The Cook's Cutting Edge
July 31, 2003

This summer I’ve been spending some time with one of my favorite kitchen tools, a mandoline. I picked it up on a Paris street corner for about ten bucks a few years ago. An orange plastic mini-washboard, it’s a hand operated unit that has a variety of very sharp adjustable blades for shredding, slicing, julienne, waffle and French fry cuts. You’ve probably seen a variation of one advertised on TV at some point (“It slices, it dices, it spits nickels!”) Because of the precision and speed with which you can work, a mandoline (MAHN-duh-lihn) is the perfect tool to showcase summer’s bounty of firm fruits and vegetables. Onions and cabbage slice paper thin for a superb cole slaw. Green, yellow and deep golden zucchini look gorgeous in a julienne-cut salad combined with baby grape tomatoes, a sprinkle of lemon juice, feta cheese, and freshly ground pepper. Razor sliced potatoes maximize starch release to create a creamy melt-in-your-mouth potato gratin. Sliced lemon, kiwi, and radish pop out like freshly minted coins; meats and cheeses slice beautifully for antipasta salads. Mandolines come in a wide variety of plastic and stainless steel models and price can range from ten to two hundred dollars. I recently saw a fine looking model at Marshall’s for $19.99, or survey the web: you will find hundreds of choices. Some mandolines anchor in a tripod-like position, but I prefer the washboard model for ease, control, and clean-up. A carriage or claw device secures the food, accompanied by a knuckle guard to protect your hand from the blade while you slice. Watch for the “Three S” formula when shopping for a mandoline: Sharp, Simple, Safe. (You want sharp blades on an easy to use device that remains stable on your work surface.) Cautionary notes: kids should not use this device, be extra careful while cleaning it, and store it away in a safe place. Once you start using a mandoline, you’ll wonder how you ever got along without one, happy slicing! Summer fun reading note: just for a hoot, pick up How To Cook A Tart by Nina Killham; it’s a novel chock full of foodie irony.

Kim Dannies is a graduate of La Varenne Cooking School in France. She lives in Williston, VT with her husband, Jeff, and three college–aged daughters who come and go. ©2008