Mandoline Slicer

One of the handiest kitchen tools, yet extremely dangerous too.

The mandoline slicer.  If you watch cooking shows, you’ll have seen this kitchen gadget in one form or another.  This is my go-to tool when I need uniform slices, crinkle cut slices, etc.  You don’t have to spend a lot of money to get a decent one for home use; this one was roughly twenty dollars, but make sure the parts are made of a strong plastic that won’t bend or lose their shape in time.  You also have to look for stainless steel blades so you aren’t cutting food on a surface prone to rust, or chips.

As handy as this gadget is, it’s also extremely dangerous.  The blades are incredibly sharp, and if the safety holder slips off of the item you’re slicing, it’s very easy to slice away part of your finger.

That brings me to a little story.  When I was about twelve years old, my mom bought one of these wonder gadgets.  One of my favourite meals she used to make us was a sweet and sour red cabbage.  I was happily shredding the cabbage with the mandoline slicer, when suddenly the safety holder slipped from the cabbage wedge I was slicing, and I sliced the tip of my baby finger almost right off.  A trip to the hospital, and four stitches later, I had the tip of my finger securely back on, but alas… we didn’t get to have my favourite dinner!

That being said, I want you to be extremely careful if you do invest in one of these wonderful tools.  I don’t trust the safety holders on them, so instead when I’m using my slicer, I use a teflon-based pocket-style potholder that covers my hand, and I use it only with my mandoline.  When it starts to show some wear and tear, I replace it right away so I don’t risk any digits!

After almost losing the tip of my baby finger when I was young, I now use a heavy-duty potholder when using my mandoline slicer. Keeps my fingers safe, and speeds up the slicing/shredding/dicing part of meal prep!