Presto Electric Salad Shooter Review

Meet the Presto Salad Shooter, a basic kitchen tool that you (according to me) should not be without.

My Presto Salad Shooter and I first met about five years ago. We were introduced at my cousin's home when we were working together to prepare supper. My cousin, Wil, handed me his Presto Salad Shooter and said, "Here you go, you do the cheese."

One meeting was all it took and the Salad Shooter and I knew it was love at first sight. I went home and purchased our very own Presto Salad Shooter Electric Slicer and Shredder and the love affair continues until this day with absolutely no disappointments or issues. Edited in 2025 to add that I own the original shooter. The one shown here is the newly refreshed model.

On this page, learn more about why I love the Presto Salad Shooter and why you will, too.

WHAT WILL THE PRESTO SALAD SHOOTER DO?

We use the shredder on a very regular basis for cheese since pizza is a Friday night staple at our house. As a matter of fact, ever since we have had the Presto Salad Shooter, there has been no problem finding a volunteer to shred the cheese. If only they were so keen to do the dishes!

As I edit this fifteen years after the original date of writing, I must confess that we don't eat pizza every week anymore. Age and healthy preferences now have us using the salad shooter for way more vegetables and way less cheese, LOL. As a matter of fact, I love using this machine when I prepare our vegetarian bourguignon. That dish comes together in my Instant Pot much faster now.

A less enticing but also occasional use for our shredder is carrots for carrot cake. If only we could eat that on a regular basis.

Here's a summary list:

It will shred cheese masterfully.
It will shred or slice quickly all the vegetables, fruits and cheese that you need.
It will shred ingredients one after the other, without being cleaned in the meantime.
It will send the food right into your salad bowl, onto your pizza or into your soup.
The slicing and shredding cones are easy to put on and to remove.
It is safe in your dishwasher, at least the loose pieces. The motor is not.
It is compact. We store ours neatly away in a rectangular Tupperware Modular Mate container.

MORE REVIEWS OF THE SALAD SHOOTER

"I love my salad shooter!" simply put by Roseanne Arvin and echoed by me.

"We laughed and laughed when we received this 'as seen on TV' slicing and, well, grating 'miracle product' as a gift. Who would actually use such a crazy thing? Well, it turns out that we would, frequently. It may not dice, but it does slice beautifully - thin and uniform, as well as grating everything from cheese to potatoes to carrots to ... you name it. We use it almost daily. If you're a vegetable eater or a cheese lover, you won't know how you lived without it. Easy to assemble and disassemble, and it's dishwasher safe, although you do have to position the parts correctly to maximize water flow and cleaning...It slices cucumbers, carrots, summer squash and similar vegetables beautifully..." - Nic Rosenau

"I hope they never stop making them." said another Brenda, Brenda Wilburn Flint. I am glad to see that they redesigned this appliance rather than discontinuing it.

"Years and years ago, someone gave my mother a salad shooter. She was so impressed - and Mother knew everything 'kitchen' - she bought me one. I don't even know how many years I had it, but she has been gone for 6 years, and it was long before that. How does anyone cook without a salad shooter?" says Knori.

"Best small kitchen appliance we own." said Sabey-baby though I would rate my Instant Pot and kettle higher, this is still a dandy little kitchen tool.

"An all-time favorite! "The grandkids are helping...and loving it!" said California Girl.

If you're a big cheese eater, you will agree with the final sentiment, "Yay for the Presto Salad Shooter and never shredding cheese again!"

In summary, the Presto Salad Shooter is a remarkably simple and useful little kitchen appliance and makes a perfect gift for anyone who loves salads, vegetables and/or cheese. Find your Presto Electric Salad Shooter here on Amazon.

See you

in the kitchen!

Brenda

Culinary Favorites From A to Z

(aka Treasures By Brenda)

How to Clean and Store Strawberries

About a Billion Berries Springbok puzzle, available here on eBay.

I was putting my fresh produce away this week and was thinking about my beautiful basket of bright red ripe strawberries.

To myself I said, "I wonder how I should store these strawberries to make them last as long as possible."

Of course, you need not worry overly if fresh red ripe strawberries disappear extraordinarily quickly in your home, which they normally do in my home, too. However, this time we happened to purchase our berries when we already had a ton of fresh fruit in the fridge so I thought that if there was a better way to store them, it might be worth trying this time.

Plus, of course, there is a little bit of extra concern right now that the strawberries be cleaned extra well because of the virus. Since you cannot scrub nor cook strawberries like you would a potato, a method that goes beyond simply rinsing them would be helpful.

