A mandoline is a kitchen tool that uses a series of adjustable blades to cut foods into thin slices. Most models have a hand guard that keeps the user’s fingers away from the sharp blades when the utensil is being used. The device is most useful when cutting firm fruits and vegetables like apples, carrots, radishes, cucumbers, zucchinis, sweet peppers, and onions.
It takes time to become comfortable using a mandoline, but once the learning curve is over, it will save you tons of effort and time compared to cutting each food individually with a knife. The best mandolines come with a variety of blade settings and inserts, so you can make all kinds of cuts including straight, julienne, waffle, and wavy. This can allow you to create a variety of dishes that are otherwise difficult to make at home, like ethereal shaved salads or paper-thin potato chips.
We tested a number of the best mandoline slicers available, evaluating them for their safety, size, stability on the countertop, ease of assembly, disassembly, cleaning, and storage. We also tried them out on a wide variety of savory and sweet recipes, from shaved salads to scalloped potatoes.
While the old, gold standard Benriner mandoline is still in use by many professional chefs, Baraghani prefers a newer model from Bron, which has a similar design but doesn’t require a large, expensive frame and has a hand guard that grips food on one side and protects the finger on the other.