After helping my colleaugue out with the preparation of Yu Sheng during Chinese new year, I became obssessed with peelers and shredders. With these wonderful tools, shredding is no longer limited to using shredded carrots used for adding colour to fried rice, noodles and vegetable dishes. Shredding will not limited to carrots alone! Ideas just kept popping out from my head...
First, let me introduce the members of the "Peelers and Shredders" family (from left to right):
- Suncraft Mama shredder ~ grey handle
- Orika Mama shredder ~ orange handle
- Orika Baby shredder ~ pink handle
- Orika Papa peeler ~ steel handle
Suncraft Mama shredder (SGD11.50) was the first one I bought when it was on 20% discount in TANGS cookware department. After trying it out, I found that the result was not what I wanted because the 'teeth' are spaced too far (4mm) apart:
Close up on the blades (cuts 4mm x 2mm strip):
After the Suncraft experience, I was more careful when looking for new shredders.
At the Isetan private sale on Friday, I had the craziest time shopping for Japanese gadgets for my new kitchen. Suncraft and KAI both had 20%+10% discount ~ highest discount ever! I picked a couple of things, including a KAI shredder.
Curiosity brought me to a demo counter where a girl in her late 20s was giving a demo on cutting up vegetables. This was exactly what I was looking for ~ fine-toothed shredders. And at an incredible price of SGD10.90 for a set of 3:
Close up on Mama (4mm x 2mm) and Baby shredders (2mm x 2mm):
Mama shredder can be used for shredding carrots and cucumbers for bibimbaps, turnips for spring rolls.
Baby shredder can be used for shredding ginger for stir-frys, cucumber for salads and laying sashimi (like how they do it in Japanese restaurants).
Buying 'unbranded' products does have its quality limitations. If you look at this picture, you will find that some of Mama's teeth (bottom of the picture) are crooked:
Last to be introduced is Papa peeler. Papa peeler has a strong stainless steel body with sawed-toothed instead of a smooth blade. Salesgirl said these teeth are designed to give a strong grip to peel skins of harder fruits and vegetables, eg, potatoes, ginger, pineapples (she demo-ed with pineapples). It can also be used as a slicer ~ cucumbers, carrots, ginger, cabbage (thinly shredded cabbage can be use in coleslaw).
A final family portrait ~ with blades lined up parallel for comparison:
All these are going with me to Beijing this April...
