Shredding Vegetables

Many Chinese recipes and other stir fry foods call for shredded meats and vegetables. Also,  dishes like coleslaw, Korean carrot salad and other fresh veggie salads and side dishes will require you to finely chop or shred your vegetables. Once you stop to think about it, there are a number of meals that will require you to uniformly shred veggies. There are probably quite a few that you haven’t even tried because you didn’t want to go through all of the trouble. Even simple stuff like carrots to top a garden salad require intense knife work, or a tool that makes the job easy.

Traditional Methods

If you have ever tried to do the shredding for any of these dishes, you know it is time consuming and difficult. Regular graters aren’t really designed for this job, and the dull blades make it nearly impossible. Plus, you don’t really achieve the width or thickness that is optimal. What you end up with is too thin or mangled because the tool is actually designed for cheese which is much softer and mostly used in thinner, more flattened shreds.

You can always use a big knife and cut your vegetables into a bunch of little strips, but this can take a long time. Also, this technique will take some time to master, and without practice, your vegetable pieces will be uneven. There are certain people out there that enjoy extensive cutting projects, but for the rest of us, we need a faster and easier way to do it. Plus with all of that cutting, odds are somebody is going to get hurt.

To Shred Or Not To Shred

Most people say shredded based upon the appearance they are after, but what you really need  is not a shred at all. A thickly shredded piece of food is actually a really thin julienne. Instead of random, flat parts of food, you end up with long, uniform strips, and this is much more ideal for cooking because when heated they will cooked evenly, and when used raw, the texture will be consistent. Thicker julienne cuts are used for french fries, veggie sticks and more. A thin julienne though, is much skinnier so it more resembles a shed like what graters produce. The main difference is the consistent sizing, and thicker overall piece.  This thickness is perfect for stir fries and salads, and is more suited for your vegetable ingredients. A thin julienne is a perfect little stick of food with a uniform thickness and length.

A Great Vegetable Shredding Tool

The Borner Thin Julienne Slicer is the perfect tool to achieve this cut or shred. It is an easy-to-use device that makes shredding your vegetables a quick and easy task. It is made in Germany and features ridiculously sharp blades. The blades are so sharp that it is recommended that you use a safety food holder in order to protect your precious fingers. It may sound scary, but really the sharpness of this device just makes it incredibly efficient and easy to use. Simply slide your veggies across the tool to quickly shred any vegetable. It works great for cheeses too, but it is actually designed for the tough job of shredding hard vegetables like carrots, or unruly ones like cabbage.

Like a hot knife through butter you will be able to make quick work of even the hardest veggies to easily prepare the ingredients for your salad or stir fry dish. Use it for vegetable salads, garnishes, side dishes and more. You will find it is easier than ever to slice and shred vegetables all the while achieving perfect, uniform results. Use this great gadget for shredding carrots, potatoes, or onions, thinly cutting sticks of apples, or cucumbers.  It produces a slightly thicker and more stick-like shed when compared to traditional graters and shredders because it is actually doing a thin julienne cut. It is not quite a shredder, and not quite a slicer. One thing is for sure though. No kitchen is complete without one of these great julienne slicers from Borner.

How To Use It

• You can use this tool without the food holder if you are skilled or brave, but we recommend using both together for the safest and easiest operation. Not only will your fingers be protected, you will also be able to use more of the food.
• To begin, simply poke your food with the holder, and then grip the top of the holder. Metal prongs will hold veggies, and the pusher at the top will allow you to expose more and more as you go.
• For thinner vegetable like carrots, you may find it easier to use your hand at first, and then switch to the holder as it begins to get shorter.
• To shred, simply move up and down accross the face of the slicer and apply firm, even pressure.
• This handy tool will actually cut in both directions, so do not lift up and shred down. Apply pressure in both directions for maximum speed and efficiency.
• As you slice, food will fall down beneath the tool for collection. You can use the specialized bowl from Borner to mount the tool and collect food, or you can just work over a plate or bowl.
• All shreds will be long and even in size.
• Once you have finished, simply hand wash or place in the dishwasher for cleaning.

Another Option

If you only have a small amount to shred like when you need a quick pile of carrots to top a single salad, a julienne peeler can be a better choice. This tool will give similar results, but on a smaller scale. You probably wouldn’t want to break out a large tool for a single serving, so this smaller option becomes the perfect choice in this situation. It is a hand held device that looks like a regular Swiss peeler, but the blade is specialized to cut julienne shreds instead of just removing the skin.

How To Use It

Thin Julienne Slicer

Julienne Peeler

Good Stuff for the Kitchen