Buttons to Push Buttons

Certainly a knife can accomplish most, if not all, types of cutting. But those who grew up watching Inspector Gadget or admiring the inventions of Data from The Goonies know that sometimes there is innovation in perfecting a tool for a singular use. Case in point: the wide selection of fruit gadgets by crème de la crème culinary store Williams Sonoma. After an early morning shopping spree, two such tools were ready for their trial. First, the gorgeous pineapple slicer and dicer from VacuVin.

Let’s face it–cutting fresh pineapple can be a bit of a hassle. The VacuVin pineapple slicer makes it easy to get maximum pineapple  effortlessly. Let’s see this photo tutorial of The Electrician trying it out for the first time.

First, get yourself a pineapple. The tool has a diameter of about 4″ so the closest you can get to that, the less waste. Then cut off the top of the pineapple. Begin to twist the tool through the pineapple, centering the circular blade on the core. Keep twisting until you have reached the bottom of the pineapple–careful not to go through the bottom with the sharp blade. Lift up tool to expose the cut pineapple: gorgeous! Place in bowl and lift tool, pressing the release button. You get beautiful pineapple rings! You can also leave the pineapple on base and use the slicer tool to make chunks! Then use the large pineapple shell as a cup! Spectacular.

Next up is the OXO Mango Slicer. Mango is my absolute favorite fruit. Cutting a mango is kind of awkward for me. I get too fixated on not wasting any flesh… but at the expense of my knife skills. The large pit evades my blade. Then I wind up sucking the wasted mango flesh off the pit in a barbaric fashion. (Ok, these might be “me problems”) I am ready for a better way that maximizes  mango on the cutting board.

First, slice a little mango off the bottom to level out the mango. It needs to stand straight up on your cutting board. Next, position the mango slicer above the top of the mango, estimating the pit’s location. Firmly push the slicer downward. Then slice mango as usual! You get two perfect halves while the pit is caught in the center of the slicer. Push it out… and suck the flesh off of it.

Williams Sonoma will not likely be selling a specialized tool for slicing dragon fruit, an Asian fruit I first discovered in Thailand (see here). Despite its peculiar exterior, dragon fruit is very easy to slice and enjoy. Though I believe it to be more visually stunning than it is tasty, it’s nice to vary fruit intake.

It can’t be any more simple than this. Simply cut the fruit and its soft-textured skin in half, exposing the beautiful speckled fruit. Eat like you would a kiwi, a huge white kiwi in a bright pink jacket, with a spoon.