Blame it on the Paleo diet, but it seems like everyone's making zucchini noodles these days. Most recipes call for a spiralizer, and since we're all about saving money—and precious kitchen cabinet space—whenever we can, we immediately started searching for alternatives.
Many sites suggest using a standard cheese grater, which seemed too good to be true. Who doesn't have a grater?! We started dreaming of the pasta-bilities (sorry, had to): Cucumber noodles with cherry tomatoes, feta and olives for a heartier Greek salad; Zucchini noodles with pesto; faux-spaghetti and meatballs!
While the grater does create 2- to 3-inch strands of zucchini, the noodles—or zoodles, as some call them—were thinner than angel hair pasta, limp, and damp. Basically, far from appetizing, and nowhere near the real thing. The strands would be perfect for forming into zucchini fritters and frying, but as a pasta? You're only going to be disappointed.
If you have a grater with extra-large holes, it might be worth trying. Otherwise, a spiralizer may be the way to go for the best results.
Is there a food hack you'd like us to test? Tweet it at us using #HackorWack.
