[0 - 8] - And it's super easy to clean according to him. That's... (box rattles) (upbeat music)
[9 - 11] - If you cook regularly at home,
[11 - 14] you're almost certainly gonna be prepping some vegetables.
[14 - 15] - At least you probably should be.
[15 - 17] - [Lisa] Vegetables are key to so many recipes
[17 - 19] from breakfast to lunch to dinner.
[19 - 21] But vegetable prep could get a little tedious sometimes.
[21 - 24] - Fortunately, we have a lot of great tips and tools
[24 - 26] to make vegetable prep easier.
[26 - 28] Lisa and I are gonna show you some of our favorite gear
[28 - 30] and some gear we think you should avoid
[30 - 32] so you can prep veggies to your heart's content.
[32 - 34] But first, we have a book coming out.
[34 - 37] It's called "Kitchen Gear: The Ultimate Owner's Manual."
[37 - 40] - The two of us have 30 years of combined experience
[40 - 41] testing Kitchen Gear,
[41 - 44] and we've packed all of our favorite tips and tricks
[44 - 45] into this book.
[45 - 47] - We give you our unbiased take
[47 - 49] on what's worth buying and what's not.
[49 - 51] Plus you'll find over a hundred ATK recipes
[51 - 53] that bring out the best in your gear.
[53 - 54] - Get your copy of "Kitchen Gear:
[54 - 56] The Ultimate Owner's Manual" today.
[56 - 58] First up, Hannah.
[58 - 61] (upbeat music continues)
[61 - 63] - Mandolins make veggie prep easier
[63 - 67] because they make super precise consistent cuts,
[67 - 68] and they do so very quickly.
[68 - 70] They all function basically the same way.
[70 - 72] You slide the food down across the blade
[72 - 74] while you hold onto the mandolin with your other hand.
[74 - 77] The blade you can raise and lower it,
[77 - 78] and that makes a thicker, a thinner slice.
[78 - 80] Some of them also come with different blades
[80 - 82] that you can load in to make fun cuts like waffle cuts.
[82 - 84] I mean, who doesn't love waffle fries?
[84 - 87] So we have tested a whole bunch of these things.
[87 - 90] At their best, they truly mimic impeccable knife skills,
[90 - 92] and they make things go a heck of a lot faster,
[92 - 94] which is a boon for your veggie prep.
[94 - 96] At their worst, they are downright dangerous
[96 - 97] or extremely frustrating
[97 - 100] and will just end up in your cabinet collecting dust.
[100 - 103] We came away from our testing with three top winners.
[103 - 107] Our top overall is a chefy favorite, the Benriner.
[107 - 108] You will see this in restaurants.
[108 - 110] It's capable of making some of the most
[110 - 113] whisper thin beautiful cuts you will ever see.
[113 - 116] We also love the Oxo right here.
[116 - 117] This I will call the easiest to use.
[117 - 120] It doesn't quite get as thin or precise as the Benriner,
[120 - 122] but it's a lot easier to use.
[122 - 124] It's got this foot. It's super stable.
[124 - 126] We also love the Kyocera paddle model.
[126 - 127] I actually have one of these at home
[127 - 128] and I reach for it a lot.
[128 - 129] You can just store it right in a drawer.
[129 - 130] It doesn't do as much,
[130 - 133] but it's also a heck of a lot easier to use and clean.
[133 - 134] It's our best compact option.
[134 - 137] So the first thing we considered with our mandolins
[137 - 139] was their range of thicknesses.
[139 - 140] You know we really wanted a mandolin
[140 - 143] that could do gossamer thin wisps of fennel for a salad
[143 - 147] all the way up to thick slabs for eggplant Parmesan.
[147 - 149] This range in thicknesses and consistency in thicknesses
[149 - 152] will also help your food be better.
[152 - 155] If you have super consistent slices of eggplant Parmesan,
[155 - 157] your dish is gonna cook nice and evenly
[157 - 159] versus if you have a thin one, that's gonna overcook;
[159 - 161] or a thick one, that's not gonna cook enough.
[161 - 164] Our top models here ranged in thicknesses
[164 - 165] from half a millimeter
[165 - 167] so thin you could practically see through it
[167 - 169] all the way up to 9.5 millimeters
[169 - 171] on the large end of things.
[171 - 173] Those that ended up towards the bottom of our rankings,
[173 - 174] just didn't do as much.
[174 - 176] We really wanted to see a broad range,
[176 - 179] and that's why these two landed at the top of our rankings.
[179 - 181] So sharp blades were obviously essential here.
[181 - 183] You can't really take these blades out to sharpen them.
[183 - 186] So we wanted models that came sharp from the outset.
[186 - 188] We tested a wide range of things
[188 - 191] from super delicate tomato skins
[191 - 193] to really rugged celeriacs.
[193 - 195] Another major thing here was blade shape.
[195 - 197] V-shape is a common shape for mandolins
[197 - 199] as is straight blades, like I have in front of me.
[199 - 201] We much preferred straight blades.
[201 - 203] They had more even, more consistent results.
[203 - 206] Another thing that was important, big platforms.
[206 - 207] That's the thing I'm talking about right here.
[207 - 208] You need some room to work.
[208 - 209] You know, you wanna be able to slide
[209 - 212] a full eggplant along here, carrots.
[212 - 215] You wanna be able to do a range of size, veggies and fruits.
[215 - 216] These are bigger to store.
[216 - 216] That is a downside
[216 - 218] which is why the Kyocera paddle model
[218 - 221] is fantastic for smaller tasks.
[221 - 222] But if you want something
[222 - 225] that can do a wider range in sizes and fruits and veggies,
[225 - 228] a big platform about four inches across was ideal.
[228 - 231] And lastly, rubber feet helped grip the counter.
[231 - 234] So these things didn't move around when you're using them,
[234 - 236] which is definitely a major thing for safety.
[237 - 238] Here are a couple tips we learned
[238 - 240] along the way in our mandolin testing
[240 - 243] to help use these things more safely and more easily.
[243 - 244] First of all, go slow.
[244 - 247] Most injuries happen when people get going too fast.
[247 - 249] You got that momentum, it's cutting beautifully,
[249 - 252] you get all excited, and then boom, you cut your finger.
[252 - 253] Second of all, some of these come with hand guards,
[253 - 256] and you can use those to help keep your fingers safe.
[256 - 258] If you don't have a good hand guard
[258 - 260] or if you just wanna add an additional layer of protection,
[261 - 264] cut resistant gloves can be really useful with mandolins.
[264 - 266] And then also make sure you're always cutting
[266 - 267] on a flat surface
[267 - 269] and clear out the food as it piles up underneath
[269 - 271] so you don't get a backup.
[271 - 273] Also, cut the food in half
[273 - 275] so you are slicing on a flat surface.
[275 - 277] And finally, washing.
[277 - 279] Do not put a mandolin in the dishwasher.
[279 - 280] It will definitely make it dull faster
[280 - 282] and like I said before,
[282 - 283] you can't really sharpen these things.
[283 - 285] Alright, so that is our mandolin roundup.
[285 - 287] We absolutely love these tools.
[287 - 289] They can really help with your veggie prep.
[289 - 291] Just be careful.
[291 - 294] Next up in our veggie prep series: spiralizers.
[294 - 295] These hit the market
[295 - 297] like five years ago and made a big splash.
[297 - 299] I think everyone had one at the time.
[299 - 301] We still love them for a couple reasons.
[301 - 303] No shade to the low carb crowd,
[303 - 306] but I'm not using one of these to replace pasta.
[306 - 307] I still love pasta.
[307 - 309] I think what you get out of one of these things
[309 - 312] is different shapes and textures of vegetables
[312 - 314] so you can make more interesting vegetable dishes.
