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I have loaned this tool out to more neighbors than any other kitchen tool I own. I need to buy some for Christmas gifts. It works great for cutting noodles.
Generally the roller minces and crushes the herbs into a wadded ball. Like many of the reviewers noted, this piece of equipment is not really suited for the job. The blades are rather flimsy and not sharp enough to roll/cut typical herbs such as parsley and basil. In addition, a significant portion of the herbs rolls up inside the safety cover - creating a fair amount of wasted product.
The tool really is good for nothing. the blades were dull and the herbs just became a stringy mess.
Otherwise, I'm guessing the result would be like some pesto got murdered on your chopping board. This little gadget did a great job of turning rosemary leaves, sea salt and ground pepper into a nice, uniform seasoning sprinkle. After buying the MIU mandoline, I wanted to make my own spice mixes for my homemade potato chips and fries. I read some people not liking the 'bruising' -- it's actually not always bad, because bruising can help release the herbs' flavors and aromas. It also worked well when I used it to finely mince chives with some garlic. I doubt it will work well when you try to bulldoze it over a large pile of basil leaves (small piles are okay) -- for this, it's much easier to roll up the leaves into little cigars, slice them into chiffonade, and if so desired, minced. When used on small amounts of herbs that aren't too 'wet', this little mincer does a fine job. Only four stars because there are better (but not necessarily easier) ways to mince -- like with a mezzaluna or a good, sharp chef's knife.
I bought this primarily for the purpose of cutting home-made egg noodles and am very happy with the performance. The handle is comfortable and sturdy, and the blades durable and sharp enough for cutting through the dough. As an herb mincer, I have found the blades will cut very tenter leaves, but do not cut through stems or even small viens of the leaves well and bruise the herbs in the process. Easy dis-assembly and re-assembly for cleaning.
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