Whether you are running a restaurant or simply want to cook good food at home, a vegetable slicer would surely come in handy. This kitchen tool is simple yet very useful. It can help you create uniform slices quickly. You can make salads, potato chips, French fries, and even waffle-cut chips or gaufrettes.
If you are running a restaurant, you have to ensure customer satisfaction. This means that your food does not only have to taste good, but it also has to look good. You can make your dishes more presentable by using a vegetable or mandoline slicer. Impressive thinness and consistent thickness are necessary if you want your food to be presentable.
Whats more, these even cuts do not only please the eye. They also please the taste buds! Yes, food can cook better when they are evenly cut. So if you are preparing a hot dish, you should cut your ingredients evenly to ensure that they cook evenly and properly. If you are preparing potato chips, the potatoes should have a consistent thickness. Otherwise, you can end up with a batch of potato chips that are half-burnt and half undercooked.
If you are not running a restaurant, precision is not that much of a big deal. Nevertheless, this should not prevent you from looking for the best mandoline slicer available on the market. Check out reviews of the different mandoline slicers available. For your convenience, you can order one online. Consider their type, size, style, and shape to find out which one is best for your needs and budget.
If you want a neat slicer, go for one that has a plastic box or food holder attached to it. This way, cooking will not be such a mess and cleaning up would be easier. Your sliced vegetables and fruits will be kept in place. You can get an automatic model that starts to slice at the push of a button which would make this the best mandoline slicer.
Safety is another important factor you have to consider when checking out mandoline slicers. Look for models with ergonomic designs. They may be more expensive than their standard counterparts, but the money you pay will be worth it. Their blades stay covered when not in use. They also have soft handles that are set lower than their bodies, making them easier to grip and use. Make sure that you choose a slicer with a food guard, so your hand can be protected.
Since there are plenty of mandoline slicers on the market, you can test out a few. You can try cutting different types of vegetables and fruits. Make sure that they vary in firmness and size, so you can really tell the difference in the cuts. Firm produce such as parsnips and potatoes are easier to cut. Softer vegetables and fruits like lemons and tomatoes are more difficult to cut, so you have to be extra careful.
Make sure that you test the slicers at different thickness settings. You should also test the other features, such as attachments for julienning and making crinkle-cuts and batonettes, if there are any. In addition, you can take into account the quality of the parts. For example, you can check for loose parts and parts that are difficult to maneuver.
You may also not like slicers that require too many pieces to work. Some slicers require the user to swap out pieces to go from one thickness setting to another. Attaching extra blades can also be tricky and quite dangerous, so you also have to factor this in. Make sure that you wear protective gloves when you handle blades. Nonetheless, it can be nice to have different types of blades, so you can have many options when it comes to cuts.
Do not forget to consider the overall design of the mandoline slicer. If the design is inefficient, it may easily lose vital pieces over time. You may also be frustrated using it. Remember that a good slicer allows for quick and easy adjustments of settings, as well as have very few to no loose parts. It should also stay put when you use it. Ideally, you should look for a slicer that has rubberized feet to prevent it from sliding.
For easier and faster cleaning, it should also be dishwasher-safe. Mandoline slicers that can only be hand washed are more difficult to clean since you have to be extra careful with the parts. As for storage, you may want to choose a slicer with collapsible legs that you can fold.
