Joyce Chen 51-0662 Saladacco Spiral Slicer, White

 (111 customer reviews)

I had to give this product two stars for the concept and at least one star because it does exactly what the manufacturer says it does, but nothing more plus not everything you make using this product turns out completely awful. Versatile this tool is not! To start your vegetables must be 1-inch in diameter and 3-1/2 inches in length. After you've finished cutting you are left with at least 1-inch of unuseable vegetable, unless you're willing to do the rest of your creative cutting by hand, not only does this limit you but it also creates a great deal of waste. You have only 2 blade choices which are housed in a poorly constructed plastic contraption that easily separates if pressed on in the wrong spot.

You have your choice of either Spaghetti type strands or spiral slices but don't expect anything pretty with your spaghetti strands because your only option is a very fine tooth edged blade which creates very fine strands of mush depending on what you're cutting. However,...Read more

For this gizmo to make thin long strands of zucchini, the following conditions have to all be in place, and even then it doesn't always work. The zucchini:

* has to be straight or have very little curve.

* needs to be cut into pieces 3 1/2 inches long or shorter.

* ends need to be cut perfectly straight.

* has to be perfectly centered in the spiralizer.

The spiralizer:

* needs to be locked into place, which is often a bit of a struggle.

You:

* have to be exerting pressure as you spin the handle clockwise

* have to make sure the lever stays to the left and doesn't slide to the right as sometimes happens.

Even when all these conditions are in place, I can't always get it to work properly. Also, it's a huge struggle to get the top separated from the base when I'm doing using the spiralizer. My pieces usually come out looking like spirals that have been scored, but not cut, by...Read more

I've had my Saladacco for a couple years and pull it out every summer when it's too hot to boil pasta and zuchini is in season. I use it for exactly one thing: making great angel-hair (or thinner) "pasta" from zuchini. I have to agree with all of the reviews here:

1. It is cheap feeling.
2. You have to lop off the ends of the zuchini to make sections about 3.5" long.
3. The zuchini has to be ripe but not overly ripe.
4. The zuchini has to be straight (for best results).
5. You waste about 1/2" of the zuchini each pass.
6. The device is challenging to operate.

But all that said, it produces something that I've never seen come out of any other device. And that something has amazed many people - a fresh, light, "live" angel-hair pasta with no heat that even an insulin-dependent diabetic can eat.

It's probably not for everyone but it's one of my favorite kitchen appliances.

Update (2011): I just got a question about my...Read more