Less likely to link than a guillotine, but still be careful with that mandoline
No, the mandoline wasn’t invented by the inventor of the guillotine. Although you might sometimes think so when you imagine how much a mandoline also seems to enjoy bloodily removing the top of something; in this case, your fingertip. So although it’s a fantastic addition to your kitchen arsenal, extreme caution is required!
Cooking is fun, sure, but it should be done with as little danger to life and limb as possible. We regularly put together tips for cooking as safely as possible in your kitchen, but the mandoline is such a tricky customer that it deserves some specific attention! Because although we already wrote that you shouldn’t try to beat a mandoline when it comes to the final piece (that one always belongs to the mandoline), here are some more useful tips:
Ignore the showboating of TV chefs
Those chefs who pull a beet across a mandoline at lightning speed WITHOUT protection while telling you/the camera an entire story? Definitely don’t follow their example. If you really want to do it without the guard (though it’s much better to use it), slice SLOWLY while keeping your eyes on your fingers the entire time. So don’t let yourself be distracted by your phone, the dog or a child either—no: the utmost concentration is required here.
Wash and dry
Just as with knives, you should never simply put a mandoline in the sink after use to wash it ‘later’. Before you know it, there’s soapy water in there, you stick your hand in and bam! After cutting the last slice, carefully wash or rinse the mandoline. Then let it dry in a safe place, or use a tea towel folded into a thick wad.
Do enjoy it
You might now think, ‘I’ll just use a knife’, but slicing with a mandoline really does offer advantages. First, all the slices come out the same thickness, which means everything cooks more evenly and therefore better. Second, it often looks beautiful: a potato gratin with paper-thin slices, for example, or an apple pie with perfect uniformity. And one thing you can always do is invest in a glove that you can also use when opening oysters (OMG gin and tonic oysters!). They’re even available in Kevlar! Yes, bulletproof-vest Kevlar. You can bet your little fingers will be safe in those…
Also read:
- Opening soon: everything in thin slices at new restaurant Carpaccio Club
- 10 absurdly useful kitchen hacks
- Beets with bitter leafy greens and dashi butter
Source: Food and Wine
