Cookaholics Bulletin Board

Darcie,

I agree with you. Years ago I gave myself a nasty cut with a Benriner, and because of that, I stopped using it, and eventually gave it away. It wasn't until I bought my Bron I really appreciated my mandoline. But, I do think the Benriner is a good introduction to the possibilities of what a mandoline can do for you in the kitchen.

Amy

P.S. I don't think I've ever used the slicing disk on my FP. I've always reached for my mandoline first.

P.P.S. Now if I could only justify a vegetable sheeter...

Mine is the Borner which rates 4.5/5 from 562 reviews. I ALWAYS use the safety grip attachment. [url]http://www.amazon.com/Swissmar-Borner-V-1001-V-Slicer-Mandoline/dp/B0000632QE/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1354204766&sr=1-1&keywords=borner+mandoline[/url]

I use the safety shield, too, and have never had a cut. A friend of ours bought the big fancy one and the first time he used it nearly removed his thumb. As with any sharp instrument, safety first!!!

fitzie

I have a Borner (like wino), the V-slicer model, a fully featured Bron, and a small Kyocera.

The Bron makes waffle bits and is infinitely variable and can do anything you want. It also isn't as sharp as you might want, slices tend to get caught in the julienne blades (even when not using them) and the straight on blade is a bit jarring and hard on soft veggies.

I really like the Borner. Although it isn't as versatile, it is very very sharp and the v-cutter provides less resistance and cleaner cuts. It is blazingly fast and is my favorite over the bron by quite a bit for things like slices for potato casserole. If it can do what I want, I prefer it over the bron. I think this one is a great choice for most people.

The Kyocera actually gets used more then any of the others. It is small and excels at very fine work (I have the red model). If you need some paper thin slices of ginger, or perhaps Jalapeno peppers or the like, it is the ticket. But it is definitely a different beast altogether; instead of aiming at doing a big volume of work, it is better for turning out some super thin consistent slices of something for detail work.

Yes

And I have the Borner too. I gave it to my neighbour when I got the F/P thinking I wouldn't need it, and after borrowing it from her a few times (that was the agreement, lol) she gave it back. She's borrowed it once. I used it for juliening apples for salad and for potatos. Just for those 2 things totally worth it. I bought the waffle blade for it but never figured out how to use it. Not sure where it went.

Just use a knife (wow, wish I could do that)

Paul,

I struggled enough learning how to use a turning knife. My veggies still aren't as good as my school's EC.

In my dreams could I do what you linked to...

I'm my own enabler...just found a sheeter on searchtempest, that's been listed for a couple of months. Made an offer...we'll see.

Amy

Amy,

You mean you don't have one of those one-sided sushi knives to do that with? There's another thing for the list! LOL

I have a nice one somewhere which has never been used. i have several slicing discs for my Cuisinart as well as a wonderful french fry cutter. I've used the discs to make a bunch of CI recipes calling for a mandoline with great results both with potatoes and veggies. The smallest one makes great homemade potato, malanga or plantain chips. The french fry cutter works well with carrots or zucchini too. So since my Cuisinart lives on my countertop, it is just easier to reach for a blade.

I have an oxo. It's just ok. Not as sharp as I would like, but keeps the blades stashed in it which is a nice feature. I pull it out for scalloped potatoes and that's about it. I'd probably use it more if it was sharper.