Rolling mincer. © Susan Syer Swiggum / 2020
A rolling mincer is a hand-held device designed to quickly mince small flavouring items such as herbs and garlic.
It consists of sharp blades in the shape of small wheels arranged closely side by side. A classic design has these attached to a long handle with a curved slatted hood that fits over the blades.
More modern designs may have the set of blade wheels tucked inside a curved handle, which acts as a device for holding the wheels together, as something to keep your hands away from the blades, and something to press down on.
You run the roller back and over whatever it is you want to mince.
Some people say that some models aren’t very sharp, even when new, and just bruise and mutilate the herbs, with no cutting happening. Some people complain about too much of their herb getting stuck between the wheels. Even these people, however, admit that the tool could be good for people with arthritis.
Most rolling mincers come apart for cleaning, but some can be fiddly to put back together.
Rolling mincers can be used to cut strips of dough, particularly for noodles. They are not always good on more substantial things such as green onions.
Substitutes
Mezzaluna, Ulu Knife
Rolling mincer. © Susan Syer Swiggum / 2020
