"alan" > wrote in message
...
> Hey All -
>
> With the holidays around the corner, I finally need to get a good tool
> or hopefully some great advice on how to devine shrimp.
>
> Checked out the Shrimp Butler, but it had so-so reviews.
> My biggest gripe is for example, one time I deveining 3 lbs of shrimp
> expect that the vein was super soft/thing and it was just a horror
> pulling it out. Slicing *the top* of the shrimp was just a bloddy mess
> as the shrimp, still raw, just felt like it was breaking up in my
> hands.
>
> I look forward to your advice or suggestions.

Here in the Carolinas (we eat a bunch of shrimp) we use a 99 cent red curved
thingie sold at almost every seafood place.

http://www.usangler.com/product.cfm?...einer&manu fa
cturer=Jeros%20Tackle&CFID=182437&CFTOKEN=64134130

alan > writes:
> With the holidays around the corner, I finally need to get a good tool
> or hopefully some great advice on how to devine shrimp.
>
> Checked out the Shrimp Butler, but it had so-so reviews.
> My biggest gripe is for example, one time I deveining 3 lbs of shrimp
> expect that the vein was super soft/thing and it was just a horror
> pulling it out. Slicing *the top* of the shrimp was just a bloddy mess
> as the shrimp, still raw, just felt like it was breaking up in my
> hands.
>
> I look forward to your advice or suggestions.

Myself, I use a cheap plastic-handled Forschner boning knife with a
short 3" stiff blade (also sometimes called a "trimming knife"). If I
keep it sharp, it's one quick cut down the back to expose the vein,
and a quick flick with the tip to get the vein out. I can do maybe a
dozen shrimp in a minute. If it's really large shrimp (say U/8 or so)
I give up on the knife and use my smaller set of kitchen shears.

If I want to shell as well, since the shell has been split it's pretty
short work, although most of my shrimp dishes are cooked shell-on.

The "Shrimp Butler" looks like it just mangles the shrimp.

--
Richard W Kaszeta

http://www.kaszeta.org/rich

"Richard Kaszeta" > wrote in message
...
>......
> The "Shrimp Butler" looks like it just mangles the shrimp.
>......

It does, totally. And what a pleasure to clean after it
has jammed up with shrimp muck and muddle. Yucko.

pavane

On Thu, 11 Nov 2004 08:52:55 -0500, alan
> scribbled
some thoughts:

NOTE: Best viewed in a fixed pitch font

>Hey All -
>
>With the holidays around the corner, I finally need to get a good tool
>or hopefully some great advice on how to devine shrimp.
>
>Checked out the Shrimp Butler, but it had so-so reviews.
>My biggest gripe is for example, one time I deveining 3 lbs of shrimp
>expect that the vein was super soft/thing and it was just a horror
>pulling it out. Slicing *the top* of the shrimp was just a bloddy mess
>as the shrimp, still raw, just felt like it was breaking up in my
>hands.
>
>I look forward to your advice or suggestions.
>


Well, I prefer to eat them shell and all, so I can't help
you there. Hey, if it's good enough for sea critters, it's
good enough for me. You can also think of it as eating
prepared sausages. Seriously, it's rather cosmetic and
wouldn't be too different than eating a sausage or liver.

--
Sincerely, | (©) (©)
| ------ooo--(_)--ooo------
Andrew H. Carter | /// \\\
d(-_-)b |

I tried a new Portuguese restaurant here in NW Houston. I went after hearing
about their grilled fresh sardines, which were delicious. They also serve
delicious, enormous, grilled shrimp. The chef told me he eats shell and all
and suggested I try it. They were crisp and delicious.

Cat in Houston

I tried a new Portuguese restaurant here in NW Houston. I went after hearing
about their grilled fresh sardines, which were delicious. They also serve
delicious, enormous, grilled shrimp. The chef told me he eats shell and all
and suggested I try it. They were crisp and delicious.

Cat in Houston

In article >, alan
> wrote:

> Hey All -
>
> With the holidays around the corner, I finally need to get a good tool
> or hopefully some great advice on how to devine shrimp.
>
> Checked out the Shrimp Butler, but it had so-so reviews.
> My biggest gripe is for example, one time I deveining 3 lbs of shrimp
> expect that the vein was super soft/thing and it was just a horror
> pulling it out. Slicing *the top* of the shrimp was just a bloddy mess
> as the shrimp, still raw, just felt like it was breaking up in my
> hands.
>
> I look forward to your advice or suggestions.
>
>
The last time I did some major shrimp deveining I used a cheap
grapefruit knife; curved blade with serrations on the inside. I could
leverage the shell off while slicing just enough shrimp to extricate
the vein. Shrimp was for jambalaya so it didn't have to be pretty.

