A mandoline is not, as many people think, a musical instrument (that would be mandolin). It’s a cooking utensil composed of a flat plane (made of plastic or metal) with a slot in the centre, into which is inserted an adjustable razor-sharp blade. When you slide food – such as a carrot, turnip, potato or cucumber – across the surface of the plane, the blade cuts it into even slices, the thickness of which is determined by the height of the blade.
Isn’t that exactly what a knife does? Only if you have incredibly precise knife skills, which most of us do not. The advantage of a mandoline is its uniform results – if the blade is sharp (which it should be), everything you slice on it will be of the same thickness.
To be fair, most of us don’t need such perfection: your family probably won’t complain if the potatoes in your gratin are not all exactly 3mm thick. And if they do complain, tell them to cook for themselves.
The big advantage is that mandolines – even the cheapest ones – have interchangeable blades, so you can slice, julienne and shred with much neater results than a food processor can offer. Some of the more expensive models also have attachments for making crinkle cuts and waffle cuts, and blades that let you shred vegetables into varying thicknesses.
Expensive mandolines are made almost entirely of metal and come with a sturdy stand so the plane (and blade) are at an angle. At the opposite end of the price spectrum are handheld mandolines, with plastic frames. I prefer an inexpensive type that mounts the removable plane and blade on a plastic box. The box keeps the utensil steady and catches the ingredients being shredded or sliced. When it’s not in use, the box holds the interchangeable blades for convenient storage.
Whatever mandoline you choose, it’s important to follow the instruction manual. And never ever use the man-doline without the hand-guard. If the sharp blade can slice a potato into 1mm pieces, it can do the same to your hand or fingertips.