There’s no better time to eat vegetables than in the summer when they’re fresh. So, if your goal is to make the most of all that bounty (and who doesn’t want that?), we’re here to help. Because as much as we love our veggies, they all need a little prep work in order to shine. Consider these 5 tools your gateway to summer bliss.
1. Paderno Spiralizer 4-Blade
One of the most popular ways to eat more veggies in the last couple years has been to turn them into “noodles.” Simply attach your zucchini, cucumber, beet, or carrot to the spiralizer and crank out as many veggie noodles as you want. Then you top them with a sauce, just like you’d do with regular pasta. The Paderno comes with four different blades so you can customize your noodle size.
2. Moulinex Chopper
Fresh salsa is a great way to use up all those summer tomatoes, but it can require quite a bit of prep work. Luckily, there’s an easier way thanks to this mini chopper. Simply add your ingredients into the chopper and pull on the cord a few times until you get your desired salsa consistency. Easy!
3. Williams Sonoma Herb & Kale Stripper
Salads are the easiest way to eat vegetables during the summer, but prepping all the greens can be laborious. So, make it easy on yourself with this herb and kale stripper. You simply insert the stem of your green into the appropriately sized hole and pull to it through to de-stem.
4. Kuhn-Rikon Corn Zipper
This corn zipper takes the fuss out of eating corn. Simply run the kitchen tool up and down the cob and remove several rows of kernels at once. Then go ahead and add the corn to all your soups and salads.
5. OXO Simple Mandoline
Every cook needs a mandoline in their kitchen, because it’s one of the fastest and easiest way to cut veggies into uniform slices. The mandoline is perfect for summer dishes like ratatouille, shaved zucchini salads, and perfect sliced cucumbers for pickling.