If you core a lot of apples, sure. If you don’t core many then a paring knife can get the job done without the need for yet another tool. Apple corer is actually very useful and valuable as it makes slicing easy at least five times fast.
Store and/or access information on a device. Use limited data to select advertising. Create profiles for personalised advertising. Use profiles to select personalised advertising. Create profiles to personalise content. Use profiles to select personalised content. Measure advertising performance. Measure content performance. Understand audiences through statistics or combinations of data from different sources. Develop and improve services. Use limited data to select content.
And before you write it off as a single-task kitchen gadget, let me say: I hear you. I did not grow up in a kitchen gadget household. My family’s Thanksgiving pie crust is much more likely to be weighted down by dried beans than pie weights. We make homemade whipped cream using just a metal bowl, a whisk, and some serious wrist strength.
You push the bottom of the apple onto the prongs of the rotary rod, move it flush against the peeler, and start cranking the wooden handle. In about 10 seconds—really—you have a peeled and cored apple, sliced into perfect, juicy rings. Plus a very pleasing pile of ribboned peel. (If you want, you can also disengage the peeler to just core and slice, or remove the coring and slicing blade to just peel.)
We’ve had our family apple peeler for over 30 years. I’m not sure where it came from, and I actually can’t remember a time without it. But the one I used recently in Wirecutter’s test kitchen—left over from when senior staff writer Lesley Stockton peeled 126 pounds of apples during testing for our food dehydrator guide—is nearly identical. Though we haven’t formally tested them, many of the options available today seem similar. In fact, the technology (if you can call it that) hasn’t changed much since hand-crank peelers were invented over 150 years ago.
For my family, the hand-crank apple peeler’s presence has become just as synonymous with the holiday as the sour-cream apple pie we use it to make. Call me old-fashioned, but I’m not sure that a more-modern gadget would hold such a pull over me. And I’ve certainly yet to find one that gets the job done nearly as well.
Senior editor Jennifer Hunter says that the apple peeler she used all the time growing up—on an organic vegetable farm in Oregon—looked exactly like our staff favorite, too. Although she’s pretty sure hers “came out of an old barn or something.”
Are Apple Corers/Slicers Worth Buying?
FAQ
Do you need an apple corer?
What is the purpose of the apple corer?
What is the best tool to peel an apple?
Which apple corer should I buy?
However, if you usually core large apples, you might want to get an apple corer with a big core diameter. Apple corers with an ergonomic and comfortable handle allow you to core apples at a continuous stretch without feeling too tired. If the handle is too small, you may face some difficulties while coring apples.
Which Apple Peeler & corer should I buy?
If you’re looking for a compact, modern device that’s quick and easy to use, the PL8 Apple Peeler and Corer is a great choice. It features an ergonomic base and non-skid feed to hold the peeler at a comfortable angle for use, and the stainless steel legs fold in for easy storage when you’re finished.
What is an apple corer?
This slices the apple (you usually get eight or 10 slices) and separates out the core. The draw for this type of corer is that there are two steps in the process down: slicing and coring. However, I sometimes find these resulting apple slices are too thick for pie or an apple crumble.