mandoline

[Brook]

I am thinking about trading up to a Bron mandoline from a Beniriner and wondered about how easy the Brons are to use, clean, etc. Are they worth the price for personal use at home?

I would say it depends on how much you cook. They are certainly worth the money. I use one at my restaurant, for certain things. Some things are much better when cut by hand with a knife.

If you cook a lot at home and for many people a Bron Mandoline would certainly help you get the job done more quickly.

[Brook]

Are the Brons difficult to use? I heard that the knife is less sharp than the Beniriner. Do you need a steel mesh glove or is using the hand guard sufficient?

I Agree with carol mandolines are a great
tool to have.When ever you use this tool
you sould wear a mesh glove the blade will
be shap for a long time if you slip you will
save yourself from geting a bad cut.also the
blade will get dull and we all know what dull blades can do.I have one glove just for
when i work on the mandoline when done I soak it in bleach and water to clean then air dry.SAFETY FRIST.Sometimes you can buy
just the blades deppeding on what type of mandoline you have.


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AB



[This message has been edited by Chef AB (edited November 03, 1999).]

[Brook]

Thank you very much for your responses.
I just got a Bron mandoline. In trying it out, I noticed that it makes alot of noise though it doesn't seem to be hitting any of the rotating blades (the crank is hanging down according to the instructions)and the fluted blade is out of the way. As near as I can make out, the noise is coming from the hand guard rubbing on the rails, but I am worried that I am doing something wrong. Any ideas or suggestions would be welcome: I would hate to ruin the mandoline through ineptness.

This is from an old timer-throw out the hand guard and hold the object to be sliced with your finger tips. You will feel when you are too close to the blade. Never curl your fingers. Follow the rules of a grater.

[Ruthy]

I had a Bron for 25 years and have two different Benriner models, also for several years. When we tried to replace the blades on the Bron thee new one did not fit properly and it became useless. I always found the Bron very cumbersom and stiff to use. I have now bought a different French model, a Matfer. One has to insert the various julienne blades as needed and reverse the main blade for serrated cutting or gaufrettes. However I like it much more than the Bron. It is much less cumbersome to use and there is less danger of damaging the cutting edges. The Benriner is great for very thin slices and is the easiest of all to use, but you cannot use itfor thick slices or for gaufrette.