[314 - 316] Zucchini noodles with a beautiful topping
[316 - 318] is absolutely a gorgeous dish for the summer
[318 - 321] and a good way to use up all that zucchini bounty.
[321 - 323] So most spiralizers work roughly the same way.
[323 - 325] You wanna square off your veggie
[325 - 327] so the machine can get a good grip on it.
[327 - 330] And these spikes here, hold one side.
[330 - 332] This little round circle over here holds the other side.
[332 - 335] That keeps the veggie firmly in place.
[335 - 337] And then you turn this crank
[337 - 340] and progressively push this closer
[340 - 343] as the blades cut up the vegetable.
[343 - 345] Nice, beautiful noodles
[345 - 347] or whatever slice you're making come out this side.
[347 - 349] This is our new winner from Oxo.
[349 - 350] Our previous winner was from Paderno,
[350 - 353] but we ran into some availability issues there.
[353 - 354] We just retested,
[354 - 356] and we really fell in love with this Oxo model.
[356 - 358] But the Paderno is still great if you can find it.
[358 - 359] So let's get into it
[359 - 361] and talk about what makes a good spiralizer.
[361 - 363] We knew we wanted a spiralizer
[363 - 366] that could handle all sizes, shapes, and densities
[366 - 368] of fruits and vegetables.
[368 - 370] We also wanted one that was easy to set up,
[370 - 373] easy to use, stable on the countertop,
[373 - 374] and easy to clean.
[374 - 376] A good spiralizer should also generate
[376 - 378] long, unbroken noodles.
[378 - 381] We also want one that doesn't create a ton of waste.
[381 - 386] So we spiralized zucchini, apples, beets, sweet potatoes,
[386 - 388] and butternut squash,
[388 - 390] measuring everything before and afterwards
[390 - 394] to look at how much waste each of the machines generated.
[394 - 396] None of these models were absolutely perfect,
[396 - 398] but our winner did have a few things
[398 - 400] that made it rise to the top of the pack.
[400 - 402] First of all, it was the most stable.
[402 - 403] Stability is really important here
[403 - 405] because you're exerting a lot of force
[405 - 406] onto this little machine.
[406 - 407] You don't want things to slip around.
[407 - 409] You wanna feel nice and confident in what you're doing.
[409 - 413] And the Oxo here and the Paderno have a lower profile.
[413 - 415] Another thing we really liked about the Oxo
[415 - 417] was this suction pad that it has on the bottom
[417 - 420] that really helps anchor it to the countertop.
[420 - 422] You operate it with this little bar right here.
[422 - 424] I'm gonna release the suction right now.
[424 - 426] Break the suction, pulling up the tab,
[426 - 428] and you can lift it off easily.
[428 - 429] But to put it back on the counter,
[429 - 431] you simply crank that down.
[431 - 433] Now it's really, really locked in there,
[433 - 437] and that extra stability makes spiralizing so much easier.
[437 - 439] And none of these were exactly easy to clean,
[439 - 441] but the Oxo was easier than most.
[441 - 444] All right, so spiralizers are admittedly a little niche,
[444 - 445] but they can accomplish cuts
[445 - 447] that you can't do with your chef's knife.
[447 - 448] A spiralizer can be a fun way
[448 - 451] to open up a new dimension of veggies.
[451 - 453] Another one of my favorite veggie tools
[453 - 454] is the humble grater.
[454 - 457] Now a good food processor with a shredding disc
[457 - 460] can make quick work of a pile of zucchini
[460 - 461] or shredded cheese.
[461 - 465] We always keep graters on hand for smaller tasks
[465 - 466] and when you don't wanna lug out a big machine.
[466 - 469] Now we tested two styles of graters: box and paddle.
[469 - 471] And we have a winner in each.
