OXO Good Grips Strawberry Huller Review

Reviewed by Louise Abbott

I wasn’t really sure what to expect – and I certainly didn’t really think that I needed such an item as a ‘huller’ – you see I love eating strawberries the old fashioned way – hold stalk tight and bite the fruit off. Even at a push I can simply chop the stalk off – but a ‘huller’?

First impressions are good. Actually very good. The packaging looks professional. It’s bright and colourful with nice pictures and clear print. It looks like time and effort has been put into the product and it makes me think that this could very well be one of those items that should have been in my kitchen long ago.

The ‘huller’ itself is well made. Colourful, attractive and sturdy looking. It’s easy to grip as it has a rubber case and sits reassuringly in the hand. There is a large green coloured button on top and pushing it down releases the blades at the bottom with a firm ‘click’. So far so good. I play around with it for a while before progressing onto my first strawberry.

I hold a small strawberry in one hand and the ‘huller’ in the other.  Hmm… Probably best to check the instructions….

A quick read the very clear instructions and I’m sure this is going to be simple.

So back to strawberry, hold tight in left hand. Hold huller in other, raise above juicy luscious fruit – click big green huller button , release blades and ease down carefully onto the soft ripe flesh… I twist it around but the stalk stays firmly attached. Hmm… perhaps I am doing something wrong? I try again but still no luck – the blades don’t seem to grip the stalk, just twist around making the strawberry mushy.

A quick re-read of the instructions and I’m ready to try again. This time I pick up a nice big strawberry and dig the blades in, anticipating the same result as before but this time they ‘bite’ into the flesh as I twist taking away the stalk with it! Success!

Within minutes I have made my way through a whole carton of strawberries – some successfully destalked, some with flesh attached, and some just mulched. So mixed results and I think I know why.

The huller seems to work well with large firm strawberries. Easy really and as described and shown on the packet. It’s only a problem when you have smaller strawberries or ones that have been left out for a day. If they’re slightly soft to start with or they are too small then the blades will not grip, and with no grip they simply spin around.

All in all a nice product but not really suitable for every strawberry (could there ever be such a thing?). If your strawberries are big and fresh or straight out of the fridge then this handy little gadget will give you professional results in superfast time with a minimal amount of waste and mess. And when you are done it’s very easy to take apart. A quick twist of the handle and the blades and bottom section come away. Simple.

Rating: 4/5

RRP: £7.75

Available to buy from OXO here.