OMG, have you tried the new Oxo Mango Splitter?

[Shivananda]

OK, so I've already got every kitchen gadget known to mankind, and a few from other galactic systems. And I have the kind of kitchen cutlery collection that makes grown chefs weep. And I know how to use it.

So I really don't need no stinkin' $12 Oxo Mango Splitter thingy from Bed Bath & Beyond tonight, but then again... I did read some time ago that this particular widget was designed by a guy who's been working on it foreva, as a real labor of love. And it's so simple... I mean, it just has cutting blades that are curved to fit around the big stone in the middle of a mango... but it works so well! I mean, it really does a good job. You just stand the mango up on end, push this gizmo down over it, and... presto! the meat of the mango falls away on both sides.

Amazing how much easier that is than the usual struggle. This may change my entire relationship with mangos!

[Lady Green Jeans]

Shivananda,

I just bought one this past weekend and used it for the second time yesterday. Awsome. Just peel the mango and push the cutter down over it and instant breakfast. One of my favorite gadgets now.

Thanks for the fun thread.

[karenbeel]

Very cool gadget, thanks for sharing. I think I'm going to go out tomorrow and get one. I hate having to cut that big seed out of the middle of mangos its such a pain and the fruit nearly always slips while trying to do it, one of these days I can just see it I'm gonna chop a thumb off LOL!!!!.

[rawpriestess]

I've seen these gadgets, but it is ONE of the few that I don't have (YET)

It is surprising that I too, have amassed a great quantity of kitchen gadgets, and the only ones I don't have anymore are specifically cooking type thingies.

I used to joke that the ONLY kitchen gadget I didn't have was the hotdogger, and they don't even make them any more, but I think I've owned every other on in exsistance.

Except this one, so a knife just won't do it huh?

I like mangos, it's just that I love so many other fruits, it seems a shame to pay $5.00 for a fruit that I only like, when I can get an entire pineapple that I love that feeds me for two days at on ly $3.00

But maybe I'll have to bite the bullet and buy one of these gadgets.

[fuzzywater]

I saw these little gadgets in a catalog months ago.... I think it was The Baker's Catalog or Sur La Table or some such. At any rate, I ran out to William's Sonoma (figuring they'd be one of the first to have them) and picked one up... used it the next day.... and LOVE IT.
Now I *adore* mangos, but rarely bought them due to 1. expense and 2. hassle to eat them. Give me my peel on the run bananas! BUT ever since I bought this gizmo.... oh yes, I am in mango heaven. I've used it 3 times in the last 2 days, and that's not a particularly unusual statistic over these last months. It's definitely one of those brilliant, "why didn't anyone think of this earlier" kind of gadgets! I think what really makes it so much better than a knife, for me, is that you don't have to worry that you're missing any of that succulent meat like you do when using a knife... it scrapes right down the pit, catching all the meat on the 4 sides around it. Yay for mango splitters!

Oh yeah, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! Hehe.

[Mookie]

Does anyone who owns this gadget think it can be used to slice avocadoes? :confused:

[Shivananda]

Does anyone who owns this gadget think it can be used to slice avocadoes?

No, definitely not. The beauty of this gadget is that the blade is... ummmm... how to describe it? Well, boat shaped, in order to closely follow the flat, wide contour of a mango pit, as seen from the end. There's nothing else quite like mangos, and until now it's always been a real pain to separate the flesh from the pit because they don't exactly have a clear separation between the two.

Avos are a different matter completely. I find them incredibly easy to peel and slice, so I don't quite understand people's difficulties with them, or the need for special slicer (of which there are several, which only work so-so and are a big pain to clean.)

Just use a nice big sharp knife, like a chef's knife, to cut all the way through the skin and flesh (the long way) until you reach the pit. Then turn the avocado so the knife travels all the way around, making a complete 360 cut (again, in the top to bottom direction, then up the other side.) Once you have the cut complete, simply rotate the two halves in opposite directions, and they will neatly separate.

Whack the pit hard with the edge of the blade so it sinks in, and twist the pit right out of the flesh. Now you have two perfect halves, still in the skin.

At this point you have two choices. Zip the skin off the meat and slice on the cutting board, or slice the meat in the skin and then pop it out. To do the first, cut a little startercut in the skin, at one end. Just enough to allow you to twist the skin back a little, from which point you can usually just peel a strip off like pulling a zipper. Repeat until completely peeled, place flat side down on your cutting board, and slice as desired. This is the way to get the finest or thinnest slices, if visual appeal is important.

