We recently received a question about a fairly new product Lehman’s sells, The Power of 3: Slicer, Dicer, Juicer.
It prompted us to do some further testing on this product. Here is a behind-the-scenes look at our product testing! (Caution: If you’re hungry for fresh fruit and french fries, you might not want to proceed until after lunch.)
The Power of 3 is a hand-operated machine that has three main functions: slices and cores your fruit, cuts ½” thick french fries and juices soft fruit no electricity needed. The cool part about this machine is that you use the same machine for all three functions. All you have to do is switch out the pressing plates and blades.
We already knew that it worked for juicing oranges, slicing apples and cutting potatoes, but we wondered, what else could it do?
Test #1: What can it juice?
We emptied our grocery bags onto the table, and began cutting our fruit in half. We had an assortment of fruit to try, mainly from the citrus family. After placing a cup under the juicer, we were ready to go.
What worked: Oranges, lemons and grapefruit
What didn’t work: Limes and tomatoes
We were pleasantly surprised how easy it was to juice a grapefruit. The grapefruit fit perfectly on the juicer and took very little effort for us to juice. Oranges and lemons worked great too, but when it came to the lime, it was just too small for the juicing cone. We were able to get some juice from it, but it took more arm power. It does work to some extent, but we felt it’s not the best way to get a lot of lime juice.
We did try juicing a tomato to see what would happen, and well, not much did. To make tomato juice, it’s best to soften the tomato first (by steaming or boiling), and then strain it through a food mill or put it in a blender.
Afterthought: When using the juicer, make sure you lock in the slotted cone in the funnel by turning the cone until the indented edges are aligned with the protruding points inside the funnel; twist to secure. If the cone isn’t secure, it will stick to the fruit and lift up when the handle is raised. This happened to us during our first attempt.
Test #2: Can it cut more than white potatoes?
Before we sliced any french fries, we realized right away that depending on the size of the potato or vegetable you’re using, you may need to cut it down (or in half), so it will fit underneath the pressing plate and onto the blade.
What worked: White potatoes, onions, green peppers and mushrooms
What didn’t work: Sweet potatoes and tomatoes
The tougher the vegetable, the harder it is to slice. While it cut the white potato without difficulty (though a little more arm power is needed for this function), the sweet potatoes we used were just too dense for the machine.
However, we did find that the french fry plate worked well for dicing up other vegetables for stir fry and omelets, like onions, peppers and mushrooms. (We ran the onion through twice for a more diced result.)
Afterthought: We discovered during slicing that we had the wrong surface for using this machine. We had a folding table with a plastic top, which did not work well with the suction cups that are at the bottom of the machine. As a result, the machine did lift slightly as we used it. Most countertops and wood surfaces will hold the suction better.
Test #3: Are apples the only fruit that can be cored and sliced?
We realized that any fruit with a pit would not work with this function. The shape of this corer won’t fit over the pit. So we decided to try pears along with apples.
What worked: Apples and pears
What didn’t work: —
Slicing and coring pears were just as easy slicing apples. Little effort was needed. Pull down the handle and the fruit is cored and sliced neatly into 8 sections. We think this is a great tool for baking pies, canning fruit, or for whenever you have a lot of fruit to slice. It’s definitely a time saver.
After we were finished with our testing, we easily cleaned up the machine by taking a damp cloth and wiping it down. We washed the pressing plates and blades by hand, but they’re also safe to put in the dishwasher.
As for all of the sliced fruit and vegetables, we had a nice snack to take back to our co-workers.
The Power of 3: Slicer, Dicer, Juicer is available at Lehmans.com and at our store in Kidron, Ohio.
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