So while preparing my cantaloupe for the fridge, I asked my assistant, my Google Home, "What is best way to store strawberries?" Google responded by pulling up the following video by Jerry James Stone:

 

If you just watched the video, you know that Jerry's method for cleaning and storing strawberries is not the simplest method going but I do not think that it is overly difficult. It requires water, vinegar and baking soda, three pretty common household ingredients and it requires a bit of time. Fifteen minutes to be exact but you can be doing something else in the kitchen while the berries are soaking. 

I found the process to be simple and I like the idea that the berries would be extra clean and last longer. What's not to love about having your strawberries last longer and the fact that they were cleaner than normal, was reassuring, too.

By the way, the berries lasted for eight days in my fridge. Not because they went bad before the ten days were up but rather because they only lasted for eight days before we ate them all. I agree with the reviews on the video.  "It worked!"

How about you? How do you store your strawberries? What about cleaning them? Are you worried more about using fresh produce from a cleanliness perspective? 

See you in

the kitchen!

Brenda

Quick Links:

Jerry James Stone's kitchen hacks videos. 

My top image is crated on a photograph of Springbok's finished About a Billion Berries jigsaw puzzle, which is available here on eBay.

What Is A Moka Coffee Pot?

A Moka coffee pot is a small coffee pot used on top of the stove to make coffee. You may never have used one but I am sure it looks familiar to you. It works by passing hot water that has been pressurized by steam through ground coffee beans and produces a hot beverage similar to espresso.

The New York Times says, "The Moka Express is a beautifully designed example of the ingenuity that can arise from adversity." It was invented by Luigi De Ponti in 1933 for use at home. In the 1930s, Italy was in an economically difficult time, which made making coffee at home appealing. This simple little device crafted from aluminum was extremely popular and is still crafted by Bialetti, the same firm that produced it in the 1930s. The original model is called the Moka Express.

The Moka is more popular in Europe and Latin America than it is in North America and, according to the New York Times, 9 out of 10 Italian households own a Moka pot.

On this page, learn a bit more about the Moka coffee pot, watch a video that explains the simple method used to make Moka coffee and let us know what you think of Moka coffee. In the interest of full disclosure, please note that I am not a coffee drinker. I put tea in my coffee mug but I have a coffee-loving family!

The picture of a Moka pot in action shown here was shared kindly by Beat Rice on Flickr who says that the only thing missing from this page is, "a mention of the coffee smell spreading throughout the house in the morning, which is the only thing that can cheer up an Italian who gets up too early to face a working day..." I expect that the aroma of freshly brewed Moka coffee would work for you, too, even if you are not an Italian.

Why Is Moka Coffee Stronger Than Drip Coffee?

Moka coffee is stronger than drip coffee because the temperature of the water and steam is higher, which causes a better removal of caffeine and flavours from the coffee grounds. Not only is it stronger but it also has a different flavour.

How Do You Brew Moka Coffee?

I am not going to try to answer that question myself. However, I am happy to recommend Brewing Italian Coffee With A Moka Pot, which does a fine job of summarizing what is involved in making moka coffee. 

How Does Moka Compare to Espresso Coffee?

The coffee produced from a Moka pot is considered similar to the coffee from an espresso machine. A Moka pot can produce foam emulsion (crema) that is similar to but not exactly like espresso's. (And yes, espresso is spelled with an 's' and not an 'x' as in expresso, a common spelling error.)

You can learn more about the variety of sizes and colors of Moka pots available on Amazon by clicking right here.

Would you recommend Moka coffee? Would you like to try it?

See you
in the kitchen!
Brenda

More Moka Resources

Who Made That Moka Express? - NYTimes.com
"In 1933, when Alfonso Bialetti introduced the Moka Express, Italy's economy wasn't doing much better than it is today. The Great Depression was in full swing, major banks were failing, unemployment was rampant and Italians were forced to curtail the

More Coffee Reading

31 Days of Coffee Mugs
Love mugs? Check out 31 days worth of fabulous, fun coffee cups.



© 2011 Treasures By Brenda (Previously published elsewhere.)

Melissa and Doug Food Play Sets

Melissa and Doug make top quality children`s toys. I am especially enamoured with their food-themed toys, like this Melissa and Doug Slice and Bake Cookie Set because I remember how much my children enjoyed playing with their kitchen.

This cookie set includes 12 cookies that can be sliced and served, making it perfect for imaginative play. Any child who loves processes will love this set as the cookies can be removed from the tube, sliced, placed on the tray, baked and served.

