Oxo" made this process a thousand times easier,
[201 - 202] so let me show you how it works.
[202 - 204] You still need your knife to do a little bit of prep here,
[204 - 206] just to top off the top.
[211 - 212] You don't chop off the bottom here,
[212 - 214] that will actually make the juice go everywhere.
[214 - 215] You center this on the core,
[215 - 217] see it's got those little teeth there,
[217 - 220] that's what's gonna grip into the core and drive this down,
[220 - 222] this, it's sort of like a wine opener.
[222 - 224] Okay, so I'm gonna center this.
[224 - 225] Put it right in there.
[227 - 229] Hmm, smells so good.
[229 - 231] A lot of the other models we tested,
[231 - 234] wasted a bunch of fruit, or left behind the little eyes,
[234 - 235] which was super annoying,
[235 - 236] that's why you buy one of these things,
[236 - 238] you don't have to deal with that.
[238 - 241] Still others, put our hands near the blade,
[241 - 243] not safe, not down for that.
[243 - 249] And now, you just pull it out, like a wine cork. (Hannah laughing)
[249 - 252] It cuts it in little spirals, which is super cute,
[252 - 254] that comes off. Ooh.
[254 - 256] Look at that beautiful slice.
[256 - 260] I love pineapple, so I gotta take a bite of this. Mm.
[260 - 262] Also love this cup it leaves behind.
[262 - 264] I mean, can you imagine the tropical frozen drink
[264 - 265] you could drink out of this thing?
[265 - 267] There's actually a bunch of juice in here right now,
[267 - 271] I gotta try this. Hmm.
[271 - 273] Oh, that's so good, I feel like I'm on the beach.
[273 - 275] So, this pineapple corer from "Oxo"
[275 - 279] truly is one of our all star fruit prep tools. (air whooshing)
[279 - 281] Next up, strawberry hullers.
[281 - 284] You may not think strawberries are that hard to break down,
[284 - 287] you know, much easier than a pineapple, for example,
[287 - 291] but I wanna show you why the typical pairing knife method
[291 - 293] can be improved upon.
[293 - 294] With a pairing knife you have two options.
[294 - 298] One is to chop off the top, right like that. Right?
[298 - 299] Super easy, super fast, no problem,
[299 - 301] but there is a little problem,
[301 - 304] there's a lot of food waste going on there. Not ideal!
[304 - 305] The other way you can do it,
[306 - 308] is if you have some really nice knife skills,
[308 - 313] you can hold the strawberry in your hand and cut around.
[313 - 317] This takes a lot of skill and it's not as fast, right?
[317 - 319] You're also pointing your knife at your palm
[319 - 322] which is not safe for children, certainly
[322 - 325] and lots of adults will not feel comfortable doing.
[325 - 327] So, enter the strawberry huller.
[327 - 329] So, this is our winner, the "Chef'n Stem Gem".
[329 - 330] Let me show you how it works.
[330 - 334] So, you open it up, put the prongs in, close it.
[334 - 337] Look at that, that was so fast, so clean,
[337 - 340] so it really gets that core out and leaves behind
[340 - 343] just the most flavorful parts of the strawberry.
[343 - 344] Kids can use this, this is safe,
[344 - 346] Lisa actually had some eight-year-olds
[346 - 348] test in the test kitchen and use this
[348 - 350] and they had a grand old time
[350 - 351] and they were very able to do it,
[351 - 356] so this is super fun, a little safer and also really fast.
[356 - 360] So, if you are doing a lot for a pie, a fruit salad,
[360 - 363] this can actually make your prep go a lot faster.
[363 - 365] We didn't test other products, because there weren't any.
[365 - 367] This is what we call a unicorn product.
[367 - 371] It's a one off and it truly is such a smart little design,
[371 - 373] we really, really love this thing.
[373 - 376] Lisa has totally converted me to this, I love it.
[376 - 377] Tick, tick, tick.
[377 - 382] Now on to Lisa, for some of her favorite fruit prep tools. (upbeat music)
[383 - 385] - One of the nicest tools we've found for prepping fruit
[385 - 389] is this collapsible mini colander from "Prepworks".
