It’s always worth expanding your repertoire of culinary techniques, especially when a new approach makes it easier and quicker to prepare veg. Get yourself a spiralizer and you can transform veggies into satisfying curly strands.
Spiralizers are especially useful if you’ve decided to adopt a low-carb diet to lose weight but are really missing huge bowls of pasta. Sure, curly ribbons of courgette or butternut squash aren’t the same, but not only will you save on calories (courgetti contains around 300 fewer calories per 100g than pasta) you'll also save time as they only takes around 20 seconds to boil.
Convinced? Sure you are, so take a look at our picks of the best spiralizers to buy right now, from hard-working heavyweights to an affordable handheld device.
This top-of-the range gadget from Lurch is the business. The German brand has been making spiralizers for over 20 years, long before the courgetti trend crossed the Channel, and this latest version is its most full-featured model. It lets you switch between three different blades for fine or coarse spaghetti and there’s even a tornado blade to prettify your potatoes. It may be on the pricy side but it’s a cut above the rest.
If you’re short on space, this handheld device will keep your surfaces clear because it can slip into a kitchen drawer. To create long ribbony strands you just need to twist veg in a clockwise motion against the blade and when you’re near the end, the handy food holder attachment keeps your fingers safe while cutting the last bits. It’s best kept for occasional use, however, because you won’t be able to use it for long without getting a sore wrist; while the single blade can tackle most vegetables you’ll need to put some muscle into spiralizing harder veg like carrots. Despite its limitations this is an affordable introduction to spiralizing.
Using this compact spiralizer might require a little more elbow grease than other models, but it will get the job done and it offers great value at £15. The machine comes with four blades for different cuts, and suction cups on the base keep it in place on your counter while you turn the crank.
As the name suggests, you get 10 blades with this spiralizer, giving you options named for the type of pasta your finished vegetable will most resemble. There’s fine angel-hair noodles, wide pappardelle and even lasagna sheets. Deviating from the pasta for a moment, there’s also crinkle chips. With so many options, you may not know where to start, so the four e-books full of recipes should help you make the most of this versatile machine.
If you’re a regular eater of spiralized veg it could be worth upgrading to an electric model, because cranking out your veg noodles manually every day can become a little tiresome. This Morphy Richards device has a compact design that makes it easy to store, and the powered blades slice and dice your veg into either spaghetti or ribbons at an almost alarming rate.
