Mandoline Reccomendations

[shel]

I may want to get one. What should I look for? Any particular brand or model that you prefer?

Thanks,

Shel

[KYHeirloomer]

First question to ask, Shel, is what will be the frequency of use? Not just how often, but how much will you be slicing during any one session.

The answer to that might determine that you don't need one at all.

For instance, while it's certainly nice to have every french fry cut the same size, do you really want to bother with a mandoline when cutting just one or two spuds? Or when grating enough cabbage for a single recipe of cole slaw?

That aside, I'm quite happy with my OXO. I can straight or crinkle cut with it, make two sizes of julienne, etc. And, given my frequency of use, the price point was right. I paid something on the order of sixty bucks for it.

The whole thing breaks down for ease of cleaning, which is a plus. And it's dishwasher safe, for those who care about such. I don't. Besides which, I would never put any cutting tool in a dishwasher, so would recommend hand-washing the blade even if the rest is done in the machine.

[shel]

I know I won't use it a lot, although it's hard to say just how much use it will get. Spending a lot of money would seem foolish for the anticipated use. However, for $60.00 or so, I can afford to let it sit idle for long periods of time. OXO seems to make a number of kitchen gadgets that are pretty well rated, so I'll take a look and their mando. I have a couple of 20% off coupons from Bed Bath and Beyond, and they carrya lot of OXO products. Maybe they have the mando at a good price, and that, combined with the coupon, may make it a worthwhile purchase even if it won't be used a lot. Thanks!

Shel

[monk]

Hello Shel -
My two cents' worth. I bought a Bron stainless steel mandoline 8 years ago at a restaurant supply house - on sale for 55$ (a real steal - now about $130). I use it constantly, as my 8 co-workers are great 'guinea pigs' to sample my cooking, and I'm always experimenting. Having said that, I agree with other comments of cost versus frequency of use. I offer an alternative - a Japanese company (name escapes me) makes a marvelous mandoline for $25 or so. It comes in two widths, and except for the cutting blades/surfaces, the entire thing is sturdy, dishwasher safe plastic. The cutting surfaces (multiple replaceable blades - usually 4) are infinitely adjustable, and removeable for cleaning (I would hand wash the blades - dishwasher drying heats are murder on blades). Works very well (I've given them as gifts), very cost effective, and a snap to use. I'm sure a web search would pull up the details - please let me know if you have difficulties finding it, and I'll find a source for you.

Cheers,

[Brook]

I have both a Japanese mandoline, a beniriner, and a Bron. The beni is inexpensive enough that if the blade ever became dull, I wouldn't feel too bad about simply buying a new one. ... I snapped up the Bron on sale (from Zabar's in NY), though it wasn't quite as good a deal as Monk's. The blade on the beni doesn't feel so steady as that on the Bron, so I use the beni for small tasks and the Bron when I want to cut alot of things. If storage space is a concern, the beni is more compact.

[juliec]

One piece of advice, (from a very painful experience...) no matter how small the job, ALWAYS, use the finger gaurd.

[Mannlicher]

I have an ancient Bron that still gives exellent results. I probably use it two or three times a week.