OXO’s tiny strawberry huller stirred up a few reactions when it appeared on my desk.
After the usual, “What’s that?” I was inundated with remarks: “What’s wrong with a knife?” and “This is what I use to remove the leaves” (while wiggling a couple fingers). Someone even said she uses a straw. I had to look up that hack, which is pretty cool because it removes the core, too. But you do end up with a hole through the berry.
The OXO Good Grips Strawberry Huller works just as fast as a straw and removes all the leaves, but it probably removes more of the fruit, too, depending on the size of the strawberry.
>> How it works: Press the green button at the top of the gadget to expose the sharp blades — be careful not to touch the bottom of the huller while doing this because the blades emerge and expand from there.
Center the top of the strawberry between the blades. Push the huller into the strawberry and twist.
Pull out the gadget and press the green button again to release the hull.
>> Does it work?: Yes!
>> Pros: Super fast. Keeps berry intact. Compact.
>> Cons: Compact — so tiny it can easily get lost like mine did, and I’ve been searching for it for weeks. It’s a good thing we photographed it before it went missing. The gadget is supposed to come completely apart for easy cleaning, but a coworker and I tried to remove the outside casing as instructed and couldn’t.
Instead, I washed it by running soapy water through it, but a small bottle brush would work, too. The expanded huller blades don’t accommodate tiny strawberries (they remove too much of the flesh), so I adjusted them as best I could by pushing the green button to bring the blades closer together.
There’s no safety lock for the sharp blades — be careful.
>> Cost and availability: $7.99 at oxo.com (free shipping for orders over $50) and bedbathandbeyond.com (free shipping for orders over $29), and $9.34 at amazon.com (free shipping for orders over $25)
>> Worth it?: Yes. I usually use my finger to remove leaves, inefficient if I’m working with a lot of strawberries. And for me, at least, it’s definitely faster and safer than using a paring knife.
GOING A STEP FURTHER
Now that the strawberries are hulled, slicing can be quick, too, with Chef’n’s Strawberry Slicester.
>> How it works: Place strawberry into cavity, bottom side in first, and squeeze the handle (your fingers will get a workout).
>> Does it work?: Yes.
>> Pros: Easy to use — my cousin-in-law Joy sliced six berries in 30 seconds while talking story. Then her 10-year-old daughter, Emily, took her turn. Her smaller hand had difficulty squeezing a big berry.
She was followed by another cousin, Sherry, who exclaimed, “This one’s a winner,” and an aunt, Kay, who gave a nod of approval.
>> Cons: The grooves in the slicer are a little hard to clean (but, the tool is top-rack dishwasher safe); after slicing several strawberries blades may need occasional rinsing to remove residual fruit; and juice occasionally squirts out, so work over a wide-rimmed bowl if you want to preserve the liquid.
>> Cost and availability: $14.99 at chefn.com and bedbathandbeyond.com (various shipping charges), $13.49 with free shipping on orders over $25 at amazon.com and $14.95 plus shipping at williams-sonoma.com.
Got a gadget you love? Curious about one you’d like us to test? Email crave@staradvertiser.com or write Crave, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-210, Honolulu 96813.
