Mandolines & Slicers

Mandolines Transform Food Prep Tasks

While a quality chef's knife can certainly handle julienning a carrot for a salad, and a good utility knife is perfect for slicing an apple for a quick snack, there are a number of occasions where even the most high-end knife is simply not the right tool for food prep. Any time that you have to create a lot of uniform slices, for example, you're going to want a mandoline. A mandoline is a handy kitchen tool that features a flat surface and a sharp angled blade that allows you to make quick work of a variety of food prep tasks. Having a mandoline slicer on hand will make your time in the kitchen a lot less tedious while also ensuring that the finished meal is as aesthetically pleasing as possible.

The Details

Having a quality knife set is essential for any kitchen, but anyone who likes to cook knows the value of having a mandoline in the kitchen arsenal. Mandolines create even slices of varying thicknesses, making them indispensable when making things like sweet potato chips and fruit or vegetable galettes. Uniform slices are essential in those cases, both for even cooking and aesthetic reasons, and evenly slicing that quantity of anything is nearly impossible without a vegetable slicer of some sort. Many mandoline slicers can also julienne, waffle cut and more, with some capable of upwards of 20 different settings. Mandolines like this are perfect for making everything from French fries to coleslaw. Read on for more about some of the mandoline slicers available at Williams Sonoma.

• OXO Chef's Steel Mandoline - An updated version of OXO's classic mandoline, this vegetable slicer features a spring-loaded food pusher for maximum efficiency and keeps fingers a safe distance from the blade. The angled steel blade easily adjusts to 21 different settings for a variety of uniform slices, including julienne, waffle cut and straight cuts of varying thickness. The legs fold away when not in use, and the food holder nests under the mandoline for space-saving storage.
• Microplane Adjustable V-Blade Mandoline Slicer - Featuring an adjustable thickness dial and a reversible blade, this dishwasher-safe slicer allows you to easily switch between the slicing and julienning options. This simple handheld prep tool is made of BPA-free plastic and features a surgical-grade stainless steel blade.
• OXO Grate & Slice with Spiralizer - This all-in-one kitchen tool comes with four interchangeable blades that allow you to slice, grate and spiralize. Each blade fits securely on top of the container, which also serves to collect, measure and store the food once it's been cut. The blades and finger-protecting food holder all fit inside the set for easy storage.
• PL8 Professional Vegetable Chopper - While not exactly a mandoline, this kitchen tool is similarly useful for food prep tasks that would normally require quite a bit of knife work. This hinged chopper features three stainless steel chopping plates, which produce a 3-mm mince, 5-mm dice or a 1-cm chop. The removable base container catches the chopped food and can even double as a serving tray.