Spiralized vegetables and vegetable rices

[Franci]

I only recently purchased a spiralizer. I have a 4 blade Paderno. I am slowly realizing that there are not just zucchini noodles out there and that the tool can be used in much more creative way and that his use is not necessary relegated to people using a spiralizer to eat healthier.

 

Slowly, I'd like to discover best cooking methods for each vegetable, best cuts and pairings with condiments and sauces. When it's better to roast a noodle or microvawe? Deep frying, SVing?

 

Yesterday, as I was telling on the Dinner thread, I made some rutabaga rice. I spiralized the rutabaga and then to transformed it in rice, I passed it through the medium shredder of this Westmark grater. There is a food blog on inspiralized food, to produce rice,  she pulses the spaghetti in the mixer, but I think using the shredder produces a more uniform cut.

This time I simply sauteed some garlic, beef/bacon mince and then added the rutabaga rice, it took only short time to cook and keep the rutabaga al dente.

 

Today I tried some celeriac spaghetti

 

 

I spiralized the celeriac and kept the noodles in water with a splash of vinegar. Then I dried them and I sauteed the noodle quickly in the wok with some oil, added a little bit of stock, covered and steamed maybe a couple of minutes.

I cooked some mushrooms, added the noodles, adjusted my seasoning, added a drop of white truffle oil and parsley, a little more stock.  Very nice. Picture not the best.

 

 

What have you been cooking using your spiralizer?

 

 

[Anna N]

Franci,

So appreciative that you started this topic. I have made spiralized zucchini using a very simple handheld julienne peeler. I see that you are spiralizing some very difficult vegetables. By difficult I mean very hard to cut it even with a good knife. Do you find it a challenge to spiralize rutabaga and celery root? Have you tried butternut squash? I shall be watching with great interest as you experiment.

[Franci]

Franci,

 Do you find it a challenge to spiralize rutabaga and celery root? Have you tried butternut squash? I shall be watching with great interest as you experiment.

Edited January 9, 2015 by Franci (log)

[rotuts]

wow  a big wow

 

its on my list

 

w free shipping !

[rotuts]

BTW

 

have you been able to make an assessment of the other blades ?

 

its so cold here I could click on amazon for this and not ever realize it 

 

[rotuts]

I dont suppose this does a 'thin cut sheet potato'

 

a zillion years ago i saw something that did this

 

these Items at that time were from Japan 

 

an the thin sheet potato was wrapped around various things

 

including Salmon that was then seared  ( on the potato wrap ... each side )

 

and then finished in the appropriate over at the temp that gave you your

 

Salmon  " Just Right for You "

 

that I can see doing as all the other stuff.

[Franci]

I used the angel hair blade for beets and carrots and I think it's very good for salads. I should try soon with celery root.

The very thick spaghetti blade I found a bit more difficult to use, I tried it with jicama  and cucumbers. But with other root vegetables it was in fact a little more difficult to come up with long threads, I got a good number of half moons, at least with the 4 blade spiralizer, maybe the 3 blade is differnt in this regard.

I have not used much the flat blade for now, only for cucumbers.

[Anna N]

I dont suppose this does a 'thin cut sheet potato'

a zillion years ago i saw something that did this

these Items at that time were from Japan

an the thin sheet potato was wrapped around various things

including Salmon that was then seared ( on the potato wrap ... each side )

and then finished in the appropriate over at the temp that gave you your

Salmon " Just Right for You "

that I can see doing as all the other stuff.

I recall seeing this machine a long time ago. If I recall correctly it was made by Benriner and was quite expensive. I'm thinking in the 2 to $300 range. I have googled but did not find it. I also seem to recall that it made an appearance in Happy in the Kitchen but I could be mistaken.

Edited to change sinking to thinking among other things.

Edited January 9, 2015 by Anna N (log)

[rotuts]

do you think the flat blade might make thin slices of potato or what ever to wrap an 

 

other item in ?

[rotuts]

Thank you again AnnN

 

I pulled out my " Happy "  the finest cook book I have that I have for sure under utilized,

 

on page xvi he mentions " My toy Box "

 

ie cooking stuff you might want to look into :

 

the picture there on that page, upper left of this show a green spiral cutter.

 

I think he refers to this as the Japanese tuning vegetable slicer.

 

it might be this one :

 

http://www.amazon.com/Maryuko-Japanese-Turning-Vegetable-Slicer/dp/B001BNQYEQ

 

or

 

http://www.amazon.com/Benringer-BN5-Benriner-Turning-Slicer/dp/B000BIA6KA

 

 

then there are these :

 

 

https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=A0LEVrwjS7BUU7QANKwPxQt.;_ylu=X3oDMTBsa3ZzMnBvBHNlYwNzYwRjb2xvA2JmMQR2dGlkAw--?_adv_prop=image&fr=yhs-mozilla-001&va=Japanese+turning+vegetable+slicer&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-001

 

perhaps Franci's is one of these.

 

Id very much like to hope that Franci's makes ' thin sheet potatoes '

 

anybody know what Im thinking of ?

Edited January 9, 2015 by rotuts (log)

[Franci]

do you think the flat blade might make thin slices of potato or what ever to wrap an 

 

other item in ?

 

I think you can wrap food using the angel hair blade. With the flat blade I've doubt you could do without breaking the ribbon. You have a sweker in the middle and you end up with an angle which I'm really dubious but tomorrow, I'll try and let you know.

[Anna N]

rotuts,

Watch this video especially towards the end where vegetables are used to wrap fish and see if that is what you're thinking about

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AAq25d3Yp8Y

[rotuts]

thank you.

