At its best, a mandoline allows you to slice fruit and vegetables much more precisely, consistently, and quickly than you could with a chef’s knife. Most models operate similarly. You hold food in one hand and slide it down the mandoline’s platform and across a blade or blades, thereby slicing it; by adjusting the height of the platform, you can control how thickly the mandoline cuts. Some models have attachments that allow you to julienne foods or make waffle cuts as well. Used properly—and safely—the mandoline can be a magical device, turning out produce that looks like it’s been cut by a chef from a three-star restaurant, and in record time. But all too often, these tools disappoint us; they cut poorly, skid around, or are just plain dangerous to use. We wanted to know which mandolines were best, so we bought eight models, priced from about $24 to about $200, and put them to the test, using them to slice tomatoes, potatoes, fennel, beets, and eggplant and (where applicable) to julienne celeriac, carrots, and daikon.
Leave a comment and join the conversation!