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The Problem: I bake with a lot of apples. I make a ton of applesauce, apple pies, apple tarts, and apple cakes — and peeling, coring, and slicing them has forever been a pain.
The Solution: The Tatida apple peeler, corer, and slicer lets you peel and chop an apple in a matter of seconds.
I love to cook, and I love to bake. Simply put, it relaxes me and brings me joy. Even the prep work of getting the meals together and chopping veggies and herbs is soothing. One task, though, has always irritated me — peeling and chopping apples. Peeling takes forever, chopping them with a knife can lead to uneven slices, and using an apple slicer is annoying and creates chunks that are too large.
As is the way of the magical internet, Amazon was able to read my mind once again, apparently, and showed me a nifty 3-in-1 apple peeler, corer, and slicers tool in my ads. (Probably due to all the apples I buy at Whole Foods, but it could also very well be that the algorithm is a sinister entity that reads my mind and hears my every conversation. I’m not ruling that out.)
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.
Unless you’re a dehydrating hobbyist or are lucky enough to have your own apple tree, you probably won’t use your apple peeler that often. But I like to think its seasonality gives it its own kind of patina. Some of my earliest Thanksgiving memories are sitting at the kitchen counter, peeling apples. Now I supervise my nephews doing the same.
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.)
I recently peeled, cored, and sliced nine large apples—about the amount you’d need for most apple pie recipes—and cleaned everything up, all in under five minutes. Lesley estimates that the gargantuan task of peeling apples for dehydrator testing would have taken her “easily five times longer” without this mighty little tool.
Like with any handheld tool, a little trial and error is involved. I’ve found the faster you crank, the better. If you start and stop—either on purpose or because of a bruised or otherwise misshapen apple—the peel can get tangled and take you off-track. (Speaking of the peeler, be careful. It’s sharp.)
As is the way of the magical internet, Amazon was able to read my mind once again, apparently, and showed me a nifty 3-in-1 apple peeler, corer, and slicers tool in my ads. (Probably due to all the apples I buy at Whole Foods, but it could also very well be that the algorithm is a sinister entity that reads my mind and hears my every conversation. I’m not ruling that out.)
Its not a perfect machine — there is no such thing. As I mentioned, getting the apple onto the spikes can be tricky, and the denser the fruit, the harder it is. For example, I slid the pear onto the spikes with ease and almost no resistance. But for sturdy apples like Black Oxfords and winesaps, you have to shove those onto the spikes with solid pressure. Honeycrisps, which are firm but light and juicy, go on fairly easily, with little resistance.
I honestly don’t know where the Tatida apple peeler, corer, and slicer has been all my life — but I’m so glad I found it. I live in the literal Big Apple, and it’s my favorite fruit for eating and baking (and salads, beverages, and fried in dough. If it’s apple, it’s for me. Apple ice cream, too). This (somewhat) weird, inexpensive little tool has made my life so much easier and has taken a chore I hated and made it something quasi-entertaining. Watching it do its thing, leaving a spiral of peel and a seedy core in its wake, is almost mesmerizing, and it’s something that will live in my kitchen forever.
Opening the peeler, it looked a bit like something youd find in your grandfathers workshop, or perhaps a medieval torture chamber. Certainly, it doesnt resemble any kitchen tool Ive ever purchased. It looks like a crank with spikes on a suction cup, and essentially, thats what it is — and its simplicity is what makes it so great. Let me explain…
The suction cup holds onto any non-porous surface and the turning lever affixes it to your table. I use a steel table, and it really grips it well. Then, you core the apple, top-side into the spikes, and when you wind the crank, it pushes the apple forward through the coring and slicing blades. At the same time, a U-shaped peeler rids the apple of its skin. This creates a peeled apple sliced into a 1/3-inch spiral slice. If you only want to peel, and not core and slice it, you simply move the blade and corer down via a small lever. The whole thing takes almost no energy, with the most difficult part being getting the apple onto the spikes — which, compared to traditional peeling, coring, and slicing, is an absolute walk in the park. To clean it, you simply submerge the whole thing in soapy water and rinse it off.
Are Apple Corers/Slicers Worth Buying?
FAQ
What is the best tool to peel an apple?
What are the benefits of apple cutter?
What is an apple core slicer used for?
Are Apple slicers expensive?
Apple slicers, in general, are extremely affordable. They only vary in price slightly due to construction materials and the number of apple slices they produce. You’ll find simple slicers and dividers are among the cheapest models.
Can apple sauce be used instead of apple cider in a recipe?
Apple cider substitute should be apple juice. But if you’re going to use it for baking, substitute any other vinegar like champagne, white, sherry, rice wine, red wine, whatever you have. If you don’t have that, use lemon juice.
What should you consider when buying an apple slicer?
When purchasing an apple slicer, consider factors such as build quality, sharpness of the blades, ease of use, and ease of cleaning. High-quality materials, such as stainless steel, can ensure a sharp and clean cut. Additionally, non-slip handles and a stable base provide a safer and more comfortable grip.
Which Apple Slicer is best?
According to America’s Test Kitchen, the best apple corer is the OXO Good Grips Apple Corer. They praise it for its comfortable grip, sharp blade, and ease of use. Do 16-slice apple slicers offer any advantages over 12-slice ones? A 16-slice apple slicer usually provides thinner and more uniform slices than a 12-slice one.