 

Im fairly sure I saw that spiral wrapped fish also

 

probably close enough

 

but I really do recall the potato in one long sheet,  and I recall the potato was placed in a horizontal mode.

 

and no, no fizz tonight

 

 

so far at least.

 

its the kind of think that will drive me crazy for a bit ......

 

but well, these thing-eys are talking to me 

 

saying   Yum Yum.

[andiesenji]

I've had a spiral cutter for many years - I think it is a Nemco - all steel and really "heavy duty" - I used it when I was catering back in the '80s and early '90s. 

 

I used to make a lot of sweet potato strings for deep frying - also jicama for "slaw" as well as the other root vegetables that lend themselves to this treatment.  Celery root, rutabaga, parsnips as well as some of the more "exotic" roots - yuca, for instance and daikon radish - also for slaw, often paired with the jicama, carrots and cabbage.

 

The strings steam quickly, if you want to add them to dishes, only takes two or three minutes for them to reach the desired degree of "doneness" at least for my taste.

They also are perfect for stir-fry. 

 

You can wrap things in the flat ribbons but many, such as potatoes, need a quick dip in hot water so they "relax" a bit and don't break when bent.

You can do a spiral or a criss-cross "mummy wrap" around beef or sausage patties or meatloaf "piggies" which bake beautifully brown and crisp on top in the oven. 

Edited January 9, 2015 by andiesenji (log)

[btbyrd]

The absolute best resource for new ideas about how to use this tool is a website called Inspiralized. I've had mine for a little while and have basically just used it with zucchini and yellow squash. The results are pretty amazing; spiralized zucchini pasta is light years beyond spaghetti squash. Here's a zucchini noodle dish with MC@H's pesto and shrimp.

 

 

If you're avoiding carbs and like to eat noodles, it's indispensable.

[andiesenji]

Here's a link to a terrific recipe for sweet potato fries.

[Martin Fisher]

I absolutely love zucchini noodles!!!!

Even the better-half, who's a certified finicky vegetable hater, likes them.

[Anna N]

Here's a link to a terrific recipe for sweet potato fries.

[gfweb]

thank you.

 

Im fairly sure I saw that spiral wrapped fish also

 

probably close enough

 

but I really do recall the potato in one long sheet,  and I recall the potato was placed in a horizontal mode.

 

and no, no fizz tonight

 

 

so far at least.

 

its the kind of think that will drive me crazy for a bit ......

 

but well, these thing-eys are talking to me 

 

saying   Yum Yum.

 

 

I recall a potato clad sea bass (or was it halibut?) at Le Bec Fin in the 90s that was fabulous. Thinly sliced potato wrapped around a plump lump of fish, probably broiled. Potato was tender/crisp and fish was perfect. I've fooled around with this 4 or 5 times over the years...never got close.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I had a fish course at Le Bec Fin in the '80's that was perhaps the best fish of my short life.  I don't think the fish was wrapped in vegetable though, as best I can remember.

 

However I must say that Paderno device looks mighty tempting.  I have been pleased with Paderno products.  They seem to be good value.

[andiesenji]

I got my spiral slicer years before even the vertical Benriner was available here.  As I recall it was rather expensive and it is larger than the plastic one I saw in a local store.

 

Mine is a Nemco  It is not exactly like this one but very close.  Mine has 3 blades - ribbon, fine and medium strings.

Mine has a larger base plate made to be bolted to a counter top.  I had it bolted to  a big, heavy butcher block on a rolling cart.

[rotuts]

""    potato clad sea bass   """

 

this is it.  exactly it.  I now recall it was a white firm fish.   I generally have salmon on the brain ....

 

wo where did I see this done ?  it had to be a PBS cooking show.

 

Maybe Great Chef's of New York ?

 

and what exactly was the peeler-thingy.\?

 

I recall they used a russet and there was a lot of waist to get to the even cylinder.  but it was a potato, not a truffle.

 

I think the Sea Bass was crisped on one side in a hot pan, flipped, then finished in a hot oven.

 

glad someone got to try it.

 

it looked fabulous to me ......

 

now to find the gizmo.

Edited January 10, 2015 by rotuts (log)

[hummingbirdkiss]

the tines that hold the vegetables on the Paderno weaken over time I am not disappointed it how it works or cuts but how it could have been better at holding the vegetables in place..I kind of thought it was just kind of flimsy over all. Passing mine on to my kids now  to play with now thinking maybe my son can figure out how to keep the vegetables in place better. I just didn't need that many spiraled vegetables I guess? 

Edited January 10, 2015 by hummingbirdkiss (log)

[Shelby]

Thanks for starting this, Franci!

 

I bought a spiralizer one or two years ago (there's a post on here somewhere about it).  I have only done zuke noodles with it.  We LOVE them.  My spiralizer was like $20-$30 and it's plastic.  I haven't tried any of the harder things like rutabaga etc.  I honestly don't think mine could do it.  Maybe I need to research and get a sturdier one.

 

Anyway, I will be following along on this thread with great interest.  As everyone on here knows, I have a huge pasta addiction.  Sadly, I know I need to do better about eating carbs so getting ideas here should help.

[chefmd]

Three blade spralizer is on sale in Wiliams Sonoma stores (they have extra 20% off clearance this weekend) for 24 dollars, they only had red but I got it anyway after reading through this thread.  I happen to have celeriac in the fridge, was thinking about making remoulade, now will have to make it with spiralizer and also will make celery noodles per Franci's post.  Looks like a lot of fun.