[389 - 392] It's perfect for cleaning berries, grapes,
[392 - 395] cherry tomatoes, you know, anything that's small
[395 - 398] and that you just really wanna wash and wash well.
[398 - 400] So, this has a lot of great features,
[400 - 402] we tested a bunch of them, it's our favorite.
[402 - 405] It collapses down to about one inch high,
[405 - 408] it holds a full pint, it's got a good structure
[408 - 410] and all the holes are here on the bottom.
[410 - 413] It has a little cover that covers them up,
[413 - 414] so that it won't drip.
[414 - 417] So, for something like washing raspberries,
[417 - 418] you know, they're fragile, they're delicate
[418 - 422] and they have that wonderful tender quality to them,
[422 - 424] so you don't wanna just mush 'em all up,
[424 - 425] when you go to wash them.
[425 - 428] I have the bottom on and you can really flood them
[428 - 430] and let the water just go in and round them
[430 - 432] and get them really nice and clean.
[432 - 437] And then, you pull off the bottom and it drains instantly.
[438 - 439] And this bottom is also good,
[439 - 441] because if you're just gonna eat some grapes by yourself,
[441 - 444] reading a book or whatever, rinse them off,
[444 - 445] put this on and you can serve it,
[445 - 449] it's not gonna drip all day long on your counter.
[449 - 451] If you want to take them for a snack,
[451 - 455] take 'em to work or pack 'em in your kid's school lunch,
[455 - 458] put 'em right in, that oval shape
[458 - 461] works like a natural funnel, but that's nice and neat
[461 - 464] and they're prepped and clean and ready to go.
[464 - 467] And then, after you've washed this out, takes two seconds,
[467 - 469] or it goes in the dishwasher,
[469 - 471] pop down and it's easy to store.
[471 - 474] So, let's do some blueberries.
[474 - 477] You know, using a full size colander,
[477 - 479] like you'd use for your pasta, or whatever,
[479 - 481] for this many blueberries, is kind of overkill.
[481 - 484] We tested a bunch of these, this one holds about three cups
[484 - 486] and that's a good size, bigger and you're getting
[486 - 488] into that full-size colander territory,
[488 - 491] smaller and you're getting overflow and it's a problem.
[491 - 493] We also love that this one collapses,
[493 - 496] because it's easy to store.
[496 - 497] But if you get a collapsible one,
[497 - 499] we saw some that were very flimsy
[499 - 502] and they didn't have this solid band of plastic
[502 - 504] at the top and the bottom, that gives it structure.
[504 - 505] This is not gonna collapse
[505 - 507] 'till you're ready to collapse it.
[507 - 508] I use this thing at home
[508 - 510] and I just have it right next to my sink,
[510 - 513] I use it so much, I don't wanna put it too far away.
[513 - 515] The collapsible mini colander, by "Prepworks",
[515 - 517] it's our favorite. (air whooshing)
[517 - 518] In the past several years
[518 - 521] avocados have become so incredibly popular,
[521 - 525] Americans now eat more than a billion avocados a year.
[525 - 527] And along with that growth, has come a whole bunch
[527 - 530] of specialty tools for avocados,
[530 - 531] that are supposed to be faster
[531 - 534] and neater and safer than using a knife.
[534 - 537] So, are any of these tools really worth it?
[537 - 539] This is the one that we rated the highest.
[539 - 543] This is by "Oxo" and it has a couple of different features,
[543 - 545] it has a little blade for cutting it,
[545 - 548] it has this little tool with the prongs inside,
[548 - 551] for getting the pit out, which is the real tricky part
[551 - 554] and then this is supposed to scoop and slice.
[554 - 556] So, the challenges of avocados are
[556 - 558] that they have this very tough leathery skin,
[558 - 561] but the inside, if it's ripe, is very tender and soft
[561 - 564] and you really don't wanna mush it up too much.
