Runner bean slicer. Do you use one?

[JimW]

We just top and tail beans with a knife then pull off the string. Though sometimes just do it by snapping them, no knife.

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

No

 

[Epona]

No

Is that just a response to the question asked in the thread title, or a (somewhat apt IMO) comment on the entire thread?

 

[Epona]

Quails' eggs are really common here, don't think I ever even saw one back home.

Yeah they're seen as quite a posh thing, if I wanted to buy some in London I'd probably head to Waitrose or similar higher end supermarket.

Where I grew up though (and probably similar in other rural parts of the UK), quite a lot of people would keep quail in a hutch/run type thing in the garden, when I was a kid all the pet shops and some animal feed shops sold laying quail pretty cheap and they're smaller and less messy than chickens, so having quails eggs wasn't that unusual. I think probably big difference between urban and rural.

(Bit like pheasant, urban folks can think it's a bit posh, but in rural areas it's what you get offered cheaply in hushed tones in the local boozer, whereas in London it would be shoplifted steaks, salmon, and roasting joints from the nearest supermarket).

 

[The39thStep]

I've got one of these - it's brilliant.

I'm sure I bought a micro wave egg poacher based on your recommendation

 

[The39thStep]

Quails' eggs are really common here, don't think I ever even saw one back home.

I've bought them in the UK . Some people have quails for their eggs over here, very often you see them in the markets.

 

[High Voltage]

The love is for you posting the video not for the product, which looks appalling...and I'm a sucker for gadgets

 

[JimW]

Yeah they're seen as quite a posh thing, if I wanted to buy some in London I'd probably head to Waitrose or similar higher end supermarket.

Where I grew up though (and probably similar in other rural parts of the UK), quite a lot of people would keep quail in a hutch/run type thing in the garden, when I was a kid all the pet shops and some animal feed shops sold laying quail pretty cheap and they're smaller and less messy than chickens, so having quails eggs wasn't that unusual. I think probably big difference between urban and rural.

(Bit like pheasant, urban folks can think it's a bit posh, but in rural areas it's what you get offered cheaply in hushed tones in the local boozer, whereas in London it would be shoplifted steaks, salmon, and roasting joints from the nearest supermarket).

We were rural too and definitely got the poached game, so wonder if I'm just not remembering quail eggs.

 

[seeformiles]

The love is for you posting the video not for the product, which looks appalling...and I'm a sucker for gadgets

Mine works much better than this video. If done properly, the shell part comes off in one neat piece leaving a perfect dome of egg white.

 

[JimW]

I've bought them in the UK . Some people have quails for their eggs over here, very often you see them in the markets.

People like to put them in noodles, in fact one to mention in that pimp my instant noodles thread.

 

[SpookyFrank]

Urban loves a good boiled egg device.

My dad still has the boiled egg slicer he had when I was a kid. It's lasted so well because he has never once used it. If you want an egg sandwich you just mash the eggs up with a fork and add mayo like a normal person.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

I'm sure I bought a micro wave egg poacher based on your recommendation

I've bought a few over the years - some are better than others. So apologies if the one I was talking about at the time was shit.

 

[Fez909]

This is the most ridiculous gadget I've seen in some time

 

[farmerbarleymow]

The love is for you posting the video not for the product, which looks appalling...and I'm a sucker for gadgets

This looks a much more exciting way to slice an egg

 

[Epona]

We were rural too and definitely got the poached game, so wonder if I'm just not remembering quail eggs.

Might vary a bit by region perhaps

 

[JimW]

Might vary a bit by region perhaps

Yes, bit of Cheshire spent biggest chunk of childhood was mostly big dairy farms. Probably a few broiler units tucked away too.

 

[seeformiles]

This is the most ridiculous gadget I've seen in some time

After so many times messing up slicing the top off soft boiled eggs (e.g. too far down, puncturing the yolk, wee bits of shell everywhere) it’s really good and there’s no waste. I stop short of saying “godsend” as it’s only a bloody boiled egg but for a couple of quid and its small size, it makes breakfast a little easier if you’re still half asleep. I’d put it slightly above an egg ring in terms of its usefulness but it’s not a ridiculous expense for very little utility as some other gadgets can be.

 

[Sasaferrato]

After a moment's reflection, I've never eaten a runner bean in my life, so would have no need for a device to cut them.

 

[iona]

Yes that’s fine if you’re chopping them across the grain into short lengths, but the slicer thingy gives you long strands of bean spaghetti

Yeah I still don't understand why you'd want to fuck your beans up like that

 

[farmerbarleymow]

Yeah they're seen as quite a posh thing, if I wanted to buy some in London I'd probably head to Waitrose or similar higher end supermarket.

Yeah, I think I've only ever seen them on sale there (perhaps M & S too). But it's nice to be able to eat dozens of boiled eggs on one sitting.

 

[Guineveretoo]

I always heard these referred to as runner bean stringers, when it actually meant de-stringer I suppose. I've never knowingly had one as they feel too middle class a device for me to posess. Same with the egg cracker (back of a spoon?) and the egg topper (knife & thumb?).

I thought the whole and only point of this activity was to take as much of the stringy bits out, rather than chopping them up.
Surely it'd be easier to just use a knife and chop 20 at a time y'know, like normals do

It’s to slice them lengthwise, which I wouldn’t want to attempt with a knife.

It’s for runner beans which, particularly when they get big and old, can be a bit tough if just chopped.

It’s not for the green beans commonly sold in supermarkets. In fact, it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to put a green bean through one of these. I would just top and tail them. No slicing.

Young, fresh runner beans can just be sliced the other way with a knife (although at a slight angle, for some reason)

 

[Guineveretoo]

Yeah I still don't understand why you'd want to fuck your beans up like that

Because old runner beans can be chewy if just sliced.

Because runner beans sliced lengthwise are delicious.

I haven’t had runner beans for years though.

 

[Idaho]

I pick my runners while they are young and tender. If I miss any and they get big and tough, they go on the compost. I just use a knife for any pre cooking preparation.

 

[Schmetterling]

Yes; once.
Mine is tiny and fiddly. Might use it again when runner beans are in season again.

 

[Schmetterling]

I have a runner bean slicer, but it doesn't look like that. I only use it if the beans are a bit old and stringy.

Mine looks like this one.

Kitchen Craft Runner Bean Slicer, White

Buy Kitchen Craft Runner Bean Slicer, White from our View All Kitchen Utensils range at John Lewis & Partners. Free Delivery on orders over £50.

www.johnlewis.com

That’s the one I have.