Need a little advice from some of you folks in apple country. We are now drying apples several times a week cause we're eating them as fast as we can dry them!! So, looked at apple peeler/corer/slicers on ebay but wasn't sure that I understood what I was looking at. The peeling and coring was obvious, but how does it slice, and what kind of slices do you end up with? specifically, is this what I want for getting slices to

-- Elizabeth (ekfla@aol.com), July 16, 2001

Answers

The one I just bought makes a big long spiral cut, like an apple spring. You can cut straight down the apple with a knife to make individual round slices, like a canned pineapple.

-- Steve - TX (steve.beckman@compaq.com), July 16, 2001.

Elizabeth,

The one I have makes big round slices also but can also be cut to make smaller pieces. I bought mine at wally-world. I hear some people talking the other day as to how they did not like it. The apples were breaking apart. To tell you the truth the apples must be a firm type apple. Soft apples do not work so well. But with firm apples it saves a great amount of time.

-- Tom S. (trdsshepard@yahoo.com), July 16, 2001.

Elizabeth: We live in what is called the Apple Capital of the World and so I have used mine for many years. I love it for drying and for making apple pie filling. If your apples are soft you might want to put them in the fridge because it is definitely easier when they are firm. Enjoy your apples!! I bought mine locally at a Ace Hardware Store for around $14.00 or $15.00.

-- Marie in Eastern Washington (Mamafila@AOL.com), July 16, 2001.

Elizabeth: They are the best tool for processing apples that we have. I honestly don't think we would be able to use the fruit we grow without one. One thing though, get the one with the curved loop for a peeling blade. It can handle more different shaped apples than the one with the straight blade.

-- Frank in MI (fhill@absolute-net.com), July 16, 2001.

I bought mine at the local Big Lots/Odd Lots store for $5. It works great except as mentioned above - soft or bruised apples aren't so pretty. We love the dried apples, too.

-- glynnis in KY (gabbycab@msn.com), July 17, 2001.

As an aside to your question, cook the cores and peelings, put them through a food mill of some sort, add cinnamon or other favorite seasonings for apple sauce, further cooking into apple butter or spread them on lined trays to make apple leather.

I have seen recipes for an apple flavored vinegar by adding water to the remaining pulp but can't find any at the moment. Then feed the pomace to your goats or chickens.

-- marilyn (rainbow@ktis.net), July 17, 2001.