Mandolines

[nextguy]

I have owned several and the benriner is hands down the best. You see them being used in many pro kitchens as well as on Iron Chef and Top Chef. It doesn't do waffle cuts but if your son doesn't need that, benriner can't be beat.

[rlibkind]

I've been using the Zyliss "gourmet mandoline" for about five or six years and have been quite pleased. Nice job on julienne, but it doesn't do waffle cuts. Not infinitely adjustable: different inserts for different depths of cut, plus two julienne sizes. Haven't cut myself yet. Easy to clean. Not professional level but does the job.

If I've got a lot to shred, I usually turn to the shredder disk of my 35-year-old food processor, a home kitchen model from Regal.

[Kayakado]

I have one of those fancy WS DeBuyers and a grey fiberglass Matfer Professional (not the 1000 but similar). The Matfer is my favorite, but it is not free standing (its hand held:no legs). Sometimes the stainless deBuyer with the legs wants to collapse, if you get too energetic.

Get a filet glove by Rapala, the cost less then $15 and come in 3 sizes. Most places only carry one size, but a tackle shop will order the other sizes for you or you could probably find them online. The WS glove is a Rapala without the label and WS only sells one size at about $25. Highway robbery and one size does not fit all!

http://www.rapala.com/products/accessoriesdetail.cfm?name=Rapala%20Fillet%20Glove&category=Knife%20Accessories

[nickrey]

I had a Zyliss and used to cut myself regularly so much so that I got myself a protective glove.

Got a Benriner and the problem went away. I now seldom wear the glove because it is so effective.

I never do waffle cuts so it's not an issue.

[Qwerty]

Benriner is what I've/we've always used in all the professional kitchens I've worked inm and the most likely to find in any high end kitchen. Wouldn't recommend anything else. Just tell your son (with ANY mandoline) to be real careful and use the guard. Cuts on the mandoline are nasty. Really, really nasty.

[Nyleve Baar]

Well, turns out I found a "gently used" Bron mandoline from a private seller for $75. I looked it up and it seems a very heavy duty, serious piece of equipment. So I bought it. It hasn't arrived yet, but I think it should do the trick. I will buy a cut-proof glove (the Rapala sounds sensible) to go with it. Thanks for all your advice - I would have gotten the Benriner, I think, if this one hadn't come along.

[Darienne]

We bought an inexpensive mandolin from Kitchen Stuff Plus in Ontario. It's their brand. Whatever that means. Amazingly it's solid metal through and through, and good enough for our home cooking. Actually DH prepares what he calls the 'mises', so who am I to quarrel?

Second use, he took off the teeny tiny tip of his finger. Will he wear a glove? No. Is it a guy thing? He simply says he will not do it again.

[scubadoo97]

Well, turns out I found a "gently used" Bron mandoline from a private seller for $75. I looked it up and it seems a very heavy duty, serious piece of equipment. So I bought it. It hasn't arrived yet, but I think it should do the trick. I will buy a cut-proof glove (the Rapala sounds sensible) to go with it. Thanks for all your advice - I would have gotten the Benriner, I think, if this one hadn't come along.

You may still consider a Benriner for those jobs where you don't want to pull out that heavy big Bron.

[Anna N]

.....

You may still consider a Benriner for those jobs where you don't want to pull out that heavy big Bron.

You took the words right out of my mouth! My big mandoline gathers dust but the Benriner is so well-used I now need to consider a new blade for it.

[kayb]

Bumping this up with a bit of shameless promotion for a local company.

Smith's, which has operated in Hot Springs for 124 years, started out with whetstones and expanded into a broad range of sharpening products. They recently split their line to offer sharpeners for hunting/camping/etc., and those for the kitchen, the kitchen products being under the Edgeware brand. The Edgeware Mandoline is their first venture into actual cutting implements. As a hometown cook, I got an early trial of the slicer, which will be available via Williams Sonoma later this year, and is currently available at www.edgewareproducts.com.

It's wonderful. Cast aluminum body, German steel blade, adjustable thickness with an easy-touch knob, comes with julienne and crinkle-cut blades. Will also carve a slice of your finger off in a heartbeat (I speak from experience).

I think it looks like a Porsche.

[patrickamory]

People here definitely talk more about the Benriner and the Bron than they do about the Swissmar Borner V. But the Super Benriner (which seems to be the minimum size to handle onions) and the Borner are about the same price, and they get about equal raves on Amazon. Which to buy?

Swissmar Borner V:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003CN6Q1Y/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Super Benriner:

http://www.amazon.com/Super-Benriner-Slicer-Large-x13/dp/B00012F3RM/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1318804833&sr=1-1

[nickrey]

I'd get the Super Benriner but please remember to use guards when slicing food, these things are incredibly sharp.