[564 - 567] So, let's see, we're gonna cut all the way around,
[567 - 569] down to the pit in the middle,
[569 - 574] which I can feel as I go around and that worked.
[576 - 578] It's a little raggedy, it's not perfect.
[578 - 580] Then, here's the tricky part, the pit.
[580 - 582] The pit wants to stick to the avocado,
[582 - 584] but you wanna get it out.
[584 - 587] This helps you from doing that avocado hand thing
[587 - 588] with a knife that you don't wanna do.
[588 - 591] The three prongs on here are a little bit sharp, not crazy,
[591 - 593] but they should stick into the pit. So,
[595 - 598] put it in, twist it, there it is
[598 - 601] and then you can poke it out on this side.
[601 - 604] So now, this part on the other side
[604 - 607] is supposed to help you get in there
[607 - 612] and dig down and slice it up.
[612 - 615] Okay, that is not awesome. (Lisa laughing)
[615 - 618] It's, if you're making guac it's okay,
[618 - 621] but if you're kind of like present some pretty slices,
[621 - 623] I would not call these beautiful
[623 - 625] and they're stuck.
[627 - 629] Now, every avocado you're gonna open is different,
[629 - 631] you might get one, that's a little firmer
[631 - 633] and then that cut pretty well.
[633 - 635] This one was really ripe and it's, you know,
[635 - 639] beautiful and creamy and soft as avocados are
[639 - 641] and it's kind of a mess.
[641 - 643] This is another tool that we did like,
[643 - 645] not tremendously, by "Trudeau"
[645 - 648] and it's kind of got the same principle,
[648 - 651] it's got a sharp serrated edge here for cutting.
[651 - 654] It's got a little pick on the end for picking the seed
[654 - 656] and then the scoop-shaped part
[656 - 657] for getting the whole thing out.
[657 - 659] The advantage of that would be that,
[659 - 661] you know, you're not slicing it.
[661 - 663] You can, you can take out the whole half
[663 - 665] without disrupting the avocado,
[665 - 667] if you can slice it yourself,
[667 - 669] that's the thing that we liked about this one.
[669 - 671] It also didn't cut that evenly,
[671 - 673] it's a little bit ragged down here.
[673 - 675] I've got a slippery grip on this side,
[675 - 676] because it's been in the avocado
[676 - 678] and on this side, these points are too small,
[678 - 680] it's too much like the knife tip.
[680 - 682] It's kind of like a shoehorn for your avocado.
[682 - 684] We think a chef's knife and a cutting board
[684 - 686] are the best way to do the job.
[686 - 688] And with a few tips, you can do it safely
[688 - 691] and you can do it neatly and you can prep it,
[691 - 692] however you really need it.
[692 - 694] By the way, an avocado is like a tomato,
[694 - 697] it's a fruit masquerading as a vegetable
[697 - 699] and we're gonna cut it up.
[699 - 702] So, you get your chef knife, put it right in
[702 - 707] and then just travel around the seed itself with the knife.
[707 - 710] You can use it as a guide and just rotate the avocado
[710 - 715] and it will go right around and just bisect it perfectly.
[715 - 719] So then, just twist and look at that nice clean edge,
[719 - 721] you can see that it's much neater
[721 - 723] than the ones I did with the avocado tools.
[723 - 725] Now, here's the other part,
[725 - 727] don't poke with your knife point,
[727 - 730] because if anything lets go, you go right into your hand.
[730 - 733] We just use the knife like a little ax
[733 - 734] and that pulls it right out
[734 - 737] and then you don't have your hand
[737 - 739] anywhere near the problem area.
[739 - 742] So, aside from your chef knife, you also need a spoon.
[742 - 746] This is a good size, it's kind of more matches the curve
[746 - 748] of the fat end of the avocado.
[748 - 750] And you're just gonna hold it in your cupped hand
[750 - 754] and slip it between the skin and the flesh
[754 - 758] and just rotate it around and scoop.
[758 - 761] So pretty, so easy,
[761 - 764] not dangerous and no extra expense,
[764 - 766] just like a serving spoon is great.
