Some cooks even opt to wear metal mesh gloves to protect their fingers and hands. For this, I highly recommend the Chef’s Choice 609-A Electric Food Slicer. Be the first! Mandoline slicers are often built to accommodate a variety of heights. These are generally large, bulky slicers with a stainless steel surface and a blade that goes straight across horizontally. When selecting a Mandoline for the kitchen, make sure a finger guard is included with the utensil to keep hands safely away from the blade as the food moves across the sharp edges. The Best Kitchen Starter Kit Including A Mandoline Slicer: 12-in-1 Vegetable Mandoline Slicer Cutter Set The good news is that this product has it all. Not only is this a hassle, but anytime you're handling the blades directly, you're running the risk of cutting yourself. An award-winning food writer and cookbook author, Molly Watson has created more than 1,000 recipes focused on local, seasonal ingredients. One feature that you shouldn't skimp on is safety. Mandoline blades are razor sharp, so you have to be extremely careful when using one. Meanings for mandoline slicer A manual version of a food processor. The mandolin has interchangeable blades to give you different vegetable slices — julienne, wavy, plain, even lattice cuts. Instead of having your hand directly on the vegetable while pushing it back and forth, the vegetable sits underneath a finger guard. There are many types of mandoline slicers with different features, some have more blades than others. Sharpened to a very fine edge, each blade cuts food into thin, uniform slices for use as appetizers, salad ingredients, garnishes, recipe ingredients, or other purposes, such as easily forming shoestring potatoes. Some food items going through the Mandoline may need to be cut into smaller-sized pieces or pieces with straighter edges prior to slicing. Here are 10 winning uses for the mandoline. With that said, if you know you want to use your mandoline slicer for making julienne cuts, you'll be limited to the models that offer that feature, which are generally the higher-end ones. But the truth is, mandoline slicers are only a danger if you are not paying attention. High-end mandolines let you adjust the blades to create paper-thin to slightly thicker slices, and come with attachments to make julienne cuts (which are long, slender cuts like french fries) or shreds, wavy cuts, and even waffle cuts. But it is also used to make french fries, vegetable slaws, and shredded or shaved vegetable dishes. Depending on the mandoline slicer, that could mean a fine bird’s nest julienne cuts, matchsticks, and French-fry cuts, as well as ripples and waffle cuts. Here you'll want to follow the instructions of your particular model, but some are safe for the dishwasher, which obviously makes things easier. With built in rotating adjustable blades, you can get slices from 1mm to 9mm, as well as 4.5-10mm julienne. Or what if you're making homemade french fries? Typically however, for food dishes such as salads, tarts, appetizers, carmelized or fried onions, and fried or sliced potatoes that require thinly cut slices or well formed crinkle-cuts, the Mandoline is one of the best ways to accomplish the tasks. A utensil consisting of a base into which adjustable blades are set, used to slice or cut fruits and vegetables. Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Handheld mandoline slicers have a handle that you hold on one end, while you rest the other end against a bowl or cutting board. A mandoline or mandolin, is a culinary utensil used for slicing and for cutting juliennes; with suitable attachments, it can make crinkle-cuts. But what if you're making French onion soup? To prepare foods using this utensil, the item being sliced is held in place with the specially designed Mandoline "holder" or "grip". By slicing the item at different angles, you can achieve all kinds of interesting bias cuts. When items have a higher water content such as tomatoes or citrus fruits, the procedure for slicing or cutting may require a greater understanding of the usage techniques for proper slicing or cuts to occur. A winning tool like a mandoline. There are also good meat slicers for under $100 to consider if you’re on a budget. Now, the more complicated models are more of a hassle to set up, and clean, and in some cases adjusting the blades can be tricky. Using a mandoline slicer is a great way to save time and effort while cooking. A mandoline slicer is a device made up of a flat surface fitted with a sharp blade, that lets you slice vegetables and fruits quickly, precisely and (ideally) safely. Some models require disassembling the blade from the body of the mandoline and washing it by hand and air drying it. Made of thick steel, its stainless steel blade is durable. Depending on which blades are included, you can slice, crinkle and waffle cut, julienne, chip, grate and zest. You slide the food back and forth on a base with a V-shaped blade. A mandoline slicer is a device made up of a flat surface fitted with a sharp blade, that lets you slice vegetables and fruits quickly, precisely and (ideally) safely. This kitchen utensil has a variety of adjustable blades that enable the Mandoline to make precise cuts in firm fruits and vegetables, such as apples, melons, carrots, cucumbers, eggplants, onions, potatoes, sweet peppers, zucchini, and other foods. A mandoline, a rectangular, hand-operated food slicer that slices vegetables quickly. Mandoline slicers, as knives do, endure a lot of abuse at home. can change all that. I can attest to the fact that it saves … Taking care of a mandoline slicer is mainly a matter of cleaning it. And the more difficult a tool is to use, or clean afterwards, the less likely you are to use it. Many mandolines are sold with safety measures already put into place to prevent you from accidentally cutting yourself while using one, such as a guard placed over the food and blade itself. Some utensils have "V" formed blades while others are made with sets of straight blades. A mandoline is an essential tool for getting evenly sliced veggies every time (or making your own waffle fries!). If you know how to use