15
SLICING AND SHREDDING
TECHNIQUES
Small, round fruits and vegetables
For large berries, radishes and mushrooms, trim
the opposite ends at with a knife. Insert the food
through the feed tube, standing each piece on a
at end. You can ll the tube to about 1 inch from
the top. The bottom layer gives you perfect slices
for garnish. If you want all the slices to be perfect,
it’s best to process one layer at a time.
Long fruits and vegetables
Trim food like bananas, celery and zucchini by
cutting them into pieces a little shorter than the
feed tube. Cut both ends at. Fill in the feed tube
with the pieces, standing them vertically and
adding enough pieces so they are solidly packed
and cannot tilt sideways as they are sliced or
shredded.
Small amounts of food
Use the small feed tube and the small pusher.
Remove the small pusher from pusher assembly.
Slide the pusher assembly over the feed tube and
press the sleeve down to lock it into place. Be
sure the slide lock on the sleeve is locked. Cut the
food in lengths a little shorter than the feed tube.
If you are slicing one or two long, thin vegetables
like carrots, push them against the right. If you
are slicing a few vegetables that are wide at one
end and narrow at the other—carrots, celery, or
scallions—cut them in half and pack in pairs, one
wide end up, one narrow end up.
French-cut green beans
Trim fresh green beans to feed tube width. Blanch
them for 60 seconds in boiling salted water.
Plunge them immediately into cold water to stop
the cooking. When they are cold to the touch,
drain and dry them. Stack them in the feed tube
horizontally to about 1 inch from the top. Use the
slicing disc. Be sure the small pusher is locked
and the slide lock on the sleeve is unlocked. Apply
light pressure to the pusher and press the lever
down to PULSE until beans are sliced. To make
long, horizontal slices or shreds of raw zucchini or
carrots, use the same procedure.
Matchsticks or julienne strips
Process the food twice—“double-slice” it. Insert
any large fruit or vegetable—potatoes, turnips,
zucchini, apples—in the feed tube horizontally.
Apply pressure to the pusher while pressing the
lever down to PULSE until food is sliced. You will
get long slices. Remove the slices from work bowl
and reassemble them. Reinsert them in the
feed tube, wedging them in tightly. Slice them
again. You will obtain long julienne strips. With
the optional Square Julienne Discs, you can make
square julienne strips in one operation.
Slicing Meat and Poultry
Cooked meat and poultry
The food must be very cold. If possible, use a
chunk of food just large enough to t in the feed
tube. To make julienne strips of ham, bologna or
luncheon meat, stack slices of them. Then roll or
fold them double and stand them upright in the
feed tube, wedging in as many rolls as possible.
This technique works better with square or rectan-
gular pieces than with round ones.
Uncooked meat and poultry
Cut the food into pieces to t the feed tube.
Boned, skinned chicken breasts will usually t
when cut in half crosswise. Wrap the pieces in
plastic wrap and put them in the freezer. They are
ready to slice when they pass this “knife test”:
They are easily pierced with the tip of a sharp
knife, although semi-frozen to the touch. Stand
them in the feed tube, cut side down, and slice
them against the grain, using rm pressure on
the pusher. Or lay them at in the feed tube, as
many as will t, and slice with the grain using rm
pressure.
Frankfurters, salami and other sausages
If the sausage is soft, freeze it until hard to the
touch, but easily pierced with the tip of a sharp
knife. Hard sausages need not be frozen. If the
sausage is thin enough to t in the small feed
tube, use that tube. Otherwise, cut the sausage
into pieces to t the large feed tube completely.
Stand the pieces vertically, packing them in tightly
so they cannot tilt sideways.
SLICING AND SHREDDING
CHEESE
Firm cheese like Swiss and Cheddar
Cut the cheese into pieces to t the feed tube.
Put it in the freezer until it is semi-frozen—hard
to the touch, but easily pierced with the tip of a
sharp knife. Stand the pieces in the feed tube and
apply light pressure to the pusher. IMPORTANT:
Never try to slice soft cheese like mozzarella or
hard cheese like Parmesan. You may damage
the slicing disc or the food processor itself. You
can successfully shred most cheeses except soft
ones. The exception is mozzarella, which shreds
well if thoroughly chilled. Hard cheeses like Par-
mesan shred well only at room temperature.