It slices, grates, and julienne's fries! Yay! - Ultimate Slice and Grate from Pampered Chef!
Written: Aug 02 '02 (Updated Sep 19 '02)
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Pros: Slices evenly, makes quick work of slicing, julienne, and grating!
Cons: Ow! My thumb! Wait, no that was my fault!
The Bottom Line: Think about getting this if you enjoy food in slices, juliennes, or grated!
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| ariel10575's Full Review: Pampered Chef Cutting Edge Ultimate Slice and Grat... |
When I was preparing for to hold my first Pampered Chef party with my friends in my home, I was asked by my consultant to make a wish list of what I wanted to get for free, or half price. Needless to say, it was a tough decision! As I only owned 2 products at the time, I was overwhelmed by all the choices!!
After the show, I knew exactly what I wanted to spend my points on! I had one 1/2 priced item coming to me, and I reserved that for a pair of stones I wanted originally. I checked out the next thing in my head as a must have, and after finishing up the last of the tasty lemonade that she made at my party, I told my consultant I NEEDED an Ultimate Slice and Grate of my own! Thankfully, I had enough points to get it for free!! Happy Day!!
Um, what makes this thing so special? Isn't it just a plastic mandolin?
Why yes, this is very much like a mandolin! But there are several differences between this and the standard French Mandolin we see on Food Network. The first being the price, the second being the material it is made out of. Most mandolins I've seen are made out of metal of some sort, and have a little kickstand of a sort to hold it up when you use it. This one is made out of thick plastic, so it is dishwasher safe.
Why don't I just go over the features, and you can figure out why this is so cool:
(The features list is information Pampered Chef from materials they provided to me in hard copy, not online. All commentary is my own, with the exception of the details found in inches.)
Four Interchangeable Stainless Steel Blades: Yes, it can do more than slice at one thickness! It is always safest to store it with the grating blade in the ready position. It also comes with a V-shaped thick slicing blade, a julienne blade, and an adjustable thin slicing blade (1/16" and 1/8" in thickness of slice). It is so nice to have options, rather than just a plain knife. Plus, I do not know about you, but I do not cut evenly across anything! Not even if perforated!
Food Holder: This is what you want between your hand and your food when you are slicing it up! Do not end up like me, and think you can go without it! I actually sliced the skin off the top of my thumb because I thought I could do my bulky potatoes without it and be careful. Oops! Ouch!!! I'll never do that again! If you think the food is too bulky or oddly shaped, just cut it in half, and go from there. It should be easier, faster, and MUCH safer!
The food holder has 3 stainless steel prongs that hold the food in place. The holder is in two pieces, so you can push down on the top and push the food out all the way to the last slice. It also has a little hook, so you can store it right on the product!
Durable plastic body with blade storage: Three blades can be conveniently stored on the back of the product for easy access and protection. Each one has a label next to appropriate compartment for it. Built into the body at the very top is a good-sized handle to grip onto this product when you use it. Nothing flimsy here!
Rippled Edge with rubber no slip feet on bottom: This gives you two options of how to use this product. First, you can stand it in the traditional way a mandolin is used, at an angle. The rubber feet hold it in place while you hold the handle at the top, and just go to town slicing and grating!
Your second option is to lay it horizontally over a bowl, or container. The rippled edge catches on the edges of the bowl, and keeps it in place, again, letting you go to town slicing and grating!
Non-electric: Hmm..seems like a strange feature. Well, it is a good feature I guess as it does the job that a food processor could do, but you do not take up an outlet plug or space on the counter. You can 'flex your power', save electricity, and just wipe this product up with soapy water and dry with a towel. Then put it away, or hang it on the wall like I do - out of reach of children!
Compact Design: This is easy to store, as all the parts hook onto the product neatly. No need to search for a missing blade, and your counter space is saved for something more important. Well my kitchen counter space is taken up mostly by a microwave, but that is a different review!
Dishwasher-Safe: Didn't I already mention this? Well, it bears repeating! Keep this on the top rack, please. I usually put only the blades I've used into there also, but I've been known to just throw the whole thing in sometimes. It all comes out good. But do be sure to leave the middle part open, so it is cleaned all around the openings, and the blade that was used is cleaned well too.
Product Length: It is 13 3/8" long. Not too big, not too small, but just right!
Two Year Guarantee: Yes, it has a warranty for 2 whole years! Good to know, just in case.
Use and Care: With each product always comes a use and care information card. There is always at least one recipe, and this one comes with three!
Exclusive: This product was designed and is manufactured exclusively for Pampered Chef, and made in Germany.
Any tips on how to use it or care for it?
It is important to know what is good to use with each blade. Here is some things I've found:
Grating Blade: Good for most cheeses, but I usually do Cheddar, Colby/Jack and Mozzarella. I have not tried anything else, but firm fruits and vegetables should do well with it also.
Adjustable Thin Slicing Blade: If you want even thin and very thin slices of firm vegetables, you want to use this blade! I have so far tried cucumbers, zucchini, onions, and even bell peppers of all sorts!
V-shaped Thick Slicing Blade: This is what I use the most. It is great for slicing tomatoes, but I have found that it is my prefered way to slice up cucumbers, onions, potato, and lemons, even apples! I did celery once for stuffing - but it is hard to do as there is no way to use the food holder, so I left a couple inches on the top and cut those with a knife.
Julienne Blade: This must the saddest blade in my collection as I have not used it! But I know from the use and care card that it can cut food into thin strips, which are approximately 2 x 1/4 inch. It is recommend on the for use with firm vegetables like carrots, potatoes and zucchini.
I have found that as long as you follow the directions, be safe and use your food holder, and clean it up after use and dry it, you should have a good tool in the Ultimate Slice and Grate.
My Recommendation
I think that everyone that wants to save time and actually get things evenly sliced, you should get this product! I love mine so much, I will never do without it again! It is used all the time in my kitchen for so many various meals, I have to hang it on the wall so I have easy access to it. How do I do that? Why, magic of course? Actually, no, I just found a plastic hanger that is secured to the wall, and I can hook the top handle on it.
I really love this product, and as long as you practice safe slicing with the food holder, you will also have as good of a relationship with this tool as I do!
(If you are interested in a great Lemonade recipe using the Ultimate Slice and Grate, please leave a comment with your email address in it - I will email it to you!)
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Note: Yes, I am a Pampered Chef Kitchen Consultant. I am writing this review as a way to reinforce my own knowledge about a product that I own and love a lot.
For more information about this product, how to purchase it, find a consultant in your hometown, recipes, or to just contact the manufacturer, please click through the manufacturer's link on the bottom of the product page. To get there, go to the top of this page, and click the part I have left in italics that says:
Home » Home & Garden » Cooking » Bakeware » Pampered Chef Cutting Edge Ultimate Slice and Grate 1085
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 45.00
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Epinions.com ID:
ariel10575
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Member: Rebecca Murphy
Location: Granada Hills, Ca, USA
Reviews written: 117
Trusted by: 62 members
About Me:
I'm back, and getting ready to write again. :)
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