Benriner Cook Help Spiral Vegatable Slicer

by Benriner

• Amazing kitchen tool for the professional or home cook
• Only requires simple cranking motion
• Churns vegetables into a very fine, continuous, string like form
• Very little food is wasted
• Ideal for creating garnishes

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B00012F3R2
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,125 in Kitchen & Dining (See Top 100 in Kitchen & Dining)
  • #12 in Kitchen & Dining > Small Appliances > Specialty Appliances > Electric Slicers

Product Description

Benriner Cook Help Turning Slicer The Benriner "Cook Help" serves as an amazing kitchen tool for both the professional and the household cook. The tool only requires a simple cranking motion and it churns out vegetables in a very fine, continuous, and string-like form with very little waste. Ideal for creating elegant garnishes. Safe and easy to clean. Includes three Stainless Steel blades- a flat-edged blade; a medium-toothed blade; a coarse-toothed blade. Features: Finely cut vegetable into strings, curly strands. Stainless Steel Blades Safe and high quality construction. Made in Japan

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

195 of 200 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars One of the BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS I have had in quite a while August 19, 2008

By Colorgirl VINE™ VOICE

I wish I could reverse my rating of this device from one star to 5 but I am not able to- please keep in mind that I no longer want to rate this 1 star when you read this review.

At first, I bought this product and got nothing but frustration from it. Usually my entire family can figure out new methods and ways to use things, even if hardly anyone else can figure it out.

I had given up.

I had gotten nothing but frustration with the Benriner Cook Help, so I wrote a review of it expressing it as such.

After writing the review, I approached the Benriner as someone who never saw it before and I started experimenting.

My problems had been due to miscommunication on how to use this unit. There is not a whole lot out there about the Benriner Cook Help, so I was depending on the few directions out there, and none of them worked.

Here is what I figured out:

Although it is often told that you can make angel hair noodles from zucchini, I was always told that you have to use the smallest blades to do this. That is not true.

The key to using this device is that the softer the vegetable, the larger the blade attachment that you need to use.

The result is to have very long spaghetti style noodles just like you would cook, but they are raw. Then you made raw tomato sauce by processing tomatoes, herbs, and veggies and use it over top.

I have not been able to get carrots to work with this yet, but I have been working most intently with zucchini because that was my biggest goal in using this device.

However, I have found that if you apply pretty solid heavy pressure on the unit with one hand and the handle while you crank it with the other, I can get most of the zucchini to spiral out in perfect noodles. My family loves it and I could not be more thrilled.

At first, I was using the smallest blades for things- but they would not work, and I got frustrated.

If you have hard seeds in the vegetables, you will also find that they will clog up the blade area in any size and make it so you can not spiralize as well.

If you work with it and learn what size works for what- you can get a lot of excellent performance from the Benriner Cook Help.

Lastly, take the blades out BEFORE you wash it, and it will clean up very easily.

I regret that I can not reverse my previous rating, but at least I got another chance to do a follow up review to let you know the update about what I have discovered!

88 of 91 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars ALEX Denver CO July 20, 2006

By life in the raw lane

I primarily eat raw /living foods. When I asked the chef at our Whole Foods supermarket how she gets the zucchini into angel hair pasta and some other attractive cuts to the vegetables, she/the chef recommended the Cook's Help. I was surprised to see the price however I have not regretted the purchase. In the two months I have had this item,it works every time for me and I am not exaggerating. It comes with a little brochure of an instruction booklet, but it is a very smple machine and not hard to figure out. I feel like a little kid with a great toy. When you are finished cutting your vegetables be sure to clean all the little crevices of any food particles to keep the blades clean and sharp. So far I have been using it to cut my vegetables into angel thin hair pasta or into thin sliced spiral ribbons. I never have a problem. I always need to cut my vegetable to size to get between the blades and the gripper, and always have some leftover chunk of vegetable that cannot be sliced, I just save these chunks and chop them up and use them in a mixed greens salad. It is not a big deal as far as I am concerned. You need to be sure the 3-4 prongs/teeth of the gripper sinks into your vegetable so the gadget can twirl and slice your vegetable at the same time. Turning the handle slowly or at a moderate pace helps. I keep an eye on the vegetable strands that are coming out from under the teeth,and keep a clearance to avoid the teeth or my vegetable getting jammed up. It is merely being conscientous. As long as I do this, slicing the vegetable is pretty easy. The hand held machine dos not require anything difficult. The end product looks just like the pictures in the instruction brochure that comes with the Cook's Help as well as the angel hair pasta and spiral cut vegetables in the Living Food Section at our Whole Foods Supermarket. The sliced/cut vegetables are quite pretty and makes eating raw vegetables easier to chew, to digest, and even quite enjoyable. I went back to the chef at Whole Foods Supermarket and thanked her for the suggestion. She uses it all the time to make prepared living food dishes in the deli section.

102 of 109 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally a Truly Reliable Spiral Slicer! March 11, 2005

By EnthusiasticOnlineShopper

The Benriner Cook Help made in Japan. Finally a reliable spiral slicer which offers true versatility and durability made of ABS and Nylon reinforced resin this spiral slicer is here to stay! Just crank and churn giving you the option of cutting continuous strings, strips or curly strands with four different blades to choose from (1) Flat edged blade, and (3) Tooth edged blades, Coarse, Medium and Fine. This is all you'll need to get you're creative juices flowing allowing you to create beautiful salads, elegant garnishes and main courses if you eat raw. The famous Spaghetti type strands that everyone longs for using yellow squash and Zucchini turn into beautiful replicas of their wheat counterpart. Want to experienment with super thin slices of cucumbers, potatoes, carrots, bell pepper and onions go right ahead because you can't go wrong they'll turn out beautifully each and every time. Cleaning is a snap just use soapy water, rinse well, then dry. Handle with care because the blades are extremely sharp! Also expect to replace your blades after a period of time because they will become dull. Replacement blades are available on quite a few sites I've seen the complete set for around fourteen dollars. Though this item is on the high end it is well worth every penny. Please make sure you shop around when purchasing your Benriner Cook Help, or Benriner Cooks Helper or Benriner Asian Spiral Slicer, to make sure you're getting the best price available!

PLEASE NOTE: I am a paying customer not a employee, lobbyist or representative of any company whose products I've reviewed. I write enthusiastic and hopefully informative reviews in an effort to help fellow online shoppers make more informed buying decisions, or in avoiding similar frustrations that I've experienced when shopping on online.