Which Goodwill? Years ago I used the tradition dull aluminum press all the time. Then I switched over to Crushed Cloves or Finely Minced.
I just bought this simple but amazing little gadget. So nice for an old lady, one such as myself, that wants just one slice of tomato and get cranky farting around with Saran Wrap and then putting it in another container. Just put the sliced side down and then the stretch compression lid keeps it sealed against air damage down to the last slice. No fuss or cuss!
I'm so excited; I ordered a new Cuisinart 11 cup food processor and it's coming today. New toy!! I have an old KitchenAid that will be moving to the Countertop Appliance Graveyard in the garage, waiting on the next unsuspecting offspring to show up.
You will love it! I have had the Cuisinart 14 cup commercial grade food processor for years. It is heavy and has amazing power. I rarely use it. I bought it for a big dinner one Thanksgiving. I ended up slicing cheese, whipping up deserts, mashing potato's, and making dough for the rolls. One of my friends that loves to cook and bake, used it to make something to test out every attachment and it has a lot. Washing and drying all the bowls and attachments, can be a chore. The main one I use is my 4 cup Cuisinart Work Bowl Processor. It is all I need and also has power to boot. I also have the Cuisinart Nut and Spice Grinder. It doesn't take any sass from either nuts or spices. I am a Cuisinart addict. I also have their fancy Can Opener, Cordless Programmable Kettle and a 4 Slice wide slot Toaster. All of them are stainless. Oh, almost forgot about the Cuisinart Crock Pots since they live under the counter, one a 4 quart and the other a 7 quart. What is shameful is I don't even like to cook or even bake anymore, but I do love admiring my arsenal of kitchen appliances.
I had the 14 cup Cuisinart years ago; it was a workhorse and currently lives with my oldest daughter. I bought the Kitchenaid 11 cup model in 2004 or so and it has also been a good appliance though it is more complicated than the Cuisinart and has a lot of attachments (juicer, dough blade, etc.) that I never used. Back then KA were still made in Ohio but now they're made in China, as are Cuisinarts. I also have a small 4-cup Kitchenaid chopper and a Ninja that I like to use for crushed ice, and a Vitamix. (And yet when making pickles this morning, I dragged out my trusty OXO mandoline to slice the cucumbers. )
I'm such a sucker. I noticed a few listings for the original Ekco Kitchamajig on Ebay so I bid on one. In a few days I'll be getting my $15 kitchen utensil. I think they sold for $1.79 40 years ago.
Hey Brunner... earlier today I was slicing cucumbers for pickles and noticed how dull my OXO blade is getting. I whipped out my manual knife sharpener and ran the mandoline blade through it a few times and voila'! Turned out great so I'll stock up on bandaids.
THAT's a good idea! The one one they sent me has tiny serrated edges so it pierces the food before it gets sliced, so that won't work for me...but your method would have worked on my old straight-edged one. And, Yeh, I catch myself when I say "I don't need to use that food holder," or "I'll just do one more pass."
That knife sharpener says it will sharpen serrated blades though I haven't tried it. Amazon.com: Chef'sChoice 4643 Manual Knife Sharpeners 15 and 20-Degree for Serrated and Straight Knives Diamond Abrasives, 2-Stage, Gray: Sharpening Stones: Home & Kitchen I think I must have thrown out my food holder thing; I haven't seen it in years. So far I have managed to not sever a limb but I do waste the last bit of food as it nears the blade.
@John Brunner @Beth Gallagher I sharpen high quality serrated blades all the time with my rod steel or hand stone. You can't sharpen a double corrugated blade very well, but a serrated is easy. I refuse to spend $10 bucks for shipping and handling each way to take advantage of their FREE life time sharpening. If you look at a high quality serrated blade, one side has dips and the other side is smooth. The smooth side is the one to use a steel or stone on. A true corrugated blade doesn't have a smooth side. To put a fine finish on a blade, turn a ceramic coffee mug upside down and polish the edge on its bottom.
I've been looking for a pic of my mandoline blade. As you said, it's corrugated. Somewhere around here I have a complete set of sharpening stones I've yet to try out. As I recall, the guy who worked for the place I bought them from was an Apprentice Sharpener...he'd only been at it for 5 years.