[471 - 472] This is our box winner from Cuisinart,
[472 - 474] and our paddle style winner from Rösle.
[474 - 477] Now there are pros and cons of each style,
[477 - 479] and that's why we ended up with two winners.
[479 - 481] We'll get into that a bit later.
[481 - 482] But first, let's talk
[482 - 484] about what makes a good grater in general.
[484 - 487] First off, tooth style was really important.
[487 - 490] Now there were two different styles in our lineup.
[490 - 491] The first off was stamped
[491 - 493] where the holes are stamped
[493 - 495] out of a more rigid piece of metal.
[495 - 496] The second style is etched
[496 - 497] where the holes are eroded
[497 - 500] out of a thinner piece of metal by chemicals.
[500 - 503] The teeth on etched graters sit lower,
[503 - 506] whereas the teeth on stamped graters sit higher.
[506 - 507] And both worked well.
[507 - 509] But we generally preferred stamped graters
[509 - 511] because that wider space
[511 - 513] allowed them not to get clogged quite as much.
[513 - 515] Stamped graters were also better
[515 - 516] with soft and malleable foods.
[516 - 519] They grated them more efficiently, more easily,
[519 - 520] and more completely.
[520 - 522] Because the metal used to make etched graters
[522 - 524] was thinner and more flexible,
[524 - 526] we found they buckled more easily,
[526 - 527] and we didn't like that.
[527 - 528] The teeth had to be sharp.
[528 - 530] It's not like you can sharpen one of these things,
[530 - 532] so they had to arrive sharp right out of the box.
[532 - 534] We also found that the dimensions
[534 - 536] of the grating surface really mattered.
[536 - 537] The bigger a surface you have,
[537 - 539] the faster you can get through food
[539 - 542] because you have more runway to grate your food on
[542 - 544] before you restart another swipe.
[544 - 545] Testers were divided
[545 - 547] when it came to the style of grater they preferred.
[547 - 549] Some prefer the paddle style
[549 - 551] because they can be used several different ways
[551 - 554] hooked over a bowl on top of a cutting board.
[554 - 557] Also, people like to be able to cut at an angle
[557 - 559] versus more vertical, like you cut with a box grater.
[559 - 561] The paddle graters were also notably easier
[561 - 563] to clean and store.
[563 - 565] So definitely a couple pros over here.
[565 - 567] The box graters on the other hand were more stable
[567 - 568] because they had four sides,
[568 - 570] and also they helped contain some of the shreds
[570 - 571] 'cause everything you're grating
[571 - 573] goes down into this chamber right here.
[573 - 577] Regardless of style, we liked rubbery grippy bases.
[577 - 579] See, this one has two little feet right here,
[579 - 581] and this one has a nice grippy base right here.
[581 - 584] That allows them to sit more securely on the countertop.
[584 - 585] We also liked big handles,
[585 - 587] which were more comfortable and secure to hold.
[587 - 590] If it had a rubbery grip on it, that was an extra bonus
[590 - 592] and felt a little more secure, which is really nice,
[592 - 593] especially when your hands are a little wet.
[593 - 595] So which style is your favorite?
[595 - 596] I'm Team Paddle.
[596 - 598] Let us know what yours is in the comments.
[598 - 600] Either way, a grater is a great way
[600 - 601] to speed up your veggie prep.
[601 - 604] Next up, we have a family of products we do not recommend:
[604 - 608] specialized vegetable cutting tools like the Slap Chop here.
[608 - 610] I think the alligator chopper is another one
[610 - 611] that falls into this category.
[611 - 615] Basically, these tools promise to cut things for you
[615 - 616] and make it super easy.
[616 - 618] You might remember this if you couldn't sleep
[618 - 620] sometime in 2008 at three in the morning,
[620 - 623] you saw this wild looking fellow over here on an infomercial
[623 - 625] trying to promise you
[625 - 626] that your life will be that much easier
[626 - 627] with one of these things.