a mandoline properly and safely and are paying attention, they are not dangerous. We used the de Buyer Kobra Complete Slicer but there are all sorts of mandolines to choose from. The utensil typically has blades that are made to chop, shred, slice, grate, and zest, making thin or thick slices, julienne slices, waffle slices, and other useful cuts. The ones with a stand are more stable, but setup and cleaning can also be more involved. Types of mandoline slicers. When using this utensil, the Mandoline should always be placed directly in front of a person's body, so the direction of the cutting and slicing is straight out from the body and not moving left or right across the front of the body. Another difference is that the fancier models let you make fine adjustments with cutting thickness, whereas the simpler ones might only offer interchangeable plates that offer preset thicknesses. A handheld Mandoline Slicer is just the beginning, there is also a julienne slicer, a garlic grater, a fruit peeler, an egg separator, a … The Spruce Eats uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. After all, that's its job! A hand-operated appliance used for cutting and slicing fruits and vegetables. The French mandoline is the style that most students learn on in culinary school. Definition of mandolin 1 : a musical instrument of the lute family that has a usually pear-shaped body and fretted neck and four to six pairs of strings 2 usually mandoline [French, from Italian mandolino mandolin] : a kitchen utensil with a blade for slicing and shredding The hand-held ones tend to be simpler to use and clean up but are less stable and offer fewer types of blades. Jobs like these are where a tool called a mandoline can come in handy. If you're slicing an onion, it makes sense to reach for your chef's knife. Whether or not your slicer is adjustable is important to consider if you plan on slicing foods in a variety of ways — think thin sticks, ribbons and chips. It includes features such as a handguard and corner notches that protect the user and bowl containing your cut food. Out of the many kitchen gadgets that have come and gone, this one has stood the test of time. It features a very sharp and durable blade and is … The safest models will have a nonslip base and will sit securely over a cutting board or the edge of a bowl or pan. The MILcea Mandoline Slicer is an ergonomic and efficient slicer with a range of thicknesses to choose from. Learn how to use a mandolin slicer for picture-perfect veggies and more importantly, save time preparing your favorite meals. The simplest models have only one setting that slices very thinly. Fruit salads The Best Mandolines of 2020 Reviewed: A Foodal Buying Guide Also, think about the amount of food anticipated to be processed with the Mandoline, making sure the unit being considered is capable of handling the amount effectively. Foods such as beets or potatoes may require some cutting to form the item into a shape that fits easily into the Mandoline. Instead of wasting cash on them, look for a quality brand such as Grocery Art. The Mandolin is a slicer plain and simple that can make perfect slices, waffle cuts, and julienne sticks big and small. This tool also comes in handy when you're short on time and need a generous amount of fruit or vegetable cut quickly. Most models come with some type of holder to protect your hand from the blade. Inspect the blades provided, the blade adjustments, the cutting board or surface, the stability of the utensil when being used, and the ease of assembly, disassembly, cleaning, and storage. 2. If sets of blades are included, consider the value of having a holder to keep the sharp blades easily contained and safely stored. Mandoline slicers today come in one of these three forms: Adjustable platform – this mandoline slicer comes with a platform where the blades are mounted, but these blades remain stationary and cannot be removed and replaced. This kitchen utensil has a variety of adjustable blades that enable the Mandoline to make precise cuts in firm fruits and vegetables, such as apples, melons, carrots, cucumbers, eggplants, … Similarly, if the vegetables or fruits are dense in texture, a knife may be the best utensil for cutting and slicing. That means instead slicing one onion, you're slicing three pounds of onions. Choose the right mandoline for your cooking needs, and the proper setting, and you’ll be slicing and dicing your way to professional-looking fries, pickles, zoodles, and more in no time. Depending on your needs, as well as your budget, there are quite a few excellent mandolines on the market, from heavy metal adjustable French constructions to smaller, lighter, and much cheaper single-slice plastic options. Under such stress, most of the cheap brands that are popular online snap or dull easily. Mueller Austria Multi Blade Adjustable Mandoline Cheese/Vegetable Slicer, Cutter, Shredder with Pre… The mandoline that got it's name because you can slice so fast in a back and forth motion that it looks as if you are strumming a mandolin. The more blades you have the more tricks you can do. A hand-operated appliance used for cutting and slicing fruits and vegetables. Compared to slicing vegetables with a knife, a mandoline is a … The Kyocera mandolin slicer is the best slicer in the business, as it comes highly recommended by both home chefs and commercial kitchens. A simpler model, without the bells and whistles, might end up being more useful than a high-end one that you never take out of the cabinet. A mandoline is typically used when making dishes that require uniformly sliced vegetables, such as a potato gratin or homemade potato chips. Not only is julienning a large amount of potatoes a difficult task, but if you should cut them unevenly, with some of them thicker than others, you'll end up with some fries that are undercooked while others are nearly burnt. The holder/grip, which may also be the dial mechanism for adjusting the depth of the cut, firmly holds the food item so it can be manually moved over the specific blade selected for the cut desired. Skip to main content.us. That task is going to get tedious very quickly.