I understand that someone has created a similar knife for shrimp, with
the serrations on the outside of the curve.

alan wrote:

> Ahh...silly me. I stopped by the local housewares shop and I guess
> when people devein shrimp, the knife just literrally cuts down the
> back down the entire shrimp to reveal the vein.
>
> I've always stuck to how I was doing it , which was just slit a bit by
> the shrimp head so I could reach the vein and then pull it out !
> Hell.....a paring knife should do the same then......

Exactly, which leaves me wondering why anyone would need a special tool to
devien a shrimp.

On Fri, 12 Nov 2004 10:36:15 -0500, alan
> wrote:

>Ahh...silly me. I stopped by the local housewares shop and I guess
>when people devein shrimp, the knife just literrally cuts down the
>back down the entire shrimp to reveal the vein.
>
>I've always stuck to how I was doing it , which was just slit a bit by
>the shrimp head so I could reach the vein and then pull it out !
>Hell.....a paring knife should do the same then......

Works for me. I've been doing it this way for years. Tedious? Yes, but
pull up a counter stool, put on some Springsteen and snag a glass of
chard, and the three pounds is done in no time.

Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd
AAC(F)BV66.0748.CA


"If the soup had been as hot as the claret, if the claret had been as
old as the bird, and if the bird's breasts had been as full as the
waitress's, it would have been a very good dinner."

-- Duncan Hines

To reply, replace "spaminator" with "cox"

On Fri, 12 Nov 2004 10:36:15 -0500, alan
> wrote:

>Ahh...silly me. I stopped by the local housewares shop and I guess
>when people devein shrimp, the knife just literrally cuts down the
>back down the entire shrimp to reveal the vein.
>
>I've always stuck to how I was doing it , which was just slit a bit by
>the shrimp head so I could reach the vein and then pull it out !
>Hell.....a paring knife should do the same then......

Works for me. I've been doing it this way for years. Tedious? Yes, but
pull up a counter stool, put on some Springsteen and snag a glass of
chard, and the three pounds is done in no time.

Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd
AAC(F)BV66.0748.CA


"If the soup had been as hot as the claret, if the claret had been as
old as the bird, and if the bird's breasts had been as full as the
waitress's, it would have been a very good dinner."

-- Duncan Hines

To reply, replace "spaminator" with "cox"

Try this site to see .
I use the metal one because it works the best very quick and easy.



http://www.cookinglight.com/cooking/...249884,00.html

Try this site to see .
I use the metal one because it works the best very quick and easy.



http://www.cookinglight.com/cooking/...249884,00.html

Is it that hard to do with a paring knife? And if you miss some, is it that
bad?

--
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Louis Cohen
Living la vida loca at N37° 43' 7.9" W122° 8' 42.8"


"alan" > wrote in message
...
> Hey All -
>
> With the holidays around the corner, I finally need to get a good tool
> or hopefully some great advice on how to devine shrimp.
>
> Checked out the Shrimp Butler, but it had so-so reviews.
> My biggest gripe is for example, one time I deveining 3 lbs of shrimp
> expect that the vein was super soft/thing and it was just a horror
> pulling it out. Slicing *the top* of the shrimp was just a bloddy mess
> as the shrimp, still raw, just felt like it was breaking up in my
> hands.
>
> I look forward to your advice or suggestions.
>
>

"alan" > wrote in message
news
> Nope....got that clarified.
>
> I thought the correct method was to remove the vein without
> breaking/slicing the shrimp as much as possible. I've been doing this
> for years....just slicing by the head and pulling it out.
>
> After looking into deveiners....I now know it's okay to slice and that
> makes my job a whole lot easier !
>
> On Sat, 13 Nov 2004 15:33:21 -0800, "Louis Cohen"
> > wrote:
>
>>Is it that hard to do with a paring knife? And if you miss some, is it
>>that
>>bad?
>

I use a small (3" blades) sharp pair of scissors sold for needlework. With
fresh shrimp, I pull off all the heads before attacking the vein. A quick
snip through the back, a quick rinse to wash out the sand vein, and you're
good to go. And, if you need shelled shrimp, the cut along the back makes it
easy to strip the shells in one piece.

Regards,

Susan

"alan" > wrote in message
news
> Nope....got that clarified.
>
> I thought the correct method was to remove the vein without
> breaking/slicing the shrimp as much as possible. I've been doing this
> for years....just slicing by the head and pulling it out.
>
> After looking into deveiners....I now know it's okay to slice and that
> makes my job a whole lot easier !
>
> On Sat, 13 Nov 2004 15:33:21 -0800, "Louis Cohen"
> > wrote:
>
>>Is it that hard to do with a paring knife? And if you miss some, is it
>>that
>>bad?
>

I use a small (3" blades) sharp pair of scissors sold for needlework. With
fresh shrimp, I pull off all the heads before attacking the vein. A quick
snip through the back, a quick rinse to wash out the sand vein, and you're
good to go. And, if you need shelled shrimp, the cut along the back makes it
easy to strip the shells in one piece.

Regards,

Susan