[627 - 629] We put these to the test for real
[629 - 631] because, you know, we like to keep an open mind.
[631 - 633] But we found ourselves de-tangling
[633 - 635] cut up pieces of carrots and onions
[635 - 637] from this sketchy sharp blade.
[637 - 640] It also cut things so unevenly and bruised them.
[640 - 641] We were sobbing from the onions.
[642 - 643] We recommend instead
[643 - 647] sticking with the most simple of all veggie prep tools,
[647 - 648] a chef's knife and a cutting board.
[648 - 649] Next up, Lisa,
[649 - 655] with some of her favorite veggie prep tools and tips. (upbeat music)
[656 - 658] - First thing I'm gonna talk about today
[658 - 659] is vegetable peelers.
[659 - 662] Back in the day, you had to use a pairing knife.
[662 - 665] My mom and all older Italian ladies cut everything
[665 - 667] in their hands with a small knife like this.
[667 - 669] We have better things now.
[669 - 670] Enter vegetable peelers.
[670 - 672] The original kind is this straight kind,
[672 - 675] and you can see why it really resembles the knife
[675 - 677] that, you know, it was developed from.
[677 - 679] The newest version is called a Y-peeler,
[679 - 681] for obvious reasons, the blade goes across
[681 - 684] rather than directly out from the handle.
[684 - 685] We tested both kinds,
[685 - 687] and these were our winners.
[687 - 689] I tested something like 17 peelers.
[689 - 692] It was a lot of vegetables being peeled in every direction.
[692 - 695] Our favorite straight style peeler is by Oxo.
[695 - 696] It's the Good Grip Swivel Peeler.
[696 - 699] Our overall winner is a Y-style peeler,
[699 - 701] and this is the Original Swiss Peeler by Kuhn Rikon.
[701 - 703] This has been our longtime favorite
[703 - 705] for years and years in the test kitchen.
[705 - 706] We supply all the equipment
[706 - 708] that the test cooks can use here in the kitchen,
[708 - 710] and a bunch of them were carrying this peeler
[710 - 712] in their chef coat pockets, and I said,
[712 - 713] "Why are you bringing your own peeler from home?"
[713 - 715] I put it in a testing that I did
[715 - 717] against a bunch of other peelers,
[717 - 719] and it's won repeatedly over the years.
[719 - 722] Both of these have sharp maneuverable blades.
[722 - 724] This one is made of carbon steel,
[724 - 726] and this one is stainless steel.
[726 - 729] Carbon steel, you have to keep them dry, occasionally oil it
[729 - 730] to prevent any kind of rust;
[730 - 733] stainless steel, you don't have that kind of maintenance.
[733 - 735] But both of these started out really sharp,
[735 - 737] and they stayed really sharp throughout testing.
[737 - 740] These have very maneuverable heads, they're very slim,
[740 - 743] and both of them were not afraid of the delegate stuff
[743 - 744] and could handle the tough stuff.
[744 - 747] All peelers are basically swivel peelers.
[747 - 748] This means the blade will rock
[748 - 751] so that as you're following the contours of a vegetable,
[751 - 752] you don't have to turn your arm.
[752 - 755] The blade kind of rocks and directs itself.
[755 - 758] The two blades have a really important purpose.
[758 - 761] The first half rides along the surface of the vegetable,
[761 - 763] and it sets the angle for the second half.
[763 - 765] And that made a huge difference in peelers that we tested.
[765 - 768] Some of them made really thick peels
[768 - 770] and sure, they got the surface off,
[770 - 772] but they also wasted like half of the carrot.
[772 - 775] So you hit this Goldilocks moment with these two peelers.
[775 - 777] A lot of people say, "Why are you so stuck on Y-peelers?"
[777 - 779] And don't knock 'em till you've tried 'em.
[779 - 782] When you're peeling, you can see exactly what you're doing.
[782 - 783] It gives you more control.
