Mandoline tips

SatNavSaysStraightOn

SatNavSaysStraightOn

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
11 Oct 2012
Local time
5:13 AM
Messages
21,536
Location
SE Australia
Website
www.satnavsaysstraighton.com
OK, as you all know, my OH bought me a mandoline recently. Not sure what the difference between mandolin and mandoline is (UK vs US spelling apparently) but he got me this.

20251106_181236.jpg


20251106_181247.jpg



20251106_181259.jpg



So apart from having to use it with my right hand (all the controls are on the right hand side when you're using it), what tips can you cover be please?

For instance carrots are difficult to get slices because the carrot is tiny compared to the area the veg goes into, so it tends to fall over. Plus it's too hard for the prongs to grip onto and 1 carrot even cut in half still doesn't deal the issue (not does 2 cut in half)

17635455960525124078494073440134.jpg
17635456759431750594298887449329.jpg


So please, any advice, tips and tricks you've found that might help to make the learning to use it all bit easier are welcome.

Have you found things you can't cut? So far tofu is on that list. It rips not slices for some reason.
 
Last edited:
I don't own one and I don't think I ever used one, so I can only speculate...
Carrots one by one without the guard till they are small enough and you can push them down with the guard (they now fall within the height of that clear plastic round.
Or cut them to that size and then do everything with the top guard (black thing)?
Dunno...
 
How about if the tofu is really cold? I know you don't eat meat but it slices better when almost frozen. Best I've ever managed with carrots is old school knife and cutting board.
 
I stopped using the guards long ago. There's too much waste of the vegetables because of the prongs to hold. And, it's annoying to me.

1. DO NOT allow yourself to be distracted while using without the guard. I've only cut myself once and that was because I got distracted and wasn't giving my full attention. Craig, long, long ago, was forbidden from using it because he used to watch TV and...

2. Don't try to take the vegetable down too far. You can use your knife to finish cutting what's left.

3. If you are making horizontal cuts, keep your hand flat, like you would when treating a horse to a sugar cube. If it's something you have to hold with fingers, see #2.

4. Soft things, like tomatoes or tofu, don't cut well, even when the blade is brand new or just sharpened. I have cut cucumbers, but they have to be cold. Unpeeled cucumbers cut easier, but peeled can be cut.

We have a big, restaurant quality one from France that we've had for at least 35 years. We also have a Kyocera ceramic blade handheld, 4 thickness adjustable. It's small enough to fit in our utensil carousel and is the one I use most now. Just FYI, cucumbers cut great on it, but tomatoes eh. About the only time I use the big one now is if I cutting eggplant in planks or if I need something cut thicker than the Kyocera can do. I also use the Kyocera to shave truffles when we get them. It slices as thin as a dedicated truffle shaver. The ceramic blade stays sharp. Our first one lasted around 10 years with no sharpening, of course we're not vegetarian or vegan so it didn't get that much of a workout.
 
medtran49 said:
1. DO NOT allow yourself to be distracted while using without the guard. I've only cut myself once and that was because I got distracted and wasn't giving my full attention. Craig, long, long ago, was forbidden from using it because he used to watch TV and...

2. Don't try to take the vegetable down too far. You can use your knife to finish cutting what's left.

3. If you are making horizontal cuts, keep your hand flat, like you would when treating a horse to a sugar cube. If it's something you have to hold with fingers, see #2.

4. Soft things, like tomatoes or tofu, don't cut well, even when the blade is brand new or just sharpened. I have cut cucumbers, but they have to be cold. Unpeeled cucumbers cut easier, but peeled can be cut.
Click to expand...
Very, very sound advice! :bravo::bravo:
 
medtran49 said:
I stopped using the guards long ago. There's too much waste of the vegetables because of the prongs to hold. And, it's annoying to me.

1. DO NOT allow yourself to be distracted while using without the guard. I've only cut myself once and that was because I got distracted and wasn't giving my full attention. Craig, long, long ago, was forbidden from using it because he used to watch TV and...

2. Don't try to take the vegetable down too far. You can use your knife to finish cutting what's left.

3. If you are making horizontal cuts, keep your hand flat, like you would when treating a horse to a sugar cube. If it's something you have to hold with fingers, see #2.

4. Soft things, like tomatoes or tofu, don't cut well, even when the blade is brand new or just sharpened. I have cut cucumbers, but they have to be cold. Unpeeled cucumbers cut easier, but peeled can be cut.

We have a big, restaurant quality one from France that we've had for at least 35 years. We also have a Kyocera ceramic blade handheld, 4 thickness adjustable. It's small enough to fit in our utensil carousel and is the one I use most now. Just FYI, cucumbers cut great on it, but tomatoes eh. About the only time I use the big one now is if I cutting eggplant in planks or if I need something cut thicker than the Kyocera can do. I also use the Kyocera to shave truffles when we get them. It slices as thin as a dedicated truffle shaver. The ceramic blade stays sharp. Our first one lasted around 10 years with no sharpening, of course we're not vegetarian or vegan so it didn't get that much of a workout.
Click to expand...
Thank you. That's very helpful. I had already taken to cutting there end part by hand.

It's been used almost every time I've cooked to date. I'm practising quick cooking meals ahead of summer and potentially a job. Summer can be addressed by moving outside onto the BBQ but I'll still need veg sliced or julienned.

I suspected the guard might be the issue, but know the lack of skin left on a couple of knuckles (ironically not kitchen accidents but at work using school safe scissors instead of wire cutters, i was asked why scissors, my response was imagine the damage if it had been wire cutters! I was extracting the old style VGA cables out of a server rack and had been told it could not turn off the entire network to do my job! Those connectors act like grappling hooks).
 
Thank you for reminding me that I need to buy a decent mandoline. Ours is a piece of Chinesium plastic junk with that same type of stabby handle thing that my wife probably bought off of Temu. It "slices" potatoes no better than a cheese shredder, but she's not yet willing to throw it out. I'd love to hear some recommendations on one that actually works well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom