Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, the French physician who championed the use of the guillotine* around 1789 (for more humane beheadings). One argument is for Marcel Forelle of Toulouse in the south of France, who named it after the mandolin because cooks would “play” the mandoline by going over the blades as a musician would go over the strings of the instrument.It is not named after the musical instrument: The modern version was invented in the late 18th century, but by whom is not certain: The illustration shows a small board with a central cutting blade and perpendicular blades to cut vegetables into thin sticks. Get a mandoline and try your skill by whipping up a batch of paper-thin potato chips or sweet potato chips.Īccording to Chef Harvey, the first known illustration of what became known as the mandoline was published in 1570 in a cookbook by no less than Pope Pius VI’s cook. The handle is ergonomic and the feet are non-slip feet (not so with the feet of some other units-another scary factor). If storage leeway is toward ampere premium, the OXO Good Grips Hand-Held Mandoline Slicer is also a sound pick. Its extremely easy to use and manufacture crisp, even slices. The stainless-steel blade effortlessly slices cheese, fruit and vegetables, adjusting from paper-thin slices to 1/4-inch cuts. The best mandoline under 50 is the OXO Good Grips V-Blade Mandateoline Slicer. The Best Mandolines for Home Cooks Super Benriner OXO Good Grips Chefs Mandoline Slicer 2.0 Kyocera Advanced Ceramic Double-Edged Mandoline Swissmar Borner. Mandolines that scare us have a flat plastic plate that fits in one’s palm.Īfter trying some mandolines so flimsy that we were scared to use them, we’ve settled on the Microplane Adjustable Slider Food Slicer. The style shown in the photo, that looks somewhat like a brimmed hat, is the best. It almost never jammed and never dragged while peeling it cleaned up quickly under the tap. Perhaps most importantly, the item that is sliced is held by a safety food holder, to ensure that fingers aren’t julienned along with the potato. In task after task, from carrots to zucchini and papaya to potatoes, this compact peeler worked neatly, easily, and efficiently to produce piles of crisp, uniform, long matchsticks. The process is repeated until the entire potato, carrot, etc. Very thin slices can be made very quickly with minimal skills.Ī vegetable, fruit, meat (think sausage), firm cheese or other food is slid along the surface until it reaches a razor-sharp blade that makes the cut. Even chefs with top knife skills use one to ensure the perfection of every slice. If you don’t have a mandoline slicer, it’s time to think seriously about getting one.Ī mandoline (man-doe-LEEN) is a kitchen utensil that makes thin, even slices, from juliennes to crinkle-cuts and waffle cuts.

Slicing perfectly even julienne carrot strips (photo courtesy Kitchen Expert). A mandoline makes beautiful, ultra-thin, even slices (photo courtesy Microplane).

Best mandoline slicer cooks illustrated