[783 - 785] This style is one of the more visible models
[785 - 786] of a straight peeler,
[786 - 788] but a lot of them have these very thick backs.
[788 - 790] You can't see where the blade is
[790 - 791] and what it's actually doing.
[791 - 793] Finally, they were really easy to clean.
[793 - 794] They didn't trap food anywhere.
[794 - 795] They rinsed off.
[795 - 798] We don't believe you should put any bladed tool
[798 - 800] from your kitchen into the dishwasher.
[800 - 803] The dishwasher environment is just rough on blades.
[803 - 806] You wanna be able to keep it in great shape
[806 - 807] so that peeling is not such a chore.
[807 - 809] And another really cool thing about peelers
[809 - 811] that you might not have realized
[811 - 814] is that they have this thing called a potato eye remover.
[814 - 816] This loop on this one
[816 - 818] and this little scoop on the end of this one,
[818 - 819] that's what they're for.
[819 - 821] So while you're peeling, you just get in there
[821 - 824] and just snick it out and get rid of it and keep peeling.
[824 - 826] Another thing that we really liked about both of these
[826 - 827] is that they have very neutral grips.
[827 - 829] They're very ergonomically friendly
[829 - 831] to right and left-handed people
[831 - 833] and to however you wanna hold them.
[833 - 834] You don't feel like you're punished
[834 - 836] if you have to peel a pile of carrots.
[836 - 838] Now, let's talk about the salad spinner.
[838 - 842] So I personally tested salad spinners here at ATK.
[842 - 844] You want one that has a really good capacity.
[844 - 847] This one holds a lot of greens.
[847 - 849] It's got a nice big open basket.
[849 - 850] It's got this little stem in it,
[850 - 852] but that's the only thing that protrudes into the basket.
[852 - 856] Some of them had weird tube pan shapes or other things
[856 - 858] that you were really crushing the produce
[858 - 859] when you were putting it into wash.
[859 - 860] And that's not good.
[860 - 863] You wanna handle everything gently so it stays really fresh.
[863 - 866] This works like a child's toy.
[866 - 869] As you push down, it spins the basket.
[869 - 871] It's actually easy to do,
[871 - 873] and it's kind of fun. (basket rattles)
[873 - 876] And then for storage, you can lock the the thing down.
[876 - 880] It stays flat and has a little break that works to stop it.
[880 - 882] I took a weighed amount of greens
[882 - 884] and a measured amount of water,
[884 - 885] and I put them in together
[885 - 887] and spun them dry
[887 - 888] and then weighed them again.
[888 - 892] The only one that got close to 100% of the water
[892 - 895] off those greens was this one from Oxo.
[895 - 897] Some of the other ones felt pretty short,
[897 - 899] and there's a few reasons for that.
[899 - 902] One is that it gets going very quickly, as I said.
[902 - 904] The other is the basket is actually suspended
[904 - 906] on a little point in there
[906 - 909] and you can get I think up to a half cup of water
[909 - 912] off of these greens before they're re-wetting on the bottom
[912 - 913] as the basket goes through.
[913 - 915] Don't just put the produce in here
[915 - 917] and rinse it under the sink and use this to spin it.
[917 - 920] Use the exterior bowl to really flood the greens
[920 - 922] or the produce that you're washing.
[922 - 923] Sploosh it around a little with your hands,
[923 - 924] it's a technical term,
[924 - 927] and then rinse it out, dump that,
[927 - 929] then put it back in, then spin it.
[930 - 932] And if there's a lot of water coming off of it,
[932 - 933] dump that and spin it again.
[933 - 935] You don't want them to be damp
[935 - 938] because that will encourage them to start to spoil.
[938 - 940] This one is very easy to clean
[940 - 943] because the top actually just pops open right here
[943 - 945] for easy cleaning and for full drying
[945 - 946] which is really important.
