Greens stripper is problematic

Chef’n’s loose-leaf kale and greens stripper is simple in design and looks easy to use. In fact, the packaging says it “strips leaves from stems in seconds.”

Unfortunately, I ran into a few problems when I tested the tool with kale, oregano and thyme.

Although the gadget has eight different-sized holes, most of the stalks from a bunch of kale I purchased were too big to fit in the biggest hole. But the stems that did fit were efficiently stripped of their leaves in seconds. It was fun to pull a leafy stem through the stripper and see it come out naked. Another issue: Some kale tops broke off while being stripped, and their fibrous stems got mixed in with the leaves.

The oregano and thyme posed different problems. First, I tried pulling the herbs through the stripper the same way I did the kale — pulling the bottom of the stem through the appropriate-size hole. Although some of the leaves were removed, so were the tiny branches bearing multiple leaves. Then I tried pulling the stem through the gadget in the opposite direction, which meant I had to trim some of the leaves to get the branch to fit. It was a time-consuming process. The thyme was especially challenging. Some bunches required a lot of the leaves to be plucked by hand just to get it to fit into the stripper. And because the tip of the thyme branch is much more fragile than the thicker bottom stem, the branch kept breaking as I tried to pull it through the hole. That was a disaster.

The herb branches that were thick from top to bottom worked better, but the fresh herbs I purchase usually come prepackaged, so I can’t just buy the stems that would work well with the gadget. But, for people who have herb gardens, picking the perfect branches would be possible.

Pros: Strips thick greens such as kale and collard greens as long as the stems are not too thick; compact; pretty color and design; easy to clean; dishwasher-safe.

Cons: Hard to pull thin, fragile herbs through the stripper; some kale stems broke toward the top, leaving the stem and leaf connected; could be faster to use your hands or a knife.

Cost: About $8 on various websites and at Williams-Sonoma in Ala Moana.

Worth it?: No.

Got a gadget that you love? Or are you curious about one you’d like us to test? Email crave@staradvertiser.com or write Crave, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, Honolulu 96813.