A mandoline is a valuable kitchen gadget that every home cook should own. Hopefully we’ve helped to alleviate some of the stress when faced with the daunting task of choosing which kind. Now you just need to summon the bravery to put it to good use! Consider what will provide the best ease of use – and peace of mind – in your kitchen, and choose accordingly. Use a Glove One major safety issue with this model is that snapping the blades in and out of place requires your fingers to work dangerously close to the sharp edges. In addition, the blade clip leaves a small divot in the runway that can catch food as it slides down.

It works perfectly well for slicing cucumbers for a salad or apples to decorate the top of a French tart, as long as you don’t use the thinnest settings. It’s not the tool for an oversized eggplant or tough sweet potato.

With models that included specialty blades and/or settings, I julienned carrots and zucchini, waffled sweet potatoes, diced onions, and spiralized zucchini and carrots. Hi, I'm Sharon Franke and I’ve been testing and writing about kitchen equipment for decades. Before that, I worked as a professional chef in New York City restaurants for seven years. When I’m not working, I’m busy cooking for family and friends. The Super Benriner comes with a better handguard than the original model, but the pros find it virtually useless. This one has spikes to hold onto food but it’s still small and not easy to grasp, which makes it very tempting to push a potato or a cucumber with your hand. However, for the most part, you can depend on the Benriner for beautiful slices, although on the thinnest setting, it did mangle a ripe tomato and an eggplant. Every Japanese manufactured thing I have is excellent and makes a refreshing change from the cheap shite!

The plastic food holder is comprised of three separate parts: a gray base, a green insert, and a green tamper. Currently, The Swissmar Borner V-Power is available in an array of fun and bright colors including orange, green, purple, red, and white. Andrea Wurzburger is a freelance writer at Better Homes & Gardens. For this story, she spent several hours researching the mandoline slicers and interpreting results from our testers. She also spoke with Chef Cara Tannenbaum, former Dean of Students at Institute of Culinary Education. The handle, non-slip rubber base, and notches at the base to fit over a bowl all combine to give the user added stability while slicing.

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However, you do have to learn which lever controls what blade – it’s best to have a practice round before you start slicing so you know how to raise and lower each portion! Belle DuChene is an award-winning digital content producer and stylist who is often seen in Better Homes & Gardens home and garden videos. She is the agency director of a micro-influencer talent agency and teaches strategic digital communications at three colleges and universities.