I love apple season because apple season means apple cider, fresh apple sauce, apple curry, and apple desserts. An apple peeling gadget can be a wonderful thing to have in your kitchen during apple season. It makes apple sauce and apple pie making a much quicker process.
Recently, I received an e-mail from STARFRIT USA about one of their companies products, the Starfrit Apple Pro-peeler. I was curious to compare the Starfrit peeler to the Norpro Apple Master which I've been using for years, so I asked Starfrit if they would be willing to send me one to review and then also give one away to one of you and they kindly agreed! (Giveaway details come later in the post after my review and an apple recipe!!)
I grew up watching my mom use the same a Norpro Apple Master. Then when I got married, she gave me my own.
I love this gadget because it does a beautiful job of peeling the apples and cores and slices them at the same time. I used to love to eat the peel when my mom was done peeling an apple. I'm not normally a peel fanatic, but there's something about eating a thin ribbon of peel that turns the peel into something special and delicious.
I also love how it slices the apple into a long thin spiral. The Norpro can (1) peel, core and slice; (2) peel only; or (3) slice and core only. It's made of a rust-free, tool-grade cast alumininum frame. The blade is made of stainless steel and can be replaced.
The downsides to the Norpro are that it can be a pain to clean because of all its little nooks and crannies and handwashing it is recommended. It also currently retails on Amazon.com for $27.99, which is a bit steep for something you may not end up using very often.
The Starfrit is slightly smaller and is made mostly of plastic, so it is much lighter than the metal Norpro.
The blade on the Starfrit peeler is also stainless steel, and the peeler comes with 2 spare blades as well as plastic protectors for the blades and for the spike holder (that you push the apple onto). The Starfrit was easy to use and made quick work of peeling apples.
It was very easy to clean (the directions say to clean it with a wet soapy cloth) because it didn't have as many nooks and crannies.
The downsides to the Starfrit are that I wished that it also cored the apples, as well as peeling them, though the peeler also comes with a combination apple slicer/corer.
I also wonder how well it will hold up in the long run compared to my sturdy Norpro which could easily last for years if well taken care of. One huge selling point (in my book) of the Starfrit is the price. It currently retails on Amazon.com for $15.20, almost half the cost of the Norpro.
In the end, the best peeler for you depends on how much you are willing to spend and what you are going to use it for. As soon as someone designs a gadget that also has the option to peel and core, without slicing, then that will be the best peeler in my book.
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So now that I've got all these peeled apples, what to make with them? I was in the mood for something simple, so I whipped up some fried apples and spooned them over some vanilla bean ice cream. Pure heaven!
There are lots of recipes out there for fried apples, but the way I do it is by melting a bit of butter in a 10-inch non-stick skillet,
and then sprinkling a layer of brown sugar over the butter,
followed by the apple, which I slice into thin wedges,
and then stirring the apples so that they get coated in all that buttery sugary goodness until it forms a syrup.
Then I sprinkle some cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt over everything,
and keep stirring until the apples get fork tender and the syrup is thick and yummy.
You could just eat these apples by themselves after they've cooled a bit,
Fried Apples
Makes 4 to 6 servings
2 medium apples
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1. Peel and core the apples and then slice them into 1/4-inch wedges.
2. Melt the butter in a 10-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat. When the butter has fully melted, sprinkle the brown sugar over the butter and then quickly place the apple slices in a single layer on top of the brown sugar. With a wooden spoon, stir the apples to coat them in the butter and brown sugar. Continue to stir the apples. When the butter and brown sugar have formed a syrup, sprinkle the cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt over the ingredients in the pan and stir to incorporate.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to stir the apples until they are fork tender and the syrup has reduced and thickened slightly. Remove the skillet from the heat and let the apples cool for several minutes. Serve alone, or as a topping for ice cream.
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GIVEAWAY DETAILS!! *Contest now closed*
Starfrit wants one of you to be able to try out the Apple Pro-peeler too! In order to enter this giveaway, leave a comment below telling me what your favorite apple dish is. This contest is only open to those with a US address (but I still love my international readers!). Make sure you leave a way for me to contact you, otherwise I'll have to choose a new winner! I will keep the comments open until Thursday, October 29th, 2009, 10 pm PST. The winner will be chosen using a random number generator (random.org) and will be announced on Friday, October 30th, 2009!
** Starfrit is on Facebook! Become a fan here. If you scroll down their Facebook page, there is a link to a video of Chef Curtis Stone cooking with Starfrit products . . . I have a total foodie crush on him (gotta love that accent!).
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It's a tie between apple cake and apple pie. Cake may be the winner, but it's a tight race! Gadgets like these make the work in cooking more fun.
Hands down apple crisp. Just made some with some Red Delicious apples from a friend's tree…yeah, I ate 1/2 of the pan myself!
I love baked caramelized apples with loads of cinnamon… and perhaps a dollop (or huge scoop) of ice cream on top ;)
french apple pie!
wow those peelers are so cool…
I love spiced apple butter. I make it every so often, and my family just loves it.
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I love baking with apples, so I do a TON of peeling– with a knife! I SO need this. This fall I've become obsessed with apple pancakes. SO yum.
liasol [at] gmail [dot] com
Baked apples are my absolute favorite…I'm sure I would love fried apples too! And of course, I'm making apple pie for thanksgiving.
Nothing beats apple crisp for my dessert dollar.
Thanks for the fried apple recipe!
Also, when I peel apples for my kids, sometimes they ask for apple spaghetti, so I disengage the slicer and just peel the apple smaller and smaller.
The starfrit looks like it was made for that!
Apple crisp…mmmm!
a tie between apple crisp and apple pie…..with vanilla ice cream no doubt !!!