[766 - 769] And then if you wanna slice it, you have your knife,
[769 - 770] you just do what you want
[770 - 772] and you've got these beautiful slices
[772 - 775] that are perfect for sandwiches or salads,
[775 - 776] or anything you wanna do.
[776 - 780] Skip the avocado gadgets, your knife, your cutting board
[780 - 783] and a good spoon and you're good to go. (air whooshing)
[783 - 785] Tools that help cooks, prepare apples
[785 - 788] for snacking or baking are a great time saver.
[788 - 790] Especially when you go apple picking,
[790 - 792] you've just got so many of them on your hands.
[792 - 795] We found two styles and we tested both of them.
[795 - 796] There's the push style
[796 - 798] that's kind of shaped like a wagon wheel
[798 - 800] and then there's the crank style for obvious reasons,
[800 - 801] there's a crank.
[801 - 803] We think both of them have a place in your kitchen
[803 - 805] and I'll show you why.
[805 - 808] This is so easy and so fast.
[808 - 813] This one cuts it into eight wedges,
[813 - 815] that are just right for snacking,
[815 - 818] put on a little plate with some cheese and crackers
[818 - 820] and that's it the core is gone.
[820 - 822] This one is by "Norpro"
[822 - 825] and it cuts the apple into 16 pieces.
[827 - 828] Isn't that pretty?
[828 - 830] And then this little tool
[830 - 832] has these little black arrows here and here
[832 - 834] and on the device you line those up
[836 - 837] and it cuts them all free.
[837 - 839] So, you saw that I had to poke the apples
[839 - 841] out of this one at the bottom,
[841 - 843] they get a little bit stuck, on this one
[843 - 847] they are all perfectly cut all the way to the bottom.
[847 - 849] So, both of these are recommended,
[849 - 851] this is our overall favorite by "Norpro"
[851 - 855] and it cuts it into 16 little narrow pieces.
[855 - 856] These are small enough for baking,
[856 - 858] so if you peeled the apple first
[858 - 860] you can just throw these right in a pie or tart.
[860 - 864] We use these on everything, like pears and you know,
[864 - 867] even out of season apples, that may be a little bit softer.
[867 - 869] Both of these wash up really quickly
[869 - 871] in the dishwasher, they're comfortable,
[871 - 873] they have handles that are elevated.
[873 - 874] As you push down,
[874 - 876] you're not slamming your knuckles down on the board,
[876 - 879] like some of the ones that we tested that were very flat,
[879 - 883] they also have this really nice innovation on the underside.
[883 - 885] The center part that cuts out the core
[885 - 887] is where it really engages with the apple first
[887 - 892] and it protrudes a little bit past the wagon wheel blades
[892 - 895] and that just anchors it and starts the cut,
[895 - 896] breaks the tension of the skin
[896 - 898] and makes it so much easier to push down.
[898 - 900] So, both of these were the only ones
[900 - 902] that had that little feature and they're pretty sharp,
[902 - 905] so they really cut beautifully and neatly,
[905 - 907] you don't have raggedy slices.
[907 - 910] Some of them were a little bit more clunky,
[910 - 912] or trapped pieces of fruit in them
[912 - 914] and they're just harder to clean.
[914 - 918] The other one that I wanna show you is the crank style.
[918 - 921] This one was our favorite by "Johnny Apple Peeler",
[921 - 923] it is really terrific,
[923 - 926] because it can peel, slice and core the apples.
[926 - 927] It has suction base
[927 - 930] and that is this little crank on the bottom here.
[930 - 932] It has a big suction cup
[932 - 935] and the crank just provides a little extra grip.
[935 - 938] You do need to have a surface like this table,
[938 - 940] the stainless steel, or a laminate countertop
[940 - 941] that has no pores in it.
[941 - 944] So, a marble, or granite,
[944 - 945] or anything that has little pores in it,
[945 - 947] it doesn't grip that well
[947 - 949] and in those cases, you can put it right
[949 - 951] in a baking sheet and clamp it to that.
[951 - 954] It also helps contain any kind of juices, or mess
[954 - 956] and you just place it where you want it
[956 - 958] and then flip this lever
[958 - 962] and that makes it really stick,
[962 - 964] it won't jump around.
[964 - 965] We tested some other ones,
[965 - 967] including one by this same brand
[967 - 968] that has a clamp on the bottom that you screw
[969 - 970] into the edge of the counter, or table,
[970 - 972] it never really stayed as stable
[972 - 974] and keeping this really stable is important.
[974 - 978] This is also made of sturdy cast iron and it's enameled.
[978 - 980] Let me show you how it works.
[980 - 981] There's a lever here
[981 - 984] and it'll lets you pull this piece back,
[984 - 985] prongs are here.
[985 - 988] You're just gonna stick the prong into the core area,
[988 - 990] either side is fine
[990 - 992] and it goes right on
[994 - 997] and that's gonna hold it really tightly on there.
[997 - 999] You want a firm piece of fruit
[999 - 1001] and if you have a really mushy apple
[1001 - 1003] it'll, when you go to turn the crank,
[1003 - 1006] it'll just rotate inside the apple and nothing will happen.
[1006 - 1010] Over here, is a little blade in an arm.
[1010 - 1014] And you can adjust that to be as thick, or thin as you want.
[1014 - 1016] You can also disable it like this
[1016 - 1019] and it will just core the fruit without peeling it
[1019 - 1020] and it will slice it.
[1020 - 1022] If you just wanna peel it and not core it,
[1022 - 1024] you can take this piece off
[1024 - 1026] and this will not core it but it will peel the fruit.
[1026 - 1029] I also use this to peel potatoes
[1029 - 1031] and spiral cut them for French fries.
[1031 - 1033] There it goes.
[1038 - 1040] And then you just pull it off
[1040 - 1043] and you have a little apple slinky,
[1043 - 1045] it's kinda like the pineapple tool.
[1045 - 1046] We're turning fruit into slinkies today,
[1046 - 1048] that's what we're doing.
[1048 - 1051] When you're gonna put this in a pie,
[1051 - 1053] I trim it if anything doesn't get in
[1053 - 1055] and you just cut it right down the middle
[1056 - 1060] and you've got a million perfect slices for pie.
[1060 - 1061] And then this pops right off
[1061 - 1065] and then you reverse it and start over with another one.
[1065 - 1066] And here's another fun part,
[1066 - 1070] you can like jump rope with the peel. (Lisa laughing) It's huge.
[1070 - 1072] So, now you've seen our favorite apple tools,
[1072 - 1075] we have the crank style and the push style.
[1075 - 1077] If you can only get one of these,
[1077 - 1078] I would go for this one by "Norpro",
[1078 - 1082] it's our favorite overall, it cuts into 16 wedges.
[1082 - 1085] If you peel it first, they're good size for baking.
[1085 - 1087] It's got that nice tray at the bottom
[1087 - 1089] that helps cut through the bottom slices
[1089 - 1091] of each piece of apple
[1091 - 1094] and it washes up very quickly in the dishwasher.
[1094 - 1096] If you do tons and tons of apple picking
[1096 - 1098] you really want this crank style,
[1098 - 1100] you can process so many apples so fast,
[1100 - 1103] you saw it took about 15 seconds for one apple
[1103 - 1106] to go from a whole apple to slices, ready to bake.
[1106 - 1108] And like all the fruit preparation tools
[1108 - 1110] we showed you today, you're gonna save time,
[1110 - 1113] energy and you're not gonna waste food.
[1113 - 1115] For more information on all the gear we talked about today,
[1115 - 1116] check out the links below,
[1116 - 1118] or see americastestkitchen.com
[1118 - 1120] - And what's your favorite way to prep fruit?
[1120 - 1121] Do you think tomatoes and avocados
[1121 - 1123] should be called fruits or vegetables?
[1123 - 1125] Let us know in the comments,
[1125 - 1126] make sure to like this video
[1126 - 1127] and hit that "Subscribe" button,
[1127 - 1131] so you never miss an episode. (upbeat music)