How To: 10 Reasons to Drag Your Egg Slicer Out of the Back of Your Drawer

I have to confess: my egg slicer has been neglected ever since I bought it. I had ambitious dreams of using it to slice perfectly symmetrical slivers of hard-boiled egg into my salads... but the truth is, once I tucked it into a kitchen drawer, I completely forgot about it. That is, until recently when I discovered that it can be used to slice way more than just eggs.

• Don't Miss: 10 Must-Know Egg Hacks You've Gotta Try

Here are 10 common kitchen ingredients that can be used with an egg slicer. Once you realize how easy it is to use the slicer over slicing manually, you'll have a hard time going back—at least, if you're slicing a large quantity at once, or small, slippery things like...

1. Olives

Whether you are team green or black, an egg slicer will make slicing olives for everything from simple salads to pizza toppings effortless. Make sure to place the appointed olive in the center of the slicer and quickly bring the slicing top to hold it securely in place before slicing it, since they can be quite slippery and apt to roll. Slicing a few olives should do the trick for most recipes that call for sliced olives.

Once you've perfected your olive slicing, try your hand at this delicious chicken and green olive enchiladas recipe.

• Don't Miss: 9 Pizza Hacks You Need to Try Before You Die

2. Bananas

No classic fruit salad is complete without the addition of sliced bananas. Same goes for banana pancakes. It might be easy enough to slice bananas (even without a cutting board), but having them uniform and cut in a flash is a whole other level of efficiency.

This method works best with bananas that are not too ripe: cut a banana in quarters, so each piece can be sliced properly, then center the banana and press the blades down.

As for what to do with your slices, check out this creamy, delicate banana cream pie from Serious Eats.

3. Butter

The egg slicer is your weapon of choice for slicing beautiful, picture-perfect pats of butter for your guests.

• Don't Miss: Compound Butter: An Easy Flavor Hack

Cut a stick of butter in quarters to make sure each piece can properly be sliced, the center the butter before slicing. Try this waffle recipe that, when topped with a sliver of butter and a dollop of maple syrup, is the perfect lazy Sunday morning breakfast.

4. Kiwis

Kiwis are delicious in everything, from fruit tarts to fruit salads, but not always the easiest to cut by hand. Enter the egg slicer.

Peel the skin (check out this link for the easiest way to do it!), cut the kiwis in half, then place each one in the cradle of the slicer to make uniform slices. This kiwi lime pie is a great way to utilize those thin, perfect slices!

5. Mushrooms

There is nothing better than sliced mushrooms as a pizza topping or grilled alongside a burger with onions.

For an easier way to cut an entire mushroom, there is no better kitchen appliance than the egg cutter. A green onion and mushroom omelet will be a much faster breakfast option when using the slicer—not to mention a delicious one.

• Don't Miss: The Proper Way to Make a French Omelet

6. Strawberries

Sliced strawberries are extremely versatile and can go on top of anything, from pancakes to ice cream sundaes.

• Don't Miss: The Secret to Making Strawberries Taste Like Candy

To quickly slice an entire strawberry, center it in the cradle of the slicer; seconds later, you'll have pretty uniform pieces for all your baking and cooking whims. A recipe like this strawberry cream cake by Martha Stewart will go much faster when you've got a slicer handy.

7. Cooked Carrots

Cooked, sliced carrots add a pop of color to many meals, including salads and fried rice.

• Don't Miss: The Easiest Way to Get Your Daily Dose of Veggies

After boiling your carrots on the stove, let them cool off before cutting them up into pieces that fit well into the cradle of the slicer. (Pro tip: Baby carrots save you from this extra step, as you do not need to cut them up.) Try this Chinese fried rice and substitute the sliced cooked carrots as one of the ingredients.

8. Hot Dogs

Sliced hot dogs have many uses, including being used as toppings on pizza or a great addition to chili.

After cooking the hot dogs, let them cool off, then cut them into quarters so they'll fit into the cradle of the slicer. And once they're cut, feel free to use them in hearty stews, where they'll up the savory, meaty flavor of the dish. This hot dog casserole recipe uses sliced up hot dog as a main ingredient and is sure to be a hit with kids.

9. Fresh Mozzarella

Whether you are making caprese salad or simply want to add some slices of mozzarella to your salad, slicing fresh mozzarella has never been simpler using an egg slicer.

• Don't Miss: How to Cut Tomatoes the Right Way

Place the entire ball into the slicer for a quick and painless way to get uniform slices, then use the slices in this simple recipe for a caprese salad with a balsamic reduction.

10. Avocados

You can't beat sliced avocado on top of a fried egg or chicken tacos. And with the extra assistance of an egg slicer, your avocado slices will be much cleaner than cutting them by hand—perfect for that Instagram-worthy food photo. Just place an avocado half in the slicer, then cut it in one swoop.

• Don't Miss: How & Why to Use Avocados in Desserts Instead of Dairy

Try this Cobb salad recipe that includes avocado slices as one of its main ingredients.

Now that you know the shortcut to an easier slicing technique for a lot of common kitchen ingredients, your egg slicer will definitely not collect dust in a kitchen drawer. Happy slicing!

More Useful Kitchen Tool Hacks:

• 9 Drinking Straw Hacks That Don't Suck
• What to Do When You Don't Have a Mortar & Pestle
• Tongs: Your Most Underrated Cooking Tool
• Why Chopsticks Are the Best Cooking Tool You Aren't Using
• The Easiest Way to Smoke Food Without a Smoker