Can a Spiralizer Inspire? This One Can

Gourmia Spiralizer
PHOTO: COLLEEN SIDECK, RDN, LDN

Product Reviewed:
Gourmia GES580 Electric Spiralizer and Slicer

Although I tend to be an early adopter of new food-related innovations and gadgets, it took this kitchen tool review to prompt me to jump on the spiralizer trend. While I have long enjoyed zoodles in restaurants, I had yet to attempt them at home. Fortunately, this electric spiralizer had me making oodles of noodles in no time! Can a Spiralizer Inspire? This One Can - Electric Spiralizer

The Gourmia GES580 Electric Spiralizer and Slicer has three different blades that turn your produce into ribbons, noodles or thick noodles. To spiralize, push one end of your produce onto the plastic, x-shaped blade to secure it, and then use the food pusher to advance the produce through the cylindrical auto feeder into the cut blade. When ready, click the power switch and let the appliance work its magic. The spiralizer only operates when the auto feeder, which also functions as a blade shield, is snapped in place, making the spiralizer safe for the whole family to use. For those who dislike doing dishes, all pieces except the blades and the base are dishwasher safe, making clean-up easy.

Since I was most excited to make zoodles for the first time, I christened my new appliance by spiralizing zucchini. After inserting the food pusher, I applied slight pressure to feed a medium zucchini through the auto feeder into the noodle cut blade, which took about 20 seconds. In less than two minutes, I had a bowl filled with zoodles! Summer squash spiralized just as easy, and after a quick sauté on the stove, I ladled homemade tomato sauce over the top for a gluten-free take on spaghetti. I used the thick noodle blade to cut cucumbers and apples into one-inch thick slices, which I incorporated into several different salads. The thick noodle blade also created thinly sliced potatoes that crisped up perfectly in the oven. The ribbon blade quickly produced carrots thin enough for stuffing spring rolls and garnishing stir-fries.

This spiralizer was ideal for the long and slender shape of vegetables like zucchini, summer squash and carrots, which required no trimming to fit in the auto feeder. On the other hand, wider produce like sweet potatoes, apples and Asian pears needed their sides trimmed to fit. While the spiralizer works with most solid fruits and vegetables, it functioned best with produce that was firm but still had a little give to it, such as zucchini, summer squash and cucumbers. When working with sturdier carrots and broccoli stems, I learned that inserting the x-shaped food pusher with too much force often caused the vegetable to split, which meant that the food pusher could no longer be held in place. Initially, I also had this difficulty with potatoes, but I found that cutting the potato in half and attaching the feeder to the center of a potato half made it less prone to splitting.

This electric product is well suited for people with limited arm mobility who may struggle to use manual spiralizers, and it is a definite time-saver for those who want to spiralize a large quantity of produce on a single occasion. If time, convenience and appeal largely influence your consumption of fruits and vegetables, this spiralizer can help you to eliminate those barriers and guide you to a produce-rich diet in no time.

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Colleen Sideck
Colleen Sideck, MPH, RDN, is a registered dietitian based in the Washington, DC, metro area. She shares her passion for health and wellness through her work as a program coordinator for a national corporate wellness company. Colleen enjoys running, hiking, practicing yoga and experimenting in the kitchen to create flavorful, plant-based meals. She blogs at Plant Packed Plates. Follow her on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.