[AnythingButPlainChocolate]

I'm after a mandolin for slicing (hard-ish) fruit, so a standard mandolin won't be wide enough, and although I love the look of the Bron, I can't justify the cost. I need something that is adjustable (the fruit needs to be thinly sliced) but also wide and cost effective, does anyone have any suggestions? I'm based in the UK so may have to consider shipping costs on top of price.

[cookman]

Any of these mandolines tough enough to julienne a celery root?

[andiesenji]

Any of these mandolines tough enough to julienne a celery root?

Yes.

I have the de Buyer Pro-V Mandoline which is not easy to find and is more expensive than others.

One vendor has it for 199.00 - I paid significantly more because I bought it when it was first introduced in the U.S.

I bought extra blades and the extra-long pusher from this vendor.

I have yet to find anything this mandoline will not cut. I routinely use it to slice ginger, daikon(for pickles), yucca root, julienne sweet potatoes (the dense white ones), horseradish - prior to shredding it in my Thermomix - much easier than grating it.

Celeriac is a cinch to slice or juilienne, as is the more fibrous fennel and salsify.

One reason I got this mandoline (in 2008) was that I had an occasional helper who was left-handed and had problems using my old Bron. This one tilts to either side and was easy for the leftie to use. Sadly, she is no longer in my area.

Edited April 14, 2012 by andiesenji (log)

[andiesenji]

I wanted to add this photo to my previous post.

The V-Pro comes in a fitted case, which is large but keeps everything together (except for the long pusher), clean and neat.

I keep the case and the long pusher in one of the XXL storage Ziplock bags so I can hang it in the pantry.

[Nancy in Pátzcuaro]

I have a Borner V-slicer that has served me well enough over the years, but now I want something more adjustable. (Plus, unless I use it frequently I can't figure out how to assemble the danged thing. The pictographs embossed in the white plastic don't help much.)

What would you all suggest as an upgrade? I'm willing to pay for a quality tool, but I don't know how to decide among the many choices and styles.

Thanks for your advice--N.

[gfweb]

I have the Microplane adjustable mandoline. It doesn't have inserts for ripple cuts etc, just a fixed movable blade. About $40. I'm happy with it.

http://bestmandoline.com/microplane-47001/

[Syzygies]

A teacher of mine swears by the Benriner Japanese Mandoline Slicer. He's classic French, wouldn't prefer a Japanese gadget unless it actually worked. It sure looked like it worked in his hands, and I'm tempted, though I always prefer knife work.

I have an old school mandoline, I only use it to lend to friends to convince them they don't want one either. It always comes back.

[minas6907]

I agree with the above post on the Japanese mandoline. We had a few in the French kitchen where I used to be at, and I have one at home. I personally like it because it will definitely do the job, and it has a cheap price. If I had the money, I'd get a nice shiny Bron mandoline, but that's currently beyond me. I guess just take into consideration exactly how often you'll be using it.

[Twyst]

Another vote for the benriner. I bought a fancy mandoline for home but it never gets used, I always just end up using the benriner I keep in my knife kit for work.

[Dave the Cook]

The Benriner is certainly up to the job that it's designed to do, and they can call it a mandoline, but it's not a mandoline. Neither is it (or the Microplane) much of an upgrade from a Borner v-slicer. When it comes to a true mandoline, the Mafter 2000s is probably the cream of the crop. $170 gets you all the fancy blades, a cute little blade case, and even a video that shows how to avoid cutting your fingertips off. Since the blades are all removable, they can be sharpened separately. I have this model, and can vouch for its stability (a big deal when it comes to these contraptions) and build quality.

For about half that, the OXO performs decently (I've used it while teaching classes), but I'm not sure that the blades can be sharpened. It also comes with several different blades. It's not fully adjustable as to slice thickness (you dial in from preset thickenesses), which may be a feature or a bug, depending on your point of view.

ETA: remember to keep room in your budget for a knife glove.

Edited April 30, 2013 by Dave the Cook (log)

[Keith_W]

I moved from a Borner V-slicer to a de Buyer Swing. These are the differences:

- the Borner adjusts slice thickness by means of choosing notches. The de Buyer adjusts thickness by loosening a thumbscrew and moving the plate up and down. This allows infinitely variable thickness adjustment.

- the de Buyer's blade is straight, as opposed to the V blade on the Borner, or the angled blade on the Benriner. The V blade on the Borner sometimes leaves V shaped marks on your cut. Not so with either of the straight blades. Having said that, I do believe that the angled blade on the Benriner might be less prone to crushing soft foods.

- the blade on the de Buyer can be removed and can be sharpened. Not so on the Borner or Benriner.

- the julienne attachment on the de Buyer and Benriner are compact blades that you slip in. In contrast, the Borner uses great big plastic plates.

- the de Buyer can make crinkle cuts. Neither of the others can do that.

Overall I am quite happy with my de Buyer.

[nickrey]

There is no need to sharpen the blade on a Benriner as it can be replaced with a new flat blade.

[Mjx]

Quite a thorough discussion of the various brands, here: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/27090-mandolines-which-one/?hl=%2Bmandoline