Dial-A-Slice Apple Divider

I picked up this apple corer and slicer a few days before Christmas, on a rare trip to Williams Sonoma. (If it weren't next to Barnes & Noble I'd probably never go there.) The Dial-A-Slice Apple Divider cores and slices an apple into either 8 or 16 slices.

As I've previously mentioned, I make a lot of apple pie during the holidays. So anything that makes it easier is appreciated. So how well does it work? Well, here's my review.

Pros: There's no doubt it's easier to make it through four pounds of apples than with a knife. By the time I get to the last apple when working with a knife, my fingers are tired, wet, and stinging from the acids and the sugars in the apple juice, and I'm usually afraid that I will cut myself. This gadget is faster--I can get through the same number of apples in about a third of the time--easier, and saves the fingers. The "dial" device which allows you to switch from 8 to 16 slices consists of two rotating wheels with sharp metal spokes used to divide the apple into segments, and the mechanism is easy to use and sturdy. The rubberized handles are comfortable and much less likely to bruise the hands than all-metal models of apple slicers I have seen.

Cons: The manufacturer recommends handwashing the slicer, which is inconvenient, as the dial device can get tiny pieces of apple stuck in its hub. In order to remove them, you must reach past the sharpened metal slicers. (A toothpick might be a better solution than that rough-and-ready method.) The other main drawback lies in the fact that apples are not always perfectly round, with the core running straight down the center of the apple. This can lead to no stable surface on the bottom of the apple, making the consistent downward pressure used to divide the apple a chancy business. (Since I peel my apples first, which makes them slippery, I had a few apple projectiles shooting around the kitchen before I learned to slice a flat surface into the bottom of an apple.)

Summary: Much easier than a knife, and with some practice, I will be working through piles of apples in nothing flat. Cleanup could be easier, and there's more of a learning curve than I expected, but on the whole, worth it. 4 out of 5.

Price: $19.95 + S&H at Williams Sonoma's online store. I paid about $13 (sale price) at Willams Sonoma in Hingham, MA.

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UPDATE: Cook's Illustrated reviewed apple slicers, including this model, in their September 2009 issue. Click here for an updated post and link to the CI review.