Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Kitchen Collection [16]

I actually had a request for a Kitchen Collection item - wooo hooo ! And here it is : the mandoline.

This is a very recent addition to our kitchen collection. We've never had one, but lately thought it might be a good tool for doing things like potatoes for gratin dauphinois, thinly sliced fennel bulbs, and similar things.

Ours was a gift (thanks C. !) and comes from the US. It's an OXO and is pretty hefty and stable and we use it a lot. The blade on this model is perfectly perpendicular to the food. I don't know if it would make a big difference, but I've seen mandolines with the blade set at an angle; it seems that might make for more efficient slicing. If you have thoughts or opinions on that, I'd love to hear them.

8 comments:

  1. Good morning! I just got one of these and have been playing around with it. Have not lost any fingers yet!
    Have a good one!

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  2. I have the Matfer mandoline, a traditional, French, stainless-steel version of the one you have. I also have a Benriner which has the angled blade. Besides being less expensive, the Benriner cuts more efficiently and with less force. It's like comparing cutting with knife: pushing straight down versus sawing back and forth.

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  3. Lousy cook that I am, I had never seen or even heard of a mandoline, except as a musical instrument ;)

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  4. LOL @ Claude.... mandoline as instrument. That's what I thought, too, when you put it on your XMas list. If Peter thinks it's better to have an angular one, you can put it on this year's XMas list....
    Grosses bises,
    Cheryl

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  5. Kitchen collection suggestions....
    cordial glasses
    friteuse (with all due credits)
    dutch oven (C'est quoi en francais?)
    cutting boards

    I hope this isn't posted twice... google is messing with my mind...

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  6. Cheryl, I think the one we've got works well ;)

    Claude, when Ken and I go to Paris, we usually stop into la Bovida or Dehillerin just to window shop (and sometimes buy). Look at what you're missing !

    Peter, that's what I suspected about the angled blade, but the horizontal one works fine for household use.

    mpabner, congrats on keeping your digits ! I still don't trust myself to use the mandoline without the food holder.

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  7. I have a cheap, plastic Mandoline from an Asian market which works fine for most things (and I always use the finger guard thing to keep my fingertips intact) but I love OXO's products so I might have to upgrade!

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  8. I always use the finger guard, hence, still having my fingers. I was wondering how well the angled blades work. I may look at those at a later date.

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Tell me what you think!