Take Your Best Shot
With the arrival of summer, my local farmers' market has become the highlight of my kitchen. Fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs, succulent cuts of beef and pork, and aromatic cheeses create the perfect ingredients for my next recipe. Instead of sticking to the same old favorites like hot dogs, burgers, and brats, I enjoy experimenting with new recipes each week. To aid in this culinary adventure, I rely on the incredible Presto® Professional SaladShooter® to effortlessly incorporate fresh ingredients into my creations.
Shoot to Thrill
The Professional SaladShooter is a simple yet ingenious concept: a corded, handheld, motorized rotor with a top-loading ingredient chamber, and various interchangeable processing cones. Each cone has a specialized blade or tool for a different food-processing function, the most easily recognizable one being the shredder cone. And let me tell you, this cone might be the best out of the whole bunch. Load the food you want to shred or grate into the top, flick the switch on the handle with your thumb to start it up, and then gently press down on the food guide from above to move your ingredients through. As the SaladShooter spins its cone, it rapidly shreds and shoots the food out of its open "barrel." This means you can shred and share ingredients that would normally take a long time to hand-grate in mere seconds, saving you precious time in the kitchen!
As the name would imply, SaladShooter is an ace at making salads at home, whether sharing or self-serve-sized. Garnish your greens with red cabbage, spindly carrot straws, or grated cheese. You can even crumble bread through the SaladShooter to enjoy homemade croutons! But salads barely scratch the surface of what this handy tool can do.
E
asy and Cheesy
Let's double back to cheese for a bit. There's plenty of great dairy in my home state of Wisconsin. I do capitalize on that fact regularly with my SaladShooter. Indeed, anyone can just buy shredded cheeses at a grocery store. Still, you're dealing with preservatives, artificial colors, and filler ingredients mixed in to extend shelf-life. So, I buy fresh cheeses from our stores and local farmers' market, then shred them at home! From homemade pizza with a savory mix of cheddar and mozzarella to tacos and quesadillas stuffed with Colby jack and queso fresco, I've shredded, shot, blended, and baked a wide variety of cheeses through my SaladShooter in the decade or so I've owned it.
Not only is it nice to have a fast, convenient way of preparing this delicious garnish, but it's also a great way to prepare any leftover cheese for long-term storage. Depending on the type and quality, one 8 oz block of cheese usually yields about 3 cups of the stuff when shredded. It's a tremendous way to take pride in the whole meal-prep process; I sourced the fresh components, followed the recipes, made what I needed--and even had more to spare! Knowing what goes into my food while efficiently using those same ingredients makes the end product all the more delicious.
Slice of Life
Speaking of efficiency, we can do more with the Professional SaladShooter than grate or shred. The next set of cones is all about slicing up foods fast! Use the thin slice cone to get wafer-width cuts of potatoes, carrots, cucumbers, and onions, which are perfect for frying, arranging in another dish, or serving raw. The thick slice cone carves through more challenging foods, including radishes, zucchini, lettuce, and cabbage. This cone also slices fruits firm and soft, including apples, pears, bananas, and kiwi. I've used this one to prepare slices of fruits, meat, and veggies for snack trays. You can even slice nuts and chocolate for trail mix and desserts!
The last one with the Professional SaladShooter adds more flair to your foods: the ripple slice cone. This cone shapes the foods put through it with a wavy or ridged "ripple" shape, allowing you to create visually appealing dishes. Use this cone to cut potatoes into wavy, tasty french fries or arrange a fruit and vegetable tray with rows of ruffled slices. This SaladShooter isn't just convenient—it's a way to unleash your creativity in the kitchen!
The Fun in Funnel
Now, the “shooter” part of SaladShooter comes from how foods leave the chamber after being processed. Whether slicing or shredding, a chute on the front of the device sends ingredients forward and out of the chamber, letting you directly decorate your meals. You simply point and shoot! But if you’re looking for more finesse, the Professional SaladShooter includes a funnel guide attachment. The funnel slots onto the front of the chute, providing a narrower exit for guiding out ingredients. My favorite use for the funnel guide is in decorating desserts. I’m far from the best pastry chef, but shredding dark chocolate and coconut on top of a German chocolate cake is way more fun this way than by hand. Shred walnuts, almonds, and oats are toppings for pie or ice cream or for mixing chocolate into a crunchy bark snack. It’s also excellent for evenly covering pasta and casseroles with crackers or breadcrumbs for a savory bite.
Aim to Appetize
Check out some of the curated recipes developed by the Presto Test Kitchen, and made possible by the Professional SaladShooter!
For Breakfast: Apple Zucchini Bread (Pictured)
For Lunch: French Onion Soup
For Side Dishes: Orange Sweet Potatoes or Cabbage Apple Slaw
For Dinner: Margherita Pizza
For Dessert: Vanilla Mint Cheesecake with Dark Chocolate
You can pick up the Presto® Professional SaladShooter® today from our site or your online retailer of choice:
Or, skip the bells and whistles—for the most essential slice-and-shred setup and try the SaladShooter® here: