Short work of tedious task

This was a bit of a challenge to set up for first time use, but the instructions were well written so didn't take long. Once set up this thing is great! Don't know how I got along without one all these years. Makes short work of peeling and coring, and was pleasantly surprised that it also slices... all three tedious chores done with an easy crank of the handle. The only reason I didn't rank this a 5 was because there is no option not to slice, so if you need things left whole this won't do it for ya. But other than that, a good sturdy handy gadget.

First of all, this thing is built extremely well - very sturdy, and the suction cup works perfectly - this thing simply does not move once you suction it to your counter. And the suction cup does not leave any marks.

Overall, it works very well and quickly. In a few seconds, you can have an apple cored, peeled, and sliced into spiral rings. The kids love the rings as a snack, but obviously they work well for pies, too.

Once in a while, the peeler will appear to "maul" your apple: instead of nice, neat rings, it appears to shred them. After a couple of tries, I finally figured out that this is simply a matter of making sure the apple is positioned on the prongs so that the core will be centered as it goes through the cutter. A simple way to do this is to pretend you're looking down the barrel of a gun: look through the center of the corer at the bottom of the apple - if it's all lined up everything will work great.

Also once in a while, it will miss some peel on a lopsided apple. This is usually because we're peeling too fast - which is easy to do because this thing is pretty fun. Just back the crank up a half turn and go over the spot again and it will be fine.

Bottom line: after you figure out some subtle nuances, this thing works great, and it's actually fun. If you position the apple for them, kids can actually use it (under adult supervision - there are sharp parts, after all).

The only reason I didn't give it a 5 rating is because you can't adjust the thickness of the rings, and you can't core the apple without also slicing it into rings (say, for baked apples). You can, however, core and slice without peeling.

Also, be aware that this peeler is available in cast iron or cast aluminum. I thought other web sites had this model for cheaper, then I realized they were selling the cast aluminum model. The cast iron model is Back to Basics A505, the aluminum model has an "A" suffix, as in A505A.

Apple Corer review

My order came quick. It works as says, is sturdy and of good quality. I haven't had any problem with suction. The only problem I did have with it was the peeler does not peel the whole apple as it mainly peels the middle. This really wasn't a big deal though. You also need to use firm fruit with uniform shape for best coring and peeling results. I made dried apples, apple pie and sliced apples, which I froze for later use. This product cut out considerable time and I'm so glad I made the purchase.

I also use it for potatoes and I love it! I just wash the potato and stick it on the corer. You can have it peeled or leave the peel on for extra nutrients. It makes a nice spiral shape and can be popped in the microwave for a few minutes (including potato cores) I use butter, parsley or chives to microwave with them. It's a nice change from mashed or baked.

eating apples

never easier -- I love this thing. Easy to use. Inexepensive. Makes snacking on apples quick and easy - and you avoid the apple stuck in the teeth. thing.

The vacuum base really holds secure. I wonder how I survived so long without an apple peeler. It does not do a perfect job on very lopsided or irregular apples, but just a few swipes with a paring knife will remove any remaining peel. Also there will be a small circle of peel left at each end of the apple that must be sliced of by hand. Overall, this really speeds up peeling apples and doesn't waste much of the apple with the peels.