Gadget tip: mandoline
A good knife and good cutting technique are key if you really want to cook well. With a mandoline, you can slice everything paper-thin without any effort at all, and much faster too.
Once it has become part of your routine, you’ll use it for just about everything. For a fresh salad with fennel and spring onion, for example. But literally every type of vegetable can be sliced on the mandoline.
You can adjust the thickness at which you slice, and with a different blade you can also cut julienne. Do watch your fingers, though. Fortunately, many models come with an attachment that keeps your fingers safe. This one, for example.
No more tears
You can run shallots and onions through the mandoline in the blink of an eye, and they come out wafer-thin. You can hardly achieve slices as thin as those made with a mandoline using a knife, unless you’re a pro. And because it happens so quickly, there’s less chance of crying.
Potatoes
If you’re making potato gratin, a mandoline is the perfect solution. Because all the slices are the same thickness, everything cooks evenly. Which is exactly what you want, of course. Set it slightly thinner, turn on the deep fryer, and before you know it you’ll be eating homemade crisps.
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