Graters and Mandolines

[Ellyn]

Yup, a mandolin is not just for music anymore! A kitchen mandoline is much worse for the fingers. If you turn a potato 90º on the crinkle-cut apparatus, you can make the potato slices look like they're woven. Great for slicing vegetables for ratatouille, and apparently also make julienned veggies easier but I haven't quite figured that trick out.

Then there are graters, or shredders depending on how soft the thing you're shredding is and the size of the sharp holes. At one of my favorite Japanese restaurants, they've got a sashimi salad with a shredded cucumber base, a recipe I'd like to repeat (unless the cucumber "noodles" were actually done on a noodle maker, which I consider highly unlikely.)

 

[firelily99]

I only have one grater and it really doesn't have the talents of the ones that you are describing. I really don't even use it that much either but it is fascinating how many options are available for grating and shredding.

 

[VTEC 91244]

Ugh, I know what you mean! I love my mom's mandolin, it does such good work, but I do, sometimes, shred my fingers along with the cheese/zest! It hurts! I haven't tried using it for slicing potatoes but it does have that option and I might do that sometimes. We've been using potatoes lately in some things. Mostly we make hash browns and baked French fries/chips.

 

[Berties]

im a dab hand with a mandoline,once you get over the whole treating it like setting up a deck chair ,you are a way ,gaufrette potatoes, game chips, julienne of vegetables,french fries all in a flash,sometimes get a few parallel line cuts on the base of my palm,never used a holder

 

[forextraspecialstuff]

I have several graters, I like to keep one large one for heavy duty grating and then I have several smaller ones and a few hat are very fine graters. I also have a set of graters for sweet and a set for savory--depending on what I am cooking. I have a mandoline but only used it one to slice potatoes for these homemade french fries I was making. I don't use it anymore because I just didn't feel comfortable with it.

 

[GadgetGuy]

I have the Oxo mandoline slicer.