Of course, the cookie set is far from the only play food set Melissa and Doug makes. The list of food themed choices is almost endless and goes from fresh produced, to dinner and dessert items. You can see them all on Amazon by clicking right here.

See you
in the kitchen!
Brenda

Quick Links:

Learn more about Melissa and Doug's Cookie Set on Amazon.
Discover all of the food-themed Melissa and Doug playsets on Amazon.

A KITCHEN TOOL MOMENT: Rachel Ray's Spatula Set

Don't waste a single drop of your banana bread batter! These spatulas are built with a shallow spoon shape on one side which is perfect for your kitchen tasks including mixing the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients of your banana bread recipe! Plus, the 'head' is heat safe to 500 degrees, which makes it good for use on the stovetop, too. 

Rachel Ray's spatula set is one of of Amazon's most popular sets and is available in a range of colours that includes blue, red, lime green, yellow and, of course, the color we associate with Rachel Ray, orange.

See you in the kitchen!
Brenda


Quick Link:

Order Rachel Ray's spatula set on Amazon.

A KITCHEN TOOL MOMENT: The Wilton Tilt'n Mix Mixing Bowl Set

This attractive Wilton mixing bowl set will help you throw together your banana bread in style.

These bowls feature a unique design for easy stirring, perfect for making banana bread, which requires only hand stirring.

The cute little yellow non-slip feet keep the bowls from moving around.

Wilton's Tilt'n Mix bowl set includes three bowls in 1.5, 3 and 5 quart size.

See you
in the kitchen!
Brenda

Quick Links:

Buy Wilton's Tilt'n Mix bowl set on Amazon.

Nordic Ware Pie Pan with Lid

Here's an interesting find, a Nordic Ware Naturals pie pan with lid.  It looks like a great tool for your kitchen, a dish to bake your pie in and a cover for it. 

It is constructed of even-heating rust-proof aluminium and a galvanized steel wire rim adds strength. 

The high lid provides room for a tall pie. 

Amazon customer Wordsmith says that this is a really good pie plate because it is heavy and solid. She says that the cover is slotted so that after it has cooled a bit you can put the cover on and head out the door!

If you need to transport your pies, this dish might be worth considering!

See you

in the kitchen!

Brenda

Quick Links:

Click here to buy this pie plate on Amazon.

Wizard of Oz Apron

Putting on an apron for Halloween is my idea of the ultimate easy Halloween costume, especially for a busy mom or dad. An apron is not only easy but also an affordable and practical choice, since you will be able to use it all year long.

Isn't this Wizard of Oz and Toto themed apron absolutely precious? What fan could resist!?! Just take it out and pop it on! Of course, you could always add to it with a pair of ruby red shoes...

And of course, if Dorothy Gale isn't your choice of movie character you might like the Wonder Woman, Darth Vader, KISS and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle apron choices.

See you
in the kitchen!
Brenda

Quick Links:

Order this Wizard of Oz apron from Amazon.
Check out Amazon's complete line of character aprons.

M&M's Christmas Candies

Last year I had some difficulty locating the red and green Christmas colored M&Ms for my Christmas themed M&M cookies so this year I picked them up early when I saw them. However, this year making the cookies is proving even more difficult, if you can believe that.

Our kitchen is under renovation. At this very moment the contractor is removing my kitchen floor, all four layers of it.  That means we don't have a stove -- at least one plugged into electricity -- and we won't have one until next Thursday when the new floor will be installed.  After that, it will still be a while before the kitchen is put back together. We'll be waiting on a new countertop, plumbing, etc. but at least I might possibly still be able to put together a batch of these cookies in time for the return of my grown sons for Christmas.

Anyway, if you're having any trouble finding Christmas colored M&Ms, I've found them right here on Amazon.

Happy
Baking!
Brenda

 

Amazon Black Friday Week Deals For The Kitchen

If you are planning on gifting someone in your life with a kitchen item this Christmas, you might want to check out Amazon's Black Friday specials.  However, don't wait until Black Friday to do so because Amazon is already running specials, each day from now until the end of the week.

I took a peek just now and see that they have some 'lightning' deals -- ones that last a very short time -- as well as other sales that last longer than that, which include items like professional knives, Kitchenaid mixers and Amana kitchen appliances.

Prices seem to be very good and never forget the power of Amazon's FREE shipping offer, which saves you from going to the store, parking, locating what you want (if it is available) and standing in line.

You can check out Amazon's current Black Friday kitchenwares sale by clicking right here.

Happy Shopping!
Brenda

Quick Link:

Check out Amazon's Black Friday kitchen specials by clicking right here.