Doohickey delivers a pretty cut

I was excited to test Chef’n’s Lemon-Aid Citrus Spiralizer because I wanted to know what made it different from the other produce “spiralizers” I’ve tried. I was told by a Chef’n publicist that I would like this gadget.

While spaghetti spirals are the norm for most hand-held spiralizers, Chef’n’s sunshine-toned tool creates a beautiful ribbon spiral about a quarter-inch thick. The publicist was right, I did like this tool.

I tested it on a lemon, lime, orange and grapefruit. The spiralizer made fruity coils just as pretty as the almost-see-through cucumber ribbon curls I’ve gotten from similar devices.

How it works: A cover and blade make up this two-piece tool. Stand the fruit on the prong in the middle of the blade component. Using the cover, push down and twist the fruit clockwise. I couldn’t get a good grip with the cover alone, so I used my hand to push down and twist, making sure my fingers grasped the fruit so the prong wouldn’t poke me.

I had no problems with the lemon or lime. The orange was a little too big and the grapefruit was way too big to fit the gadget. I should have bought a clementine instead of an orange, and skipped the grapefruit. That said, I could see making thick ribbons of beets, kiwi, turnips and other produce that would fit on the 3-inch device.

The citrus would look so pretty decorating the edges of a cake. Or imagine curls in a glass of white wine.

And if I can find a long skinny potato I can make spiral chips like the ones I’ve seen at Eat the Street.

Does it work? Beautifully.

Pros: Quick and easy, small and pretty, and easy to wash, although it may be dangerous for children to clean.

Cons: Works only with small produce.

Cost and availability: About $10 on various sites, including chefn.com and surlatable.com.

Worth it? Yes.

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.