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The Easiest Way To Shred Cheese

February 18, 2020

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Shredded Cheese

 Ok, so it's no secret that I hate to cook.

I mean, there are some aspects of it I do enjoy, like when the whole family is involved in the process, around the holidays, for example.

Or when we're talking about dessert.

But even then, unless it's 5-minute instant Jello chocolate pudding, I'm not enthused.

However, as I've also stated before, we do need to eat...which is exactly why I'm always looking for easy methods to cheat my way to a quick meal.

So far, I've relied mostly on recipes, but lately, I've started thinking about gadgets and how they could help me out.

Once I broke out that steamer, and was able to transform the basement sofa, with very little effort, it got me thinking.

I've alway avoided them in the past, because...well...I live in a cottage and space is at a premium. Plus, I'm no spring chicken, I've been down this road before.

I've had the waffle maker, the bread maker, the coffee maker and the fancy processors and we either never used them, they were too much trouble to drag out and clean up. Or they broke.

Then last year, right around the holidays, my daughter requested sweet potato pancakes, and I said...oh no. Grating those yams was a chore. So we ordered a pizza instead.

Then the very next night my other daughter requested my famous no bake lasagna and again, I said, oh no. Grating cheese was just as bad. So we had leftover pizza.

Now, we live in NY and the pizza is OUTSTANDING.

I could eat it every day for every meal, but on Christmas morning, it became very clear that other people in the house were looking for some variety, because I unwrapped this - the Presto Salad Shooter (<---like this one).

Presto Salad Shooter

Yay. Cooking tools. Thank you...I can't wait to use it. 

They knew I was lying. But I think they still had high hopes that one day, I'd open that box.

Well, today's the day. Christmas was when?? And today is...what?? Oh well, better late than never.

So what was my motivation you ask? Um...hunger?

No, just kidding. Sort of.

I really was hungry and wanted to make that lasagna...but I also really didn't want to shred that cheese. Then I spied that box.

Unopened.

And then I remembered the steamer and how it made easy work of a nasty chore...

Anyway, I opened the box and tried this sucker out.

Before you ask me why I didn't just buy shredded cheese, I'll tell you. I don't like it.

I try to eat whole foods as much as possible and shredded cheese has a lot of preservatives in it to inhibit mold growth and cellulose, to prevent caking.

What is cellulose?


It's essentially wood, plant or cotton fibers that have been chemically processed and then added to the food. It's in a lot of things, but I try not to buy them, because I'm not into eating any of that. Ick.

Instead, I always buy a big block and shred. Begrudgingly.

However, I was hopeful that my new kitchen toy would change all that.

Here's what happened today.

The Easiest Way To Shred Cheese


Step 1:


I opened the box, read the instructions and then washed it. Then I snapped the proper shredding blade into place.

Presto Salad Shooter

Step 2:


I cut the block of mozzarella up into smaller chunks so it would fit into the space provided.

Then I put the little cup on top of it.

The food gets trapped between the blade and cup to protect your fingers.

Easy Way To Shred Cheese

Step 3:


I plugged it in and pressed the "on" button and started shredding.

I also pressed down gently on that little cup to move the cheese closer to the blade when needed. It works exactly the same as a food processor.

How To Shred Cheese

Step 4:


I shredded some more.

I just kept going until all the cheese was gone. Presto.

Just like the box said.

Shredded Cheese

I have to say it was very easy.

The set up time was minimal, the shredding was effortless and I was done in seconds without any waste.

This is what was left of my block of cheese.

Presto Salad Shooter Review

Normally, I end up with a shredded mess, cheese everywhere and achy arms, but not this time.

This was lovely.

Easiest Way To Shred Food

Step 5:


Clean up....which was great, since I just took it apart, rinsed quickly and popped all the cheesy pieces in the dishwasher.

Yup, you heard me, the dishwasher.

You can't put a waffle maker in the dishwasher.

Presto Salad Shooter Dishwasher Safe

I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised with this little handy helper.

It did exactly what it said it would do and it was a breeze to clean.

I wiped off the salad shooter itself and then placed it on the shelf next to my Hello Kitty toaster...and I was all done.

Presto Salad Shooter Original

 Well, done with the shredding. I still had to make the meal, but shredding was the hard part.

And of course, I only shredded cheese. Tomorrow I plan to shred cucumbers and chocolate.

Oh yeah, and I think I owe someone some shredded yams.

I'll keep you posted and let you know how that goes, but in the meantime, I'm pretty excited.

Me. Excited. About cooking.

Wow.

That says a lot.

Easiest Way To Shred Food For People Who Hate To Cook

Do you have a  go to kitchen gadget?

Do tell!

Happy Shredding!!









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  1. Ha, ha great post Kim. Yes, shredding is the worst part. Seems like a great gadget to have.

    Could have passed on the description on preshredded cheese, Yuck.

    Let us know how the potatoes work.

    Cindy

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    1. Hi Cindy, yeah, that cellulose stuff is yuck. I don't love the entire idea of it, but what chemicals are they using to process the stuff? That's scares me most...

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  2. You made me laugh!!!! It is amazing when you open those boxes stuck back in the cabinet or pantry and how great they do work. I am a lazy cook and usually buy the already shredded cheese. Now that you told me what is in that I think I might have to get one of these gadgets! Love your Hello Kitty toaster! That is too fun! Happy Tuesday. Have a great week.

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    1. Thanks Kris...I love that Hello Kitty toaster, too...and yeah, that shredded cheese is questionable. I used to buy it all the time and then I read the ingredients. Nope. I just can't eat it now. Hope you have a super week, too!

