Use a hand held spiralizer
A hand held spiralizer is my second favorite method. This is the one I have. It’s even more like a giant pencil sharpener; you twist the zucchini into it and zoodles come out the other end. You have to use some force but it’s really not to bad once you get into the rhythm of it.
You can’t beat this one for storage space. It fits neatly in a drawer next to your peeler for potatoes.
The Kuhn Rikon handheld one that I have is $17-20, but there are other handheld ones on the market that are cheaper, like this Veggetti one ($8) or this Oxo Grips one ($15). They all have pretty good reviews.
How to make Zucchini Noodles without a spiralizer
It’s really pretty simple. Spiralizers are easy to use, but they take up a lot of kitchen storage space. If you have the space and plan to make zoodles on the regular, then it’s probably worth it to buy a spiralizer. But for the rest of us with small kitchens, there are other options:
- mandoline
- handheld spiralizer
- potato peeler or julienne peeler
- box cheese grater
How to make Zoodles with a mandolin
The mandoline (using the julienne blade) is my favorite tool for making zoodles. I don’t own a spiralizer, and if I did I’m sure that would be my favorite tool, but I don’t have anywhere to store one more kitchen gadget.
But the mandoline is pretty great. I adore that you can change the setting to make your zoodles as thick as you like. The other non-spiralizer options I’ve included here all result in fairly thin zoodles.
The best zoodles are thick ones because they retain their shape when cooked and don’t turn to a soggy mess. When the noodles are thick, it is very simple to get them al dente. I prefer them to be roughly the same thickness as a chopstick, or slightly thinner.
There are two methods for preparing zoodles with your mandoline’s julienne blade. Long, straight zucchini strips can be obtained by pushing the zucchini lengthwise down the julienne blade.
However, my preferred method involves twisting the zucchini around the julienne blade, much like how you would twist a pencil in a sharpener. This produces long, perfectly curly noodles that are zoodle heaven. It’s fast and easy. Just make sure you don’t slice your fingers off. Mandolines are ruthless. It’s pretty nice that the one I linked to up there includes a metal glove to protect your hands.
