Does the thought of peeling, coring & slicing a bushel of apples drive you nuts? Do the words "homemade apple pie filling in less than 5 minutes" make you
wanna go bananas? Then this step-by-step photo demo is for you!
Using your apple peeler/corer/slicer will help you turn a tedious task into a fast & fabulous ending to your holiday party!
Just look at some of the possibilities!
Rustic Apple and Dried Cranberry Pie by Vino Girl
Depression Era Apple Candy Pie by Connie C.
Manzana Crocante ( Apple Crisp) by MemphisMommy
Apple-Walnut Cobbler by ratherbeswimmin' - Photo courtesy of
Bayhill
French Apple or Peach Cake by luvcook'n
Harvest Casserole by Luvin' Texas
Apple Pies Made to Freeze by Grace4Gayle
I purchased the Pampered Chef brand Apple peeler/corer/slicer almost 20 years ago. I can't say it is the most used kitchen gadget I own, but it's the only one that makes me physically smile & say, "I'm SO glad I bought this thing!", every time I do use it.
Even if I only use it twice a year (about my average) I know I'm getting my money's worth. The time I save on doing all of this by hand is amazing. Not to mention the added wear & tear on my hands that it saves. It's something that both my children have enjoyed helping with since they were toddlers.
While I'm not trying to advertise a particular brand, I have had friends try less expensive versions of the peeler/corer/slicers with less than positive results in effectiveness & durability.
This demo will apply specifically to the Pampered Chef product & may or may not apply to other brands. But as I see it, if you learn a bit about the blade basics you will be able to identify the parts on any brand & apply similar techniques of adjustment. If you have any questions or suggestions about anything you see here, please feel free to post them here. In my experience, for every one chef wondering something there are 3 others thinking it but afraid to ask.
So don't be shy!
Now, let's have some fun with apples!
First, I'll demonstrate how to use the machine to peel, core & slice. Then I've done a section specifically on each blade & why & how to make adjustments to them.
I usually anchor the machine on my kitchen island, but any countertop that has an overhang will do as well as any standard pull-out cutting board.
A flat-head screwdriver is all that's needed to attach handle:
Attaching the handle can be done before or after anchoring to countertop:
Screw & lever used to anchor the machine:
Using the lever, turn the screw until it tightens to the bottom of the countertop or cutting board:
Anchored to a pull-out cutting board:
Ready to peel, core & slice apples!
To release the center rod I use my left thumb to push in on the lever & then my right hand to pull the red handle back toward me. The rod with the sharp prongs on the end will retract to the back of the machine.
Here is a progressive look at that process (notice the prongs moving backward):
Push the stem end of your apple onto the retracted prongs as far as it will go. Trying to center the prongs around the core as much as possible. (It's definitely not an exact science & I only get it perfect about 50% of the time.
) A lot depends on the actual shape of your apple.
The following photo diagrams the three blades that do all the work for us.
The
peeler is the first blade to come into contact with the apple. It is the blade that you'll find yourself making the most adjustments to. The further the blade extends, the more apple it will peel off. The blade should extend only far enough to scrape off the peel, not cut into the fruit. Many times the apple will be an uneven shape & a little fruit will be peeled off in a particular area of the apple, but the majority of the apple will just get peeled.
The
corer is a round piece of metal that the apple core is forced through, separating it from the rest of the apple.
The
slicer is a short, straight blade positioned below the corer. As the apple rotates & comes into contact with the slicer, the blade will cut into the apple just as far as the outer edge of the corer.
Begin the peeling/coring/slicing by simply cranking the red handle in a clockwise motion.
This photo shows the first real "peeling". You can see where the peeler initially made contact with the bulging area of the apple (the small area of removed peel); but then the peeler "skipped" the lower areas the rest of the way around one rotation of the apple. When the second rotation started the apple was wider again & the peeler caught it & begins to peel the entire apple in one continuous length of peel.
When the apple rotates enough times it will meet up with the corer & slicer blades.
As the slicer & corer blades do their job, the apple is magically transformed into a favorite childhood toy... the Slinky!
Continue turning the handle clockwise until the machine makes an audible "CLICK" sound. The apple is now peeled, cored & sliced. Gently pull the apple off the machine, leaving the core attached to the prongs & the peel on the table.
To remove the core from the prongs, I use the method described above to retract the center rod & usually as it retracts the core will pop off. If not, it just takes a bit of wiggling & pulling by hand.
With a knife make one cut down the center of the apple, cutting it in half.
It's not always possible to get the apple core perfectly centered when pushing it onto the prongs & in most cases the amount of core left on the apple is shown in the photo below. It usually takes just a touch with the knife to remove it.
Use your fingers to separate the slices for your recipe.
Sometimes all it takes is a little adjustment.
This section will describe the different blades & how to adjust them to get the most out of your apple peeler/corer/slicer.
If you find your peeler digging in (or "mutilating") your apple, it means the peeler blade is sitting too far forward, or rather, the apple is too big for the current peeler setting.
Viewing the peeler blade from above, we see that the blade is a horseshoe shape. The amount of open area between the horseshoe & the small metal platform just below is what will change as we make adjustments. The more countertop you can see between the blade & the end of the platform, the further the peeler will go into the apple.
By turning the nut slightly to loosen the blade we can adjust the horseshoe forward or backward to make shallow or deep cuts into the apple. The goal is to have the blade far enough forward to scrape the peel off without taking too much of the fruit. Sometimes it's perfect, sometimes the apple is wider or narrower in places & it's not. I usually don't have to adjust it much or at all if my apples are all approximately the same size, and I figure that if a tiny bit of peel is left or a little extra fruit is lost every time the apple rotates past one particular area, it's still doing a good job.
Coring & slicing without peeling
There are times when you might want to core & slice the apple, but leave the peel on it. To do this, simply push down on the bar that holds the peeler up until the small rod drops down. Release the bar & the peeler will be held out of the way of your apple.
To reactivate the peeler, push down on the peeler bar, lift the small rod up & then release the peeler. It will fall back into place beneath the small rod & in position to peel your apple.
Adjusting the corer/slicer or peeling the apple without coring or slicing:
The APCS comes with a small wrench that is used to make adjustments to the corer/slicer blades. This comes in handy when you want to better center the corer blade over the center of a drastically uneven apple. It's also handy when you want to use the machine to peel potatoes but don't want to core or slice.
Use the wrench to loosen the nut slightly; just enough so you can move the blade. You can then lay it down completely out of the way (for no coring & slicing) or just move it enough to the right or left to align it with the apple core. When you have the angle set, hold it there while you tighten the nut with the wrench.
**Tinkerbell**
Rita~
Brenda.
itsnevrenough
katie in the UP
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