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  3. I don't have room for kitchen gadgets. I've never even tried the food processor. Like you, I dread cooking. I love it once it's done. But I've always been of the opinion: All that work and in minutes it's gone. I like to do work that I can gaze at later and feel as though I really accomplished something. I really need to eat better. I tend to wait until I'm starving, and unfortunately Sonic is less than a block away.
    Brenda

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    1. Right there with you, Brenda. I would rather decorate or craft or even clean rather than cook. Like you said, the whole, it's gone in a few minutes part gets me, too. And then there's clean up. Nope...I'd rather eat pizza!

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    2. And then there are those of us who actually enjoy the whole creative process of cooking! :-)

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    3. I use my food processor to shred cheese if I have to shred a lot of it. If I just need a little bit of cheese, then I just do it by hand on a box grater.

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    4. I don’t have a food processor anymore. Now that I have this little tool, I can see how one might be very useful! And I can say that the right tools do make a difference. I actually enjoyed this process...it's not my creative process of choice at the moment, but with the right gadget, who knows!! ☺️

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  4. You have a great kitchen gadget! I love my Salad Shooter. We do not use pre-shredded cheese if the package lists cellulose as an ingredient. Cello is a good product. Your SS will shred sweet potatoes beautifully.

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    1. Thank you so much, Donna, it's great to hear it will work well on the potatoes! I've already had the request. Apparently, they read the blog. 😉

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  5. I'm sure it's a good thing that now I know what cellulose is. Yuck!! I enjoyed your telling of your new kitchen gadget! I hate to cook too!

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    1. Thanks Carol!! I love storytelling. That's my passion...definitely not cooking. Glad to know I'm not alone.

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  6. Oh Kim, I smiled through this whole post as I am a gadget girl. So proud of you.

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  7. Kim, I am the queen of infomercials. My SIL rolls his eyes at me whenever that subject comes up. I have ordered most of all the gadgets from those spots. Then, occasionally, I find parts that I don't know which gadget they belong to or, in cleaning out a cupboard, I find there are double even triple of some of them. I've seen this one advertised, or something similar, but haven't gotten it (YET). I do buy the shredded cheese, and thanks for that juicy bit of info. It does look like it makes easy work of the job and I bet your lasagna is fantastic. However, I have been advised that my credit card will be shredded, just like cheese, if I fall prey to temptation again, so I will have to wait until the storm blows over! I love your posts..xxoJudy

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    1. Judy, your comment about your credit card being shredded was very clever. I’m sorry, but it made me smile. You're so witty! I'm not an infomercial girl, but every now and then, I get caught up and I'm sure I need whatever's on tv. One night, I was up late and I came across two women discussing their amazing Toni Ponies...they were faux hair ponytails. I was glued to the tv and sure I needed one. I literally had to turn the tv off and walk away. I was *this* close to buying one in every color!! They can be very convincing. xoxo

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  8. Wonderful gadget. I have my old kitchenetic machine that shred, slices, kneads and more. I do love kitchen gadgets. Have fun with it.

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    1. Oh…I have to go look that up, Linda! It sounds like a fun one.

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  9. I love gadgets and now I want a salad shooter! One of my favorites isn't necessarily a gadget, but a tool. It's the Pampered Chef Mix and Chop. It only costs $15 and makes browning hamburger so much easier. It chops it while you are browning it, so when you are done, it's all finely chopped.

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    1. Mari, I just looked it up and ordered one on Amazon! I love Pampered Chef. I only have a few of their batter bowls, but I used them every day. Thanks for the tip!

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  10. Kim, once again a fun, fun post and at the same time I learned a new tip!

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    1. Thanks Carla! I'm glad you found the tip helpful. ☺️

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  11. I thought it was a salad shooter. So I was expecting shredded lettuce, but at least it's versatile. Wow, you & I are 2 peas in a pod. I hate to cook, and shred cheese too. I guess I'll go ahead & eat the cellulose & stuff. Ha.

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    1. Apparently, it's very versatile, Florence! I was unaware, too. I learned that it can shred chocolate...which may be very dangerous to my waistline!!

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  12. I like your gadget for shredding cheese Kim. I'm a lazy cook and always buy already shredded cheese. I hope you have a fun time using your new gadget. I remember when I was given the veggie chopper one year and we enjoyed using it. I love using my Instant Pot to make dinner but I'm not sure if you would call that a gadget. LOL.

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    1. Thanks Julie! I think an instant is a gadget...why not! That may be next of my list. I hear they're great.

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  13. Hubby loves gadgets - the more the better. Me, not so much. I am craving simplicity in all! However, I do own a food processor that I should use more often...it has a blade that shreds cheese and I think I have never used it. I only cook for two. That's my excuse.

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    1. I'm still cooking for a full house and everyone eats different things...vegetarians, vegans, meat lovers. Maybe that's why I hate to cook! It's too complicated now. Ha!!

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    1. It is!! I've spend the week shedding everything in sight, Penny!!

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  15. Hahaha, I get it, I really do. Thanks for stopping by and commenting on my blog! It brought me over here to you and I see that we already have something in common... as I hate to cook too, lol! But I do love me some kitchen gadgets. Which really is quite weird because I'm not much of a gadget person. Anyway, nice to meet a new blogging friend!

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    1. Nice to meet you, too, Angie! Thanks for the visit. It's always fun to meet a kindred crafting spirit!! And I was shocked how much I liked this little gadget, too. Fun!!

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  16. I totally agree about gadgets...they are of good intentions but end up just taking up space. But with that being said I have been married for 29 years and I have always had a salad shooter which has been used 99% of the time for grating cheese. I am on at least my third or fourth one. But I couldn't live without it! Oh and I still love your blog thanks for being real.

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    1. Dena, I'm loving it! I have been using it several times a week. And thanks so much for the "real" comment. I try to keep it that way!

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