OR, slice the flesh inside the peel (I usually use a paring knife for this) without cutting through the peel. Then turn the skin inside out to dump the slices out. I find this faster if I just need slices for a sandwich, say, and uniformity of the slices is not important.

And finally, there is the "no-slice" method I use when the avo is going into a sauce or a pudding or for guacamole... I just use a big serving spoon and scoop the flesh out in chunks. For large scale food prep this is the only way. And it gives you nice little natural bowls that you can serve things in, like guac, or sprouts.

[Shivananda]

Gosh, I'm feeling fortunate now that my local markets are so well stocked.

Several posters have mentioned the expense. I've never seen a $5 mango, and probably wouldn't buy one if I did. The ones I got yesterday were 98 cents each, and I had my choice of 4 different stores to buy them at around that price. I usually stop buying them when they hit $1.50 or so. In NYC you sometimes see them 3/$2 or even on occasion 2/$1. Smaller ones anyway.

Try Latino or Asian markets, if you have any available to you. Mangos may be available there much cheaper than what you've been paying, since they are mainstream items in those communities.

Oh, and when I do get them really cheap, I like to peel them and freeze them, and then make "mango ice cream" with them.

OK, now I'm hungry...

[Lady Green Jeans]

Shivananda,

Only thing I miss about using the mango splitter is standing over the sink eating the flesh off the seed--messy but good. Now there's hardly any fruit left on the seed to bother.

Great ideas for peeling an avo. One of my favorite long time gadgets is an avo peeler. It almost looks like a bread knife with a little bend in the end. Slips them right out of the skin. I have used varied methods as you described when out or preparing without my peeler.

Your mention of mango ice cream will have me lined up at the next mango sale. My true weak spot pre-raw was mango gelato. Traveled 35 miles way each Saturday to go to Little Italy in San Diego for just that. Now I won't feel deprived. Please share how you make yours.

RP--discriminating woman that you are, guarantee you will truly enjoy the ease of preparing mangos using the splitter.

[CAdreamer]

Question?

Does the seed blade fit different sizes....i.e., does it expand for larger ones ? Or will I have to find same sized mangoes for it to work well ? Mangoes here are very reasonably priced and we love them, so I might spring for a splitter if it seems practical.

[Shivananda]

Please share how you make yours.

Sure, glad to.

1) I freeze chunks of peeled mango flesh (mango meat?)

2) I take the frozen chunks out of the freezer and let them thaw slightly, so they are not rock solid.

3) I run those slightly softened chunks through my Omega auger type juicer with the blank insert installed.

4) I eat with gusto, and get a big grin on my face.

This recipe works well with peaches and pears, too.

[Shivananda]

Does the seed blade fit different sizes....i.e., does it expand for larger ones ?

The blade is fixed, but seems to work well with the different sizes I've tried it with. As I recall the article I read about it, this was why such a simple looking device took so many years to perfect, because it has to work well with a lot of different sizes to be practical. Unusually small fruit would probably leave a lot of fruit on the pit, while really huge ones wouldn't go through, but the range I'm used to seeing all will.

[GlimR]

Hi~
I've had mine for some time now....one of the best gadgets I own.......makes pitting the mango a breeze...so much less waste this way too.....well worth the price......I use mine all the time! And it's kind of fun~

[Shivananda]

OK, I just found something it's not good for... really mushy soft mangoes. I had gotten a couple of overripe mangoes at half price, and then forgot about them until amost too late.

But then again, I don't like eating mangoes at that stage anyway.

[rawpriestess]

okay, you all talked me into it,

I'll have to get one now, I've seen them, thought they were not necessary, of course all my other kitchen gadgets aren't necessary either.

So, I will get one, and a mango or three, and have a mango feast then report back on my efforts.

[RawYogini]

I got one and I'm not in love with it. :( You have to line it up just right and then the downward pressure squeezes the mango juice out. I've gone back to just slicing off the mango "cheeks" with a knife and scooping out the flesh with a spoon. Then I just cut off the little bits left around the pit. I would have rather spent my $12 on mangos. My co-op just offered a dozen organic mangoes for $14 - a bargain in northern NJ!

[CAdreamer]

I bought one last Friday, and loved it on the first attempt. We adore mangoes, but they are one of the most difficult and potentially dangerous of fruit to slice. I'm happy not having to slice the mango with a knife anymore. The results were fast and fabulous.

[Nini]

I love my mango pitter. I no longer dread cutting them up!

[Raw Jewelrylady]

I have the mango splitter & use it daily.. It really is great & a bargain price.
Lana