ZYLISS FastCut Herb Mincer

I should have bought something like this years ago!Easily minces a large pile of mixed fresh herbs in a minute or so using very light pressure. The blades can be aligned to cut with either a back-and-forth or side-to-side motion. The handle section detaches easily for cleaning and reinstalls easily and positively.As long as you use very little pressure the woodier stems of herbs like thyme will be left intact for easy removal while the leaves themselves are minced.

I was looking for a tool sharp enough to cut fragile herbs without destroying them in the process. This herb cutter does the trick. I have used this tool to cut all types of herbs and it does a great job on all of them. Because the blades are so sharp, you are able to cut the herbs quickly, lessening the contact time with the herbs to keep them from damaging. This tool is super-easy to clean, but you do have to be very careful of the sharp blades. But if the blades weren't as sharp as they are then you would have a superior herb cutting tool. You will love using this tool, believe me; couldn't be easier to use and clean.

This is the best mincing tool I have ever used! You can turn a double hand full of spinach into a half cup of crumbs in seconds! The handle turns 90 degrees so you can use it which ever way is more comfortable. The only reason I didn't give it a 5 star rating is the blade cover. I read a lot of reviews that said it was dangerously sharp, and I can tell you that is an understatement! I think the blade cover was purposely designed to get you bleeding! Instead of a central located knob away from the blades, the tabs to get hold of it to pull it off or replace it are on the far outside edges right next to the blades. I was very careful when I first removed the cover because of the reviews and I still cut myself, badly! After the bleeding stopped 30 minutes later, I got out a pair of leather gloves to work with the thing. Bottom line is I love this thing, it works great but you must be cautious when using. I have procedures I use now that I highly recommend following. When taking the cover on or off, or when disassembling for cleaning you should ALWAYS WEAR LEATHER GLOVES!!! Not jerseys or cottons because this thing will cut right through them! I cannot stress enough how sharp the cutter blades are! When I have it fully configured to use and only need to touch the handle that is when I remove the gloves, any other time they are on. I know it sounds scary and dangerous, but don't let it keep you from trying this tool because it works great and is very useful. It just needs to be handled safely.

I got this to replace a Microplane twisting chopper that stopped working correctly after I dropped it. I wasn't sure what to expect with the Zyliss but I really liked there garlic press and thought I'd give it a try. It fits comfortably in my hand and makes short work of everything I've put in front of it.It's easy to use and I like how you can press down from the top, or put your hand in the loop if you need to apply more pressure. The only iffy thing I'd say is trying to open it up to clean out the blades. It's kind of difficult to twist off and those blades are sharp enough that if you don't have the guard over them I could see where you'd cut yourself pretty good. Other than that I think it's well worth it.

Though this seemed like a fantastic idea to make preparing recipes easier it turned out to be not that great. It works fantastically, it's everything else that sucks. It's made of super cheap plastic, it was already falling apart before even the first use. Unless the top is on it perfectly it's extremely dangerous to use and it's not easy to get the top on perfectly. To be honest there is a claim that you can turn the handle either way, when we do it it just pops the top right off. Not worth the money, I will definitely be trashing it and looking for something better.

It's not really that I hate cutting up herbs with a knife; but not all herbs are as easy to chop as others...plus it's tough to get a small mince cut without taking forever with a knife. And cilantro? I love cilantro; but for whatever reason I find it to be one of the most difficult to chop up. I never seemed to be able to get the soft leaves cut into small pieces without them sticking all over the knife and my hands. Now, with this Zyliss FastCut tool, it's literally a matter of a few seconds to cut up cilantro and other herbs. After washing the herbs, I strip the leaves from the stems, pile them on a cutting board, and zip, zip, zip. Nice tiny pieces.I sympathize with the reviewer who received a bad cut with this tool. The blades are super sharp, so I can definitely see the potential for injuries. I take extra care when taking it apart to clean. And another great plus is that the cleaning is very easy. The handle section and the blade section separate and you can put both parts on the top shelf of the dishwasher. Just be VERY careful when you do so.

Ok, let me tell you why I gave this a 3 star instead of 5. First this mincer cuts your herbs fast and fantastic (definitely a 5). The reason I gave this a 3 is for reasons you'll read in other reviews. You WILL cut your finger. The design of this is absolutely horrible. I knew from the reviews I read that you had to be extremely careful. But, the way this is designed, there is no way that you won't cut your finger. I've had this just a short time and I've already cut my fingers 3 times and my husband once. No matter how careful you are, the design of this makes it impossible not to touch the blade at some time. This is especially true when you have to take apart this mincer to wash it out. It is very very difficult to take apart and put back together. My husband had a hard time with this as well and that's when he cut his finger. I'm paranoid every time I have to clean this because I'm afraid I'm going to cut myself again. Buyer beware. Maybe I should have given this a 2 star........

Makes a great noodle cutter. I use it for homemade egg noodles mostly.I did try it with some garden basil and it did great