Those who have Mandoline Slicers

[golittlesport]

KA slicer / shedder attachment

Hi Bob!

We have an expensive stainless steel mandolin that was given to us as a gift. I used it once and decided it was too much trouble to set up and clean afterwards for the relatively small amount of slicing I ever do. So it sits in its' box in the back of the pantry. I'm sure it would be a good tool for a professional with a catering business who would need to slice a bushel of onions or tomatoes and make a nice presentation.

I typically just use a large sharp chef's knife for most slicing and dicing.

That said, we recently got a slicer-shredder attachment for the Kitchenaid mixer that is great! It does a wonderful job shredding hard cheese (like parmesan) and makes quick work of slicing carrots, potatoes and other veggies. Perfect for making fresh coleslaw or other larger shredding jobs. It is also very safe, easy to attach, use and clean.

Hope all is well in the great state of Texas!

Rich

 

[appnut]

Thank you everyone for the responses.  I think I'm going to forego the mandolin.   I think my partner would have a "come-apart" if I ever got one.  The 1st time Ivisited himj and I tried to help him cut some things in the kitchen, I cut myself because I didn't have what I'm used to.  I have a big knife that looks like a saw with a big handle for me to hold on with and has helped big time all these years.  But precise slicing isn't something I do well with any knife and takes a lot out of me concentrating on trying to be precise as I get older.  And shredding cheese is getting more taxing as I get older too.  I still have the slicing and shredding discs from my Dad's Sunbeam LeChef.  I used it to shred a pound of cheese about a month or so ago and realized just how much I miss having this convenience.  I had a base stem with interchangeable sized slicing/shredding blades for my Le Chef.  But cracked that stem a long time ago.  And as our beloved Kelly told me, he too loved the Le Chef, but the plastic quality deteriorated quickly over time and stems cracked.  I may get the Fresh Prep slicer/shredder option for my KA mixer.  I just wish it had more than the 3 mm slicing blade.  It has 3 different size shredders though. 

 

HIIIII Richie!!  I miss you & Gary!!!!

 

[sudsmaster]

Chinese stir fry knife...

The Chinese knife I mentioned earlier has the same overall dimensions as a meat cleaver, is often referred to as a cleaver, however it is anything but a cleaver. It has a fine blade (mine is good quality stainless) the can be sharpened to a razor edge. It really is the best knife for slicing vegetables or meat, because the tall rectangular blade gives one the opportunity to rest one's left knuckles on it, keeping the fingertips well back from the cutting action, which still can push the food forward under the blade, with the back of the fingernails. Its large dimensions belie the delicacy with which it can cut. I've used it to fillet a chicken (Joyce Chen refers to it as "boning a chicken",  a phrase I try to avoid for obvious reasons, LOL). 

 

I got mine in the 1970's, still have it, it's in perfect condition. I've learned not to let others touch it, because most people start slamming it down like a meat cleaver, which is verboten. 

 

Also have a Salad Shooter, which is nice because (as far as I can recall) it can do crinkle cuts, but the results are relatively crude. The blades are all rather dull, which tears at the veggies as much as it slices them. Oh, well, can't have everything.

 

It's similar to this one, although mine has Chinese characters on the blade...

 

 

 

[kenwashesmonday]

So that's what Martin Yan uses!

http://https//www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KRGi17Xg0Y

 

[sudsmaster]

Yes, the knife Yan is using is about the same as the one I was talking about.

 

However I noticed some things he does that I don't do:

 

1) Banging the blade on the board. I gather this is done for emphasis, and he probably has to resharpen that blade after every show. When doing the julienne cuts he showed the proper rocking motion.

 

2) Parallel cuts: potentially very dangerous if you are not careful. I never do those. Even Yan, at one point, said something to the effect that you could continue depending on how brave you are. No thanks! Although I suppose the long flat blade makes it easier to make sure the blade doesn't flip upwards to cut the fingers. It's still something I don't like.

 

I did like his technique for cutting a bell pepper: slice off both ends and then roll the pepper to cut away the outer part, and discard the core and seeds. It's a form of parallel cut but perhaps safer than those thin parallel sliced he did later. Also I don't see how a parallel cut is required to slice off the ends - that can be done just as easily, and safer, using a vertical cut. The only problem I might have with the rolling cut is that it might require a bigger cutting board than I normally use.

 

My technique for bell peppers has been to section them from step to flower end, then separate them and break them away from the core with seeds. But this still leaves some seeds attached to the outer part. 

 

[jkbff]

Just to clarify something "so American".. The mandoline slicer has Italian and French origins.

Bob, I have a couple of full mandolines but I absolutely prefer a handheld ceramic slicer.

I have more control over it, I can put it in what ever dish I need to catch what ever I'm slicing and because of the ceramic blade, I can run it through the dishwasher and it doesn't get dull.

http://chefharvey.com/mandoline.html

https://www.amazon.com/Kyocera-Adjustable-Mandoline-Vegetable-Handguard-Black/dp/B000KKNQZ6

 

[jkbff]

Sudsmaster, what is the name of that exact knife you posted pictures of?

I have been trying to find two of those same ones for a friend. When we catered together, those were her go-to knives. She used them for everything. When she ran her own place, she had a guy working for her that introduced her to them and gave her the pair. She had them for decades. The owners sister was so jealous of all the stuff my friend did and one day 'accidentally' threw away the knives.

She is celebrating her 80th birthday next month, still caters full time and I would love to buy her a gift.

 

[maytagbear]

I am an equipment guy...

I love my kitchen toys, but have never seriously wanted a mandolin. I had an ex, who used his a great deal.....

If I ever get a manual slicing device, other than my Wusthof/Henckels/Swiss Army knives, it would be a Boerner (spelling?) V- Slicer.

