There are so many amazing kitchen gadgets on the market that make eating healthy easy and help you be more creative in the kitchen.

I personally love using spiralizers to make zoodles, or noodles out of zucchini, but you can also do this with carrots and cucumbers for different types of creative creations.

3 Types of Spiralizers Around $10

Julienne Peeler This is a compact kitchen tool that costs under $10 on Amazon or at Walmart and is very easy to store in a kitchen drawer. It is ideal for squash and carrots.

Veggetti is an “As Seen On TV” product that costs a little over $10. This  is an easier to grip item that allows you to spiralize your vegetables into a bowl. This is another compact tool that doesn’t require much space to store.

BelleVie is a larger spiralizer, however it offers a crank function. This may be a great item for anyone with carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis, or that experiences pain when twisting items. It does require more space for storage, but is a useful tool to have in the kitchen.

How to Use A Spiralizer

Using spiralizers doesn’t require very much prep work or practice. First, select your favorite type of squash, wash them, and cut off the ends. Then, grab your spiralizer and twist away!

The BelleVie crank spiralizer does require you to push one end of the squash onto the spiked end and line up the other end with the blade. Finally, you crank away.

Tips for Cooking Zucchini Noodles

After spiralizing your zucchini or squash, cooking them takes no time at all! Keep in mind that zucchini is made of 95% water! It is important to not cook them for too long, otherwise you will have very soggy noodles. I found that it really only takes 2-5 minutes to cook on the stove top. 

When microwaving, place in a covered container and cook for 1 minute, followed by 30 second increments to avoid overcooking.

The same goes for boiling your zoodles. Boil a pot of water that is able to contain the amount of zoodles you have prepared. Then, toss the zoodles in the boiling water and cook for 1-3 minutes.

Ways to Incorporate Zucchini Noodles In The Week

Here is a great recipe for Zucchini Noodle Spaghetti. Almost any recipe with spaghetti noodles can be replaced by zucchini noodles. However, keep in mind that the zucchini noodles do not take as long to cook. 

I personally enjoy adding ground turkey to pasta sauce or making homemade meatballs to add to the zucchini noodles for extra protein. 

If you like cold salads, try this Refreshing Summer Squash Salad! There are many other cold salad recipes to choose from as well with your favorite low sugar salad dressing.