Cherry tomato slicer

thingiverse

This is a tiny tool I whipped up for the #CountertopChallenge. I have a soft spot for cherry tomatoes - they're incredibly tasty. But cutting out their stems and slicing them can be quite tedious. That's why I came up with a solution. Here's what you do: place up to 16 cherry tomatoes with their stems facing upwards in the lower tray. As you close the upper lid, you might notice that the hinge allows for some degree of flexibility - enough to accommodate bigger or smaller cherry tomatoes. Next, take a sharp knife and remove the stems from the tomatoes. Make sure your cuts are precise, aligning the knife either with the right or left side of the v-shaped notch. Now, with one smooth horizontal motion, slice all the tomatoes between the lower and upper parts of my device. Enjoy your meal! Bon appétit! I created this tool using my 3D printer and Colorfabb's XT-Copolymer filament. This material can withstand temperatures up to 75°C, so I simply pop it in the dishwasher after use - no need to worry about sanitizing by hand. This part of my process might seem trivial, but I wanted to include a note about materials safety: this type of filament is not only temperature-resistant but also FDA-approved as food-safe. Printing Tips If you're planning on making your own copy of this tool, here are some helpful printing guidelines. First, I recommend printing with a vertical resolution of 0.1mm - this will give the tool its structural integrity. When printing the lower tray, supports might be necessary; feel free to add them as needed. In contrast, when printing the upper cover, I found that inverting it during the print process (printing upside-down) helped avoid unnecessary clutter and ensured better accuracy.