Mandoline - which one?

I did a search for this prior to posting, so forgive me please if there is a thread out there already on this subject.

I'm looking to buy a fairly nice mandoline, have looked at dozens online, and just don't have a clue which one to choose! I am willing to pay up to around $150, and I want to be able to adjust the thickness to whatever I want, not just one or two choices.

Any input would be most appreciated.

I'm lucky enough to have two, one "professional" and the other a smaller Japanese benriner.

The big one is a Bron and I've had it for six years or so, no complaints, very adjustable and easy to work with.

I use the Benriner about six times more often than the Bron and feel that it's one of the best tools out there. It's much easier to clean and store, the julienne is very fine and it fits in any drawer. And it's only $30.

Marc

mchodera wrote:I'm lucky enough to have two, one "professional" and the other a smaller Japanese benriner.

The big one is a Bron and I've had it for six years or so, no complaints, very adjustable and easy to work with.

I use the Benriner about six times more often than the Bron and feel that it's one of the best tools out there. It's much easier to clean and store, the julienne is very fine and it fits in any drawer. And it's only $30.

Marc

Me too. Great device!

Like Mchodera, I have both a "German V-slicer" ($30 plastic device) and a professional mandoline from Williams-Sonoma. The plastic one is so much lighter and easier to use. I use the professional one if I am slicing heavier/denser veggies (butternut squash, sweet potatoes, carots, etc). Also, the professional one waffle cuts but i've never used this because it's such a pain in the a#@$.

I begged for a professional mandoline once and got, as a gift, the nicest one that Sur La Table sells.

It's huge (it takes up an entire drawer with all of it's accessories, impossible to clean (tons of nooks and crannies), and takes up a ton of counter space when it's all the way opened up. It's so adjustable that it takes 20 minutes of adjusting to get the thing to just the thickness you want without it being thicker on one side than on the other.

I use it about twice a year. Now I want to go get a cheaper, lighter one. The Oxo looks nice.

I'm not recommending a specific model, but just giving you some food for thought before you invest a ton of money in a machine.

Best,
Michael

I have a French-made Matfer. The first few times I used it, I had to figure it out anew each time, but now it's a breeze to zip it out and slice away. I use it quite a bit for things like fennel, where a lighter model might not hold its own. It is easy to adjust and clean.

I too have tried different mandolines over the years and have now decided I absolutely love my Japanese Benrinner. It is inexpensive, razor sharp, and very easy to clean and use.

Thank you everyone!

I'll second the Matfer. what a great tool.

HI,

I was over at H-Mart small appliance department this evening to buy a benriner as a Christmas present. They had three models priced at $29.99, $15.99 and another under $10. I read the most expensive model allowed you to adjust blade height and it was just a wee bit wider the mid-priced model. They also had very cheap fixed single blade models.

I found a small snap box filled with a small set of metal chopsticks and a spoon suitable for a lunch box for a mere $2.99. I bought one for my 3-year old niece's upcoming birthday with a Beatrix Potter type design on the box.

The best part was they will wrap your gifts for free. No ribbons and frou-frou, though I can do that at home.

Regards,

as a professional and a home cook, I recommend the benrinner. At chicago food co they are $14. I've used the expensive french ones, they pale in comparison to, well, to anything easier to use...which is just about anything.

Erik.

I've got a benriner in both my kitchens, Montreal and Kansas City. Once you get used to it--takes about 3 mins!--you'll never look back.

My first slicer was an orange German v-slicer I bought from a street busker in front of Karstadt in Dü-dorf Zentrum. It's nice enough, but the benriner is much more elegant. You can buy it at most any good Asian food store.

Mind your fingers, tho'. I've lost tiny bits and pieces over the years as I tried to push the envelope somewhat, e.g., with individual cloves of garlic...
worked just great until Ooops!

Geo

I have a French-made Matfer. The first few times I used it, I had to figure it out anew each time, but now it's a breeze to zip it out and slice away. I use it quite a bit for things like fennel, where a lighter model might not hold its own. It is easy to adjust and clean.