I really like and use my processors frequently. I also have a thin slicing disc for the Cuisinart, 2 mm, and a thick slicing disc 6 mm for the KA. Plus, there are/were many lesser quality processors which were low priced and their blades were not high quality.

Like Louis, I just gently throw the detachable parts in the dishwasher. Easier than store-bought pie!

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[sarahperdue]

Slicers--so much in this thread

As a many of you have said, you can do all of this stuff with a good knife and some practice. That said, I'd recommend the following:

Pampered Chef mandoline -- loved the safety features. I even felt comfortable letting my young boys help use it. I really liked it but haven't missed it too much since I let it go.

I have a ceramic one similar to the one kbff posted. I would really miss it for thinly sliced tomatoes, cabbage and potatoes. Even though I don't use it often, it is compact enough that I don't mind giving it the space.

Cuisinart food processor--great for bulk slicing where precision doesn't matter and purees and chops stuff like nobody's business

Saladmaster or similar manual rotary processors--do a great job and have a devoted following. I've used several but think they take up a large amount of space for what they do. I've resold many of them.

Sunbeam Oskar food processor--this little food processor is a workhorse and a gem. The continuous feed slicer is awesome but blades are limited to thin slices and fine grating. My grandmother gave me one when I was in college, and I used it for years before upsizing to the Cuisinart. I resell a lot of the ones made in France on eBay.

Compact spiralizer--again, I don't use it often, but it's simple and compact so I don't mind having it take up space. I've never used one of the big ones with the crank handles, but they appear to take up too much space for the amount I use one.[this post was last edited: 3/26/2018-13:49]

http://https//www.pamperedchef.com/...s,+Slicers+&+Choppers/Ultimate+Mandoline/1109

 

[sudsmaster]

Joshua,

 

Here's a link to the site where I got that pic. It's about $9 mail order. Such a deal!

 

You could also try Bed Bath and Beyond for a higher priced (and maybe higher quality) version.

 

 

 

https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/st...UIGV_l07a2WHTh82HqHaRkVa930qTtwEaAumuEALw_wcB
 

I also took a look at mine again... it's been a while... and it's a Dexter brand. In addition to the Chinese characters, it says, "Dexter Super Stainless Made in USA".

 

 

Here's another link:

 

 https://www.amazon.com/Traditional-S5198-Chinese-Wooden-Handle/dp/B004NG9B52

 

And the Dexter site: 

 

https://www.dexter1818.com/shop/traditional/chinese-chefs/s5198.html
 

The Dexter site calls this a Chinese Chef's Knife, which is preferable to "Chinese Cleaver". It has seven different knives, several of which look like the one I have, except instead of calling it Super Stainless, they call it "Dexsteel". It has several that appear similar to what I have, for different prices, and I honestly don't know why some are priced differently since they all look the same to me. But since I've had such good luck with my Dexter I'd go with that brand if you want the "best". 

 

Good Luck!

[this post was last edited: 3/26/2018-23:02]

http://https//www.webstaurantstore....Ux9Ebu92A72ShA8yNp2SJn3fhPb7ERX8aAqCNEALw_wcB

 

[toploader55]

You can’t make Gaufrette Potatoes without a Mandoline. Just like using a knife for the first time... there will be accidents until you learn how to use one and respect it

 

[sudsmaster]

Gaufrette Potatoes

You could always 3D print gaufrette potatoes...   

 

[michaelman2]

Interesting video

Came across this video and found it to be informative.

http://https//youtu.be/I15-htHJF_I

 

[jkbff]

SudsMaster: Thank you thank you thank you, Sir!!!!!!

I have 2 of swissmar borner original v slicers, the progressive one and the kyocera one lol.

Mom bought the v slicer first, was scared of it, so she gave it to me. Bought another one after seeing how much I enjoyed it, got scared of it, gave it to me and then bought a third of the same one and has kept that one and uses it regularly now.

I only use the v slicer when I do a lot of stuff. I like the handheld ones for little prep sessions. The ceramic blade stays the sharpest.

 

[tolivac]

At this point if I should have to slice or shred things-just use the disc blades in a food processor-easier and SAFER than a mandolin.The FP blades are covered with the lid and container!Most of the time don't need to thinly slice fruits,veggies since I am going to cook and eat them or make smoothies of them in the blender-the VM.

 

[norgeway]

To each his own...BUT

I have a mandolin, but rarely use it since I got a Kitchen Aid Pelican slicer, I use that a lot, I will do ANYTHING to keep from chopping onions, I chop them in the small food processor attachment for my Osterizer.

 

[iheartmaytag]

First time I used my mandolin I sliced my finger. Not while using it, but while cleaning it. For me, it's just easier to use the Cuisinart.

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

We had something similar, at the Burger King that I used to work at... It was a tomato slicer, and it really couldn't do much damage...

Despite the 1st aid's "don't use self-treatment", I fixed myself up & could work it again, but did so very carefully...

Not so, at another job, inspecting seat foam with hog wires, that I poked myself with--and there, I bled so much that I needed semi-serious medical attention, and that its where they just threw that box of band aids at me, expecting me to treat myself...

(And then I got the snide comment: "the hog wire DID it?", not: "did the hog wire DO it?", well, really, I just couldn't handle the assembly of that product & the fast inspection needed, much like the I LOVE LUCY episode where Lucy & Ethel were wrapping chocolates in the candy factory they were working at...)

-- Dave

 

[dermacie]

I threw mine away I never got cut using it but always got cut putting it away! I usually use the slicing side of my boxed grater. I also have a Cuisinart and I have the slicing wheel attachment for my Kitchenaid mixer. There are a lot of options to not have one.

 

[spacedogb]

I use mine all the time!!!!