Gadget: Tefal Fresh Express

IT SLICED the onions, although I did have to shove them down hard

There’s really only one test of a good kitchen gadget – how long it can command a space on the kitchen work surface. The gadget catacomb, also known as my cupboard under the stairs, houses dusty relics of previous reviews including a pressure cooker, smoothie maker and food processor. I was therefore determined to give the Tefal Fresh Express a thoroughly challenging trial to determine if it was destined to be mummified as just another quirky, but inessential, gizmo.

The premise is simple – it chops and slices. My mum has a manual version that looks like an elongated set of hair straighteners where you furiously turn a little handle, simultaneously pushing the food down. The Fresh Express is evolutionary rather than revolutionary. What’s different is that there’s a 150-watt motor and five interchangeable blades for thick or thin slicing, coarse or fine shredding, or grating. It fits together well, with the five blades neatly stored in the Fresh Express’ beak when not in use.

I organised a dinner party for six in order to put this little red dynamo through its paces. The stir fry main course involved plenty of slicing and dicing. It thin sliced the red onions rapidly, although I did have to shove them down pretty hard to get it to work properly. The motor isn’t the most powerful – 150 watts is a damn loud speaker, but in chewing terms, it grinds more like a cow rather than crunching like a big cat. Mind you, it did destroy a carrot in seconds. However, the Fresh Express is more old school than you might expect – there’s plenty of pushing involved. At £50, it’s a bit on the pricey side for me, but it does slice prep time in half.

• £49.99 from www.lakeland.co.uk; see www.tefal.co.uk