Mmmm Apple crisp, apple pie, baked apples and hot mulled apple cider! You can't go wrong!
I like apple pie, but actually just prefer apples raw & cold.
Tarte tatin with the crunchy top! Yum!
I love apple crisp with ice cream. Yum!
Most definitely apple-cinnamon pancakes. I have recently become enamored with honeycrisp apples; so crunchy and sweet! I love making pancakes with a touch of cinnamon (and nutmeg if you like), applesauce, apple cider, and sauteed apples(with cinnamon and sugar) mixed into the batter. Mmmmm. Top with syrup or more sauteed apples (your recipe above would be awesome!) and enjoy :)
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My dad has an apple peeler/corer that looks a bit like your Norpro. Instead of a suction cup, however, you winch it to a flat surface – like a table. It then peels very similarly to the Norpro and cores the apple but I don't remember there being an option to slice. It is a workhorse of an appliance, probably setting my dad back far more than he needed to pay for something he uses infrequently. But he loves his apple corer and now actually uses it to make his favourite desert – apple pie! (which in my family is eaten with cheese not ice cream)
Definitely tarte tatin. Although my mom's apple pie is amazing–I've yet to successfully recreate it. Maybe her extra mom love makes it yummier?
kotharil at gmail.com
What a cool give away!
If I have apples I usually make a caramel apple tatre tatin, but I have seen so many caramel apple cheesecakes lately that I have wanted to try!
My mom made a killer apple pie. She just passed away at the age of 90 and I miss her to much. She made her pies from scratch. We always used apples from our apple orchard on the farm. Even now, the smell of apple pie brings back such awesome memories!
Hugs
Julie Phillips
We love a cherry apple crisp. Although I have a fabulous cranberry apple pie recipe and we did have caramel apple fondue last night. It's just so hard to choose!
Honestly, I like eating apples, just peel, slice and eat :)
If i was pressed for a dish, it would be Spiced Apple Chutney :)
Love apple pie more than anything! [email protected]
ooo this is a toughie! I would have to say right now my favorite apple dish is a Spinach, apple and goat cheese panini! soooo good!
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Tarte tatin with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. My sister in law makes the best ones!
For me it's two recipes. Apple cinnamon bread and caramelized apples. But there's others. it's really hard to choose.
Apple crumble pie! I use sweetened condensed milk, granola and brown sugar and butter for the topping. YUM.
my husband makes the best apple pie in the entire world. I love his apple pie.
My parents used to bake apples in the microwave, 1st removing the core and filling with butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. You'd nuke, put in more stuff, nuke, etc., until the apple was baked and you had a caramel sauce in the bowl. Yum.
I love plain old ordinary baked apples… yum. in the oven with brown sugar, cinnamon and a tad bit of butter… mmmm apple goodness.
Charleston pudding! Man, now I want some wicked bad. The peelers look like fun, I hate peeling apples.
Apple Crumble Bars. Very easy for a quick substitute for apple pie.
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My favorite apple recipe has to be my Grandma's baked apples. She passed away about 10 years ago, but every time I smell apples and cinnamon together I think of her.
I love baked apples. Served with ice cream and I'm in heaven! Yum:)
nutmegnanny (at) hotmail (dot) com
The amazing thing is that you can do a lot of recipes with it. I love eating thin slices also. Thank you for sharing this.
I enjoy apple chips a lot!
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Apple peeler is awesome, so helpful, i wish we cud get one of these in india as well, i love to have apple milkshake with a dollop of vanilla ice cream…mmmm heavenly :-)
well, first of all, i'll fight you for mr stone–be still, my heart! :)
secondly, apple desserts are my favorite, even more so than chocolatey stuff. it's true. my favorite right now is apple cake with a caramel glaze, but apple pie will always be near the top. awesome giveaway–i've always wanted a peeler!
Yum – I think apple pie with the brown sugar topping is my favorite all time, but I also have fond memories of baked apples in the campfire up north. Great winter treat, really warms you up before bed!
Call me crazy, but I like apples slices in peanut butter best! Simple and easy!
For me, no question, the best apple-y goodness is apple crisp.
Last year I showed my husband how to make apple butter and that's his favorite apple thing…and a peeler would be helpful!
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I'm a new fan of apple butter. I just made a batch of apple sauce yesterday and could have really used that peeler! I just wrote about our apple picking trip, what a coinkidink.
muchmorethankeepinghouse at gmail
For some reason, I'm always on the lookout for those Little Debbie Apple Flips.
In terms of things that are actually made, I love Honeycrisp Apple Cider and a good old fashioned Apple Pie.
email: discojing at gmail
I love apple dumplings. My grandma would make them for a meal on sunday nights everyonce in awhile. It was always such a treat. Her apple dumplings were always so big, that was why we could make a meal out of them. :)
~Rachel
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Apple cobbler (with ice cream!!) YUMMMMMMMMMMM!
it's really hard for me to pick a favorite apple recipe. i have to say though, as much as i like apple pie and applesauce with pork & sauerkraut (even though I don't really eat the sauerkraut), i love me a good apple (stayman winesap is my new favorite) with a good piece of cheese!
I'm all about some homemade apple sauce. Make it good and chunky!
It's a toss-up as far as my favorite apple dish…apple crisp, apple pie, applesauce, apple tart, apple butter…they're all so good!
I have two to share with you. One is an Amish Apple Pudding Cake with Caramel Glaze. The second is Patricia Wells' The Apple Lady's Apple Cake.
I would probably go with Tarte Tatin; my mom made it when I was younger every fall and it is delicious. Caramelly and upside down, what more could you wish for?
Gosh that's really hard to choose…I do always love a nice crisp stayman winesap apple picked fresh from the tree. Though I suppose nothing beats homemade apple crisp ala mode!