[946 - 949] The rest of this washes very quickly in the sink,
[949 - 951] and it is dishwasher safe.
[951 - 953] So if you go to the farmer's market
[953 - 955] or you have farm share
[955 - 958] and you wanna wash your produce really well,
[958 - 960] a salad spinner is the way to go.
[960 - 963] So here's another way to make your life easier
[963 - 964] for veggie prep.
[964 - 966] The garlic press.
[966 - 968] Now I know a lot of people will say things like,
[968 - 970] "You don't need a garlic press.
[970 - 971] You can just chop it with your chef's knife."
[971 - 974] Yes, you can, if you have good knife skills.
[974 - 976] When we call for minced garlic here at ATK,
[976 - 978] we almost always say, "Use a garlic press,"
[978 - 983] because you want uniform, small pieces.
[983 - 984] So we tested a bunch of these.
[984 - 985] This is our winner.
[985 - 986] It's by Kuhn Rikon.
[986 - 988] It's the epicurean garlic press.
[988 - 990] It's all stainless steel.
[990 - 992] This one has been our long time favorite
[992 - 994] for a couple of reasons.
[994 - 996] These have nice long handles,
[996 - 998] and it's got just a beautiful mechanism.
[998 - 1000] It really works very smoothly.
[1000 - 1002] So you can really squeeze it with just one hand
[1002 - 1004] even if you're comparative weakling like me.
[1004 - 1005] It's very hard to see,
[1005 - 1008] but the holes are actually funnel shaped.
[1008 - 1010] So they're a little bit wider when they first go in,
[1010 - 1011] and then they narrow out.
[1011 - 1014] It actually makes it easier to press the garlic through
[1014 - 1016] and to still get the same size pieces.
[1016 - 1019] It will just kind of zip it through a little faster
[1019 - 1020] and a little more smoothly.
[1020 - 1022] It's got this nice big plate to press.
[1022 - 1025] So this is called the hopper and this is the plunger.
[1025 - 1027] You put the garlic in and you close it,
[1027 - 1030] and the plunger pushes it through to the other side.
[1030 - 1032] Most of the garlic goes out the front.
[1032 - 1033] It's not coming out the sides
[1033 - 1035] in the back and every place else
[1035 - 1036] and not getting crushed.
[1036 - 1038] Maybe all that part was fine in your garlic press,
[1038 - 1041] but then you're done and there's garlic all stuck in there
[1041 - 1042] and it's pain to clean
[1042 - 1043] and you're detailing it with a toothpick.
[1043 - 1047] I know, 'cause the one I used to have, I had to do that.
[1047 - 1049] This one, that hopper comes right out.
[1049 - 1052] So you just flick that stuff out the side, rinse it,
[1052 - 1055] and it comes clean, which is amazing.
[1055 - 1056] It's so easy.
[1056 - 1058] And finally, just being a hundred percent stainless steel.
[1058 - 1060] This is a very solid tool.
[1060 - 1062] It's not gonna break on you.
[1062 - 1064] So number one tip I found with this,
[1064 - 1066] don't peel the cloves, don't bother.
[1066 - 1067] Save yourself a step.
[1067 - 1069] Put 'em in here with the peel on.
[1069 - 1071] It presses out just fine.
[1071 - 1072] And when you're done,
[1072 - 1074] and you lift out that hopper,
[1074 - 1075] it just flicks away.
[1075 - 1077] It takes all the residue with it.
[1077 - 1079] Second, if you ever find it really hard to squeeze,
[1079 - 1081] just cut the little stem end off the clove,
[1081 - 1083] and that just breaks the tension of the skin
[1083 - 1085] and makes it much easier to press.
[1085 - 1086] Or you can just cut it in half
[1086 - 1089] and put the two halves in face down in the hopper,
[1089 - 1091] squeeze it, beautiful. The next thing I really like to do,
[1091 - 1094] and this is just a minor tip, but it will save your knife.
[1094 - 1097] Use the back of the knife, the spine, not the sharp edge
[1097 - 1099] as you're swooping down to get rid of the garlic.
[1099 - 1102] Finally, you know, don't leave this out to dry
[1102 - 1104] and let that garlic harden on there
[1104 - 1105] and turn into garlic cement.
[1105 - 1107] If you can't wash it right away,
[1107 - 1108] soak it in the sink right away.
[1108 - 1111] This one is much easier than most to clean,
[1111 - 1112] but you know as well as I do,
[1112 - 1114] if it dries in those holes,
[1114 - 1115] it gets harder and harder to clean.
[1115 - 1118] So just throw it in the sink right away,
[1118 - 1120] and it'll clean up in a second afterward.
[1120 - 1122] So we have a few quick tips for peeling garlic
[1122 - 1123] that are very easy to do.
[1123 - 1126] So if you have just one or two cloves to peel,
[1126 - 1127] use the side of your knife.
[1127 - 1130] Just put the clove on the cutting board,
[1130 - 1132] put the side of the blade on, (fist thumps)
[1132 - 1133] and whack it.
[1133 - 1135] That will pop the peel right off the clove.
[1135 - 1137] If you have to do it a lot of garlic at once,
[1137 - 1139] break the head of the garlic open
[1139 - 1142] and then put all of those into a Mason jar.
[1142 - 1143] Close it up
[1143 - 1145] and shake it hard like you're shaking a cocktail.
[1145 - 1148] For about 15 seconds, all the peels will fly off.
[1148 - 1150] If you're gonna be prepping garlic,
[1150 - 1152] the easiest way to do it, as I said,
[1152 - 1154] get yourself a good garlic press,
[1154 - 1157] and it will be no big deal from now on.
[1157 - 1160] Now for something completely different,
[1160 - 1162] something you should totally avoid.
[1162 - 1165] These are the toss and chop salad scissors.
[1165 - 1166] This is designed
[1166 - 1169] to make it super easy to make a chopped salad
[1169 - 1171] by just throwing everything in a bowl
[1171 - 1172] and preparing it there.
[1172 - 1175] No knife or cutting board needed.
[1175 - 1176] Didn't work out that way.
[1176 - 1178] It took so much more effort
[1178 - 1180] than a knife and a cutting board,
[1180 - 1182] and the results just looked like a monster.
[1182 - 1184] I had been in there. It was terrible.
[1184 - 1187] These have a few problems, in the first being,
[1187 - 1189] that they don't open wide enough
[1189 - 1190] to really grab a lot of food,
[1190 - 1191] and they're fairly short.
[1191 - 1195] You could chop a carrot because it could fit in this space,
[1195 - 1197] but when you did, it just sent it flying.
[1197 - 1199] It couldn't get around a round tomato.
[1199 - 1201] It just had to kind of bite at it,
[1201 - 1203] and then you had to flip it around and chop it some more.
[1203 - 1205] By the time you're done,
[1205 - 1207] you've got all these raggedy juiced up pieces
[1207 - 1209] that are just a mess.
[1209 - 1211] It was exhausting. Skip 'em.
[1211 - 1213] So with all the tips and tricks and gadgets
[1213 - 1214] that Hannah and I have showed you today,
[1214 - 1217] hopefully veggie prep will go so much easier for you.
[1218 - 1220] For more information on all the gear we talked about today,
[1220 - 1223] check out the links below or see AmericasTestKitchen.com.
[1223 - 1225] - And what are your tips and tricks
[1225 - 1227] for making veggie prep fly by?
[1227 - 1229] One of our favorites is to put some good tunes on.
[1229 - 1231] What are you listening to in the kitchen?
[1231 - 1232] Let us know in the comments.
[1232 - 1234] Make sure to like this video
[1234 - 1236] and hit that subscribe button so you never miss an episode.
[1236 - 1240] (upbeat percussion music)