Editor-loved shaved fennel citrus salad prep tools on sale on Amazon

I’ve spent most of my adult life pretending to like salads the way I pretend to like networking events and almond milk lattes: with visible effort and a prayer for the experience to be over. But then, a friend made this salad — the salad. She’s a personal assistant to a European family in the Hamptons, the kind who use seasons as verbs and keep produce in a constantly abundant arrangement in the center of the kitchen.

One weekend, she whipped it up for lunch. I took one bite and may have blacked out. When I came to, something in me had shifted.

Shaved fennel is so delicate that it practically melts. Citrus segments are arranged like stained glass windows. Herbs are cut with surgical precision. Parmesan so fine it floated. It crunched, it sparkled, it outdid its own reputation. I had always thought of salad as a punishment, but this one feels like seduction.

And while the ingredients matter, what really makes all the difference is the tools. A mandoline that slices fennel into translucence, herb scissors that make you feel like you’re finally treating dill right, and a citrus juicer that extracts tablespoons of liquid from the hardest of lemons. The right tools don’t just make it easier — they make you want to make it.

Below is my adaptation of the recipe that converted me, plus every Amazon tool I use to build it in the order you use them. Every single one happens to also be on sale, so yes, the universe wants you to try this too.

Shaved Fennel + Citrus Salad With Parm + Herbs

Serves 2 as a main, 4 as a side. Inspired by a European family who refuses to eat anything ugly.

Ingredients:

• 1 large bulb of fennel (with the fronds!)
• 2 oranges (blood or cara cara if you’re fancy)
• 1 lemon
• ½ cup loosely packed parsley, mint, fennel fronds, and/or dill
• ¼ cup shaved parmesan
• 1 tbsp good olive oil
• Salt and cracked black pepper

Directions (and the tools):

Step 1: Gramercy Adjustable Mandoline Food Slicer

Start by grabbing your fennel bulb and shaving it within an inch of its life. This mandoline makes that not only possible, but oddly thrilling. I adjusted it until the slices were nearly transparent — if you can read The Post through your fennel, you’re doing it right. The grip is solid, the glove is included, and the results made me feel like a Parisian private chef, minus the visa.

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Step 2: Arthur Court Acacia Wood Salad Bowl

Toss your delicate fennel slices right into this wide, show-stopping bowl. It’s smooth, hefty, and makes your kitchen feel like a Nancy Meyers set. Plus, it gives everything room to breathe, which is vital when you’re arranging citrus rounds like stained glass.

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Step 3: Chef’n Freshforce Citrus Juicer

Juice your lemon straight into a small bowl with olive oil, salt, and pepper — this little guy handles that with shocking strength. No seeds, no wrist pain, just power. The dressing it helped me whip up was bright and bracing — exactly what the fennel and oranges need to sing.

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Step 4: LIBERHAUS Herb Scissors with 5 Blades

While the fennel and citrus hang out in the dressing, grab your herbs and go to town. These scissors are like a glam rock version of regular scissors — five blades, zero bruising, and an instant confetti of mint, parsley, and dill. I genuinely felt powerful snipping herbs directly over the bowl like some sort of chaotic garden fairy.

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Optional: JETKONG 12-Inch Kitchen Tweezers

Now, let’s get un-serious: tweezers. For salad. Yes. But, trust me, arranging citrus rounds and fennel ribbons with these makes you feel like you’re plating for the Met Gala. It’s not required, but neither is being fabulous. It’s the most satisfying way to turn chaos into composition.

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Step 5: Microplane Premium Classic Series

Final step: blanket your masterpiece in a touch of microplaned lemon zest and a heap of parmesan. This Microplane does both with ease, showering everything in that delicate, almost mist-like texture that’s never clumpy or aggressive. It’s the snowfall this salad deserves — airy, salty, and borderline euphoric.

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This article was written by Kendall Cornish, New York Post Commerce Editor & Reporter. Kendall, who moonlights as a private chef in the Hamptons for New York elites, lends her expertise to testing and recommending cooking products – for beginners and aspiring sous chefs alike. Simmering and seasoning her way through both jobs, Kendall dishes on everything from the best cookware for your kitchen to cooking classes that will level-up your skills to new dinnerware to upgrade your holiday hosting. Prior to joining the Post’s shopping team in 2023, Kendall previously held positions at Apartment Therapy and at Dotdash Meredith’s Travel + Leisure and Departures magazines.

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