Mandolines

[Richard Kilgore]

I'll say it again -- In my minor point above, I was talking about slicing cheese in wide 3" slabs from large chunks, not grating it. (Most of my intended uses are what you would expect.) I do have a microplane and a Cuispro for grating. Perhaps talking about slicing cheese is so unexpected in the context of a Benriner that it doesn't register. At any rate, I appreciate everyone's efforts to help here.

Okay, so unless someone says differently, I am going to assume you absolutely can not slice hard cheese effectively with a Benriner. The restaurant I mentioned above must have been using something sturdier.

[ExtraMSG]

Sorry, I wasn't clear. Both Cuisipro and Microplane have wide graters, I believe. I guess they're slices, not graters, and that's where the confusion lies. See here:

http://www.microplane.com/38006.shtml

http://www.cuisipro.com/MAIN.HTM

There's also a vegetable peeler. Maybe I'll pick up some cheese and test my Benriner just to put your mind at ease one way or the other.

[Richard Kilgore]

That's fine, EMSG. I would be glad to hear about how hard cheese does on your Benriner. (The Cuispro is simply a sophisticated box grater and the widest grate is 5/16", the microplane in the link is a "wide shaver" for making curls of chocolate or cheese.)

[ExtraMSG]

Tried the Benriner on parmesan and it worked pretty darn well.

[winesonoma]

3 inchs wide. WOW. Most Carpenters planes are not that wide. Bron mandoline is close "at friends house can't measure". Use a cabinet scraper for light ,fluffy pieces of hard cheese.

[Richard Kilgore]

Thanks, EMSG. Good to know.

And the food channel on the Super Benriner is 3 3/4", so I may be remembering those slices accurately.

[Bux]

My memory's been jogged. I use the Benriner to shave both the fennel and the parmesan cheese for fennel and parmesan cheese salad. I ususally work with a hunk of cheese about 1 1/2" to 2" wide and shave the cheese pretty thin. I also use it shave paper thin slices of pecorino romano for something else.

[ExtraMSG]

As the cheese took more area and the slices got thicker, the process got more difficult. But it was always easier than a knife. I tried a softer cheese -- a grocery store jack -- and it worked well, too.

[Knicke]

The title of the thread pretty much says it all. I don't want to spend a bucket of money, but I'd like to make some paper-thin slices of...what-have-you. There's a lot of cheap-looking mandolines out there - anyone find one they really like?

[dougery]

I really like the Benriner and 17.50 is a great price. Japanese-knife.com carries this Mandoline and I think they have one of the best prices out there.

I've used this mandoline for quite a few years and it is made quite well. The price is deceiving!

[chezcherie]

i also have a benriner. and a $300 fancy-schmancy one. i use the benriner nearly every time.

[tedwin]

How timely, the Washington Post food section ran a comparison in today's paper:Washington Post Mandoline Survey

[JosephB]

The Benriner is great, but I've been waiting for the Oxo to be released. In fact, I ordered one on Amazon for a friend. When I ordered it three weeks ago, I was advised that it woudn't be available until 9/14 for shipping. I see now that WS already has inventory.

[chezcherie]

i also have a benriner. and a $300 fancy-schmancy one. i use the benriner nearly every time.

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no i don't..just looked at the box---it's a "borner"--german, not japanese. whatever. i really get a lot of use out of it, whatever its provenance.

[chromedome]

If I can ever get away from work long enough, I have to get over to the little Chinese shop a few blocks across the downtown for a Benriner.

At school we used the traditional heavy-duty French-made mandolines, and frankly I thought they were crap. They're big and heavy and awkward, and the blades only stayed sharp for about a year (at least, with the level of usage these ones saw). After that you either got new blades, or fobbed the beastie off on another kitchen and ordered a new one.

The Benriner, in similar usage, also lasts about a year, oddly enough. Then you dispose of it (carefully!) and get another one. Here in Canada, the price difference is significant enough that one French-made mandoline can equal 5-7 Benriners. I like the way the math works...

[scubadoo97]

I have a Bron and a Benriner. I use the Benriner most but it is a bit narrow so I will pull out the Bron for larger vegies. The cheaper Benriner is sharper but the Bron when set up is more stable and of course you can do waffle cuts with the Bron.

[Knicke]

Thanks, y'all! Under $20 is exactly what I was looking for. You've been a big help, folks.

[johnnyd]

The mid-range Benriner BN-1 costs around $35 and comes with three additional blades. It's awesome and easier to handle than the littler ones.

[halland]

I have the Super Benriner, I think it was around $45, and its held up well. I've been using it for a little over 2 years now with no depreciable change in the sharpness of the blade.

Hal

[mjr_inthegardens]

My friend helped design the OXO and he raves about it.

Biased obviously but generally not given to hyperbole.

[wnissen]

Is there a page anywhere with statistics on these mandolins? I want one to make 8mm slices of squash, but it's sometimes hard to find a product page that contains this specification. Any pointers?

Thanks,

Walt

[Redsugar]

I own two mandolins: The French-made, stainless-steel Bron Professional requires that the cook devote sufficient time to become proficient in its use. I use the Zyliss V-type slicer much more frequently. It’s well-designed & durably constructed from ABS plastic & polycarbonate plastics, so it will stand up to tough usage. The V-slicer is ideal for making rapid processing of vegetables for mirepoix, for slicing apples for tarts, or onions for chowder. The food holder properly secures items such as cucumbers & zucchini for longitudinal cutting. Thin or thick slicing, julienne or batonnet – all in all, a tool which I would recommend for anyone’s batterie de cuisine.

Edited September 12, 2004 by Redsugar (log)

[Busboy]

I own two mandolins:  The French-made, stainless-steel Bron Professional requires that the cook devote sufficient time to become proficient in its use.  I use the Börner V-slicer much more frequently.  It’s well-designed & durably constructed from ABS plastic which ensures that it will stand up to tough usage.  The V-slicer is ideal for making rapid processing of vegetables for mirepoix, for slicing apples for tarts, or onions for chowder.  Thin or thick slicing, julienne or batonnet – all in all, a tool which I would recommend for anyone’s batterie de cuisine.

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I'm not 100% sure you have to study too much to master the Bron, as we have one and -- unlike our wonderful $25 Asion market number -- I have yet to take a fingertip off with it.

That aside, we picked the Bron when we lost the blades for the cheep-o madolin. It cost about $100 and, while I can't say it is four times better than the inexpensive version, it was much cheaper than other "professional" mandolins and a delight to cook with.

[edsel]

Kyocera makes a plastic slicer with a ceramic blade that's razor-sharp. It's on the small side and doesn't have interchangeable blades. They make a separate julienne slicer which I haven't tried. Not as versatile as one with interchangeable blades, but there are fewer parts to get lost in the utensile drawer.

[chezcherie]

Kyocera makes a plastic slicer with a ceramic blade that's razor-sharp. It's on the small side and doesn't have interchangeable blades. They make a separate julienne slicer which I haven't tried. Not as versatile as one with interchangeable blades, but there are fewer parts to get lost in the utensile drawer.

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i recently used one of these kyocera slicers for the first time. it is very small, and non-adjustable, but i found it nifty, in that the blade is elevated, and sharp on both sides, so that you can make a cut on the downstroke, then another cut as you slide the food back up--kinda double-barreled, as it were.

edited for terrible typing