Annie, could you speak more to this one. I have the Bron and the Benriner - happy with both for different reasons. Suffice to say with the amount of gear I have to carry to an event, if I need quick slicing I bring the Benriner. I recently tried to "upgrade" to the "professional" Mandoline that they carry at Williams-Sonoma. God, it was beautiful and in its own case, but stupid. It was returned within a day. The motivation for my upgrade was to waffle cut a sweet potato, a surprisingly impossible task on the Bron and even worse on the W-S one. Have you, or can you, waffle on the Matfer?

MAG,

The Matfer can waffle, I have not done it. But now you've given me the bug to try. I have a friend who received an inexpensive mandoline for Xmas and is bringing it over later in the week so I can help her get used to it, I will probably get out mine at that time and will set it up to waffle.

The learning curve on the Matfer is definitely on my end, not the fault of the machine. It is straightforwardly mechanical, the issue is more that my mind sometimes wanders in the kitchen, and a mandoline requires focus:-)

I'm following this thread with some interest as I'm in the market for a new mandoline as my Frugal Gourmet mandoline, purchased at Marshall Field's for $15 in 1986, has about run it's course.

I've almost bought a new one any number of times over the years, but never seem to pull the trigger. I, of course, lean toward the fancy full-metal-jacket type, but would most likely be very happy with a much less expensive model, I really only use a mandoline for the occasional potatoes anna and a salad I picked up years ago watching Alice Waters on television with Julia Child.

Enjoy,
Gary
--

Alice Waters Fennel and Mushroom Salad

Layer of mandoline sliced fresh fennel
light drizzle of olive oil, salt/pepper, squeeze of lemon
Layer of mandoline sliced white mushroom
light drizzle of olive oil, salt/pepper, squeeze of lemon
Curls of Parmigiano Reggiano, vegetable peeler works well
very light drizzle of olive oil, salt/pepper, squeeze of lemon

Gary,

most often I use my mandoline for a similar fennel salad. I had an inexpensive mandoline, and it just didn't cut the mustard with things like fennel, which can be tough. I've had thoughts dancing in my head about something with very thinly sliced raw beets, as well....

I previously owned an inexpensive mandoline, not sure of which brand, but it was japanese, purchased at Toguri Mercantile on Belmont. I finally got rid of it. The big one is easy to get out and easy to put away. I sort of feel about mandolines as I do about knives--lightweight seems to me to be more conducive to slicing oneself.

It was an excellent Xmas present from Himself several years ago--I was completely surprised (Himself comes from a family that makes Xmas lists and often needs strong "hints," so surprises are pleasant). I had wanted one for years.

I have been wanting a Mandoline for years, but have never purchased one. I planned on getting an OXO mandoline this weekened (even though I of course want the fancy one from W&S, for no reason other than it's shiny) and they had two models of OXO plus a new one by Cuisinart. So I became overwhelmed and did not pull the trigger once again.

As I don't see this tool being used a ton, I don't think I should spend $200.
Safety is definitely a concern, but also ease of use.

Are there any newer/additional thoughts on this subject? I guess Mandoline's probably haven't changed that much in three years!

Thanks so much.

I have a cheap ($15) mandoline that is made by Good Cook, if I remember the brand correctly. I don't use it often, but this works fine.

Most Oxo products are very good. I also can't see spending $200 on a mandoline, esp if you won't use it often. Cooks Illustrated actually likes the cheaper of the two Oxos a little more (i.e. the OXO Good Grips V-Blade Mandoline Slicer) - and, in fact, that's their favorite mandoline. Unless there's a particular feature you want on another one, I'd go with this one. They also like a kyocera and zylis model that are both around $25.

Take a look at this. It's similar to the Joyce Chen that Cook's tested, but half the price and, I think, a bit safer. And the juliennes are probably better than the OXO's.

Geo

Geo wrote:Take a look at this. It's similar to the Joyce Chen that Cook's tested, but half the price and, I think, a bit safer. And the juliennes are probably better than the OXO's.

Geo

I bought one similar to that at H-Mart for something like $7. It's not fancy, but it did do nice enough juliennes for my needs.

While I can't speak to the OXO V-blade slicer, I did buy the OXO mandolin...seriously, do not waste your money on that piece of crap. Both the built-in straight blade (which is not removable) and the separate waffle blade are hopelessly dull - I pressed down on the straight blade with my thumb using a decent amount of force, and all that happened was my thumb had an indentation on it (doing the same thing with any of my knives would have resulted in a trip to the ER for some stitches).

I tried cutting an eggplant, a zucchini, and a sweet potato (all raw), and ended up with ripped, mangled veggie chunks. The included guard/veggie holder is also poorly designed - I ended up with a lot of wasted veggies that were stuck in the holder but not sticking out far enough for the blade to slice them.

If there was some way to at least remove & sharpen the straight blade, this thing might have been salvageable, because it looks cool and has a nifty adjuster knob mechanism to vary the slice thickness. But instead, it was packed up & thrown in storage...in hindsight, I probably should have taken it to the Salvation Army with the last load of old clothes.

If I do pull the trigger on another slicer, I'll check out this Benriner that a few folks here have mentioned, or else I'll stick to V-slicers...the design makes me think they might be more forgiving of less-than-razor-sharp blades (because of the added slicing motion of the veggie moving along the "V").

I swore off mandolines after cutting the good part of my knuckle off years ago.

I did end up with another one of course (V-Slicer), though this time also grabbed a pair of kevlar gloves. They were cheap and have a nice rubber coating on palm/fingers and don't take away any dexterity. I am surprised how many other uses I have found for them (removing broken lightbulb, grill mitts, etc).

That said, I higly recommend kevlar gloves for all mandoline users

Good call, 22! Any recommendation on model? (I really like this idea, I'm going to do it IMMEDIATELY!)

Geo

I'm intrigued. How well do the kevlar gloves insulate your hands from the heat?

I just got some cheap ones on eBay, they are meant for fishing/filleting (like $8 or something I think).

Mine are most like the ones on left:


While not sure I can say they are the best thing around for all grilling activities, I have donned them when dealing with a raging hot fire and they protected me quite well from the radiant heat (you know the kind your hand is over when turning a few steaks searing over a ripping fire that makes you yank your hand back and shake it?). They are MUCH better than a big old floppy mitt for this task!

eBay, $15. But a shocking yellow, nowhere near as pretty as yours!

When they come, I'll throw out our big baggy mitts, which aren't all that effective anyway.

Tnx for the head's up!

Geo

I swore off mandolines years ago (on the night before Thanksgiving) when I cut off the tip of my finger. They are a great tool, but if you are going to use one, use the guard!!

Just my two cents.

; )

I've had a Bron for years; it's overkill given how often I use it, but when I wanna slice, it does the job.

Puzzled by the comment above that it won't do waffle cuts. Mine does fine waffle cuts for me. Got the kevlar glove, so less insecurity. I shopped around on the internet, got it for about $120. (Bron, not the glove.)

Gives me a false sense of professionalism.

I have a Matfer. I love(d) that mandoline until I cut the tip of my finger off - WHILE SPRING HOUSECLEANING. Not during regular use or cleanup (I throw it in the dishwasher.) The incident was made worse when I drove myself to the emergency room in my stick shift car. Holding my gushing finger above my heart, shift, curse, hold it up again, repeat. I finally got to the hospital and only then did I lose the tip.

It took me 5 years to muster the courage to use it again. I am up to grudging respect for my mandoline.

Jamieson22 wrote:I swore off mandolines after cutting the good part of my knuckle off years ago.

I did end up with another one of course (V-Slicer), though this time also grabbed a pair of kevlar gloves. They were cheap and have a nice rubber coating on palm/fingers and don't take away any dexterity. I am surprised how many other uses I have found for them (removing broken lightbulb, grill mitts, etc).

That said, I higly recommend kevlar gloves for all mandoline users

I'm going to add the kevlar gloves to my shopping list. I took off a nice hunk of my finger a couple of weeks ago; just started slicing away on a cucumber...

I have a Swiss Moha, by the way. I've had it for years and it is still sharp as ever (see above.) It's not adjustable, but can do thin slices, slightly thicker slices and it juliennes.