Equipment Expert's Guide to Mandolines

A good, sharp mandoline can slice food beautifully. Which is the best—and safest? Equipment expert Adam Ried shares with Julia his top picks for mandolines.

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[s.peters]

Just go to the fishing section of Walmart and pick up a kevlar knit fishing glove. They stain but you can slice what ever to the very end and no worries

[Revelwoodie]

I've gone through a lot of crappy mandolines, I've settled on the Benriner and I'm happy with it.

[JamesBaston-dq]

I saw the plastic (green and white) safety model on your mandolin review but no comments about it. My wife has fear of mandolins so I was really interested in your opinion. Truly love your recipes and product reviews.

[VeretenoVids]

I have a 20-year-old Matfer Bourgeat mandoline. Its blade can be taken out and sharpened. Totally worth the investment I made way back then!

[brichter]

I have a Pampered Chef standing Rapid-Prep mandoline and love it. The chute can handle larger size veggies. The dials are easy to use for selecting thickness and type of cut. Like the extra long tray that catches the cut food. Very safe to use, hands never get close to the blade and cuts veggies really fast. Easy to clean and stores well in its own case. Wish y'all would have talked about that type of mandoline on the table.

[christopherrobbins]

The Benriner’s blade is easy to remove and can be sharpened. One of the reasons I got it. A dull mandolin can’t sing through the veggies.

[gerrypower]

Thanks for recommending the cut resistant gloves; they're a must with a mandoline. I have a Kyocera "paddle" style slicer and it's perfect for my favorite casserole, potatoes au gratin. And when stood on edge, the Kyocera takes up close to no space in my utensil drawer.

[jaa]

I have that small handheld mandolins and it is best thing ever. I cook for one mostly and just use it to quickly cut over pot or for a salad then into dish washer or quickly hand wash. Use it daily or multiple times a day. I have a bigger one, but that one's so quick and easy, it's the one I grab for

[melodynakamura]

I own a pampered chef mandoline and could not be happier with it. Blades are super sharp, great spring loaded guard, don't need gloves, has kick stand, and best of all a case to store the blades that attaches to the mandoline. Easy to store and space saving. I have owned this for years and blades are still sharp.

[cliftonmcnalley]

First mandoline I ever used was a v-slicer made in Sweden, I think, in a small café I was working in. Probably made in the 90's and rarely used. Super sharp and extremely sturdy, very easy breezy to cut through anything - including carrots. NEVER left those goofy v-cuts shown here on anything. Went to buy one for myself and the newer models looked flimsy. Lucked out and found the older style, rarely -if ever - used. $5 at a thrift store. I am not a clutzy person at all, very comfortable with sharp knives. Definitely use a glove with any mandoline!

[claudioczapski]

I bought an all stainless Bron Coucke mandoline in France some 40 years ago. Well built, sturdy, cuts in different sizes and shapes with simple settings and is still as new, never had any issue with it or its stainless guard.

[classykathy]

Hello: Thank you for the information on the mandolins. I have been wondering which one to buy and now I know. Thank you for the information on the gloves also, I didn't know that they made them. Thank you for the great information.

[daveworth]

I own a Superbenriner and the OXO mandolin (as well as an older French model) but by far my favorite is the upright model that you never really demonstrated and only said the feed tube does not accommodate large foods. That used to be more true but they have redesigned it so it takes larger items. The plusses are huge. Firstly it is by far the safest design. I have been to the ER twice after slicing the end of my finger off using a mandolin. The upright model (mine is a SupMakin) never allows your fingers to be anywhere close to the blade. It slices perfect slices of any thickness, cuts perfect julienne, fries, and dices. I have never used a traditional style mandolin that was able to dice. Even julienning on either a Benriner or an OXO is challenging at best, and usually scary. None of those things are true with the upright model. Please give it another chance and review.

[asandiegoguy]

Hmm, I’m fairly certain I bought the V-slicer A few years ago based on the recommendation at that time. Probably should mention that since their last review of mandolins, that has changed just to be upfront about it.

[mikec]

I bought the Borner V slicer back in the late 80's early 90's after watching one of those info commercials. I use it all the time. Thirty years later I can still slice a ripe tomato without any issues. The holder works fine. The only drawback is it's not adjustable. I checked out the oxo since it was adjustable but too many comments said the blades are dull right out of the box. Not what you want in a slicer. The Benriner looks cheap and fragile. My $.02.

[Ghost_Recon_Actual]

This video needs to be updated because the prices are doubled since ATK has suggested them

[gcvrsa]

I'm surprised they didn't test the regular Benriner, which has been a much-used tool in my kitchen for 30 years. I remember reading a shootout test once where users actually preferred the regular Benriner to the Super Benriner. If I remember correctly, the regular model has a more acute angle to the blade, so it actually cuts easier, though it is a bit smaller. I've never used cut-resistant gloves, and I've never cut myself, but my ex did cut herself, necessitating a visit to the emergency room for suturing. Make no mistake about it, that Japanese steel is terrifyingly sharp, and if you lose control while pushing a vegetable into it, you can get seriously injured. Always use the guard, even when you don't think you need it; it only takes one slip to cause a lot of regret.

[derekdurst]

What about that "upright one"?

[fflubadubb]

Nothing can get you to the ER faster than a mandolin 😊

[bfdonaldson]

ATK published this video less than eight hours ago (Nov 28, 2022) with a link in the description to the recommended super sharp “$51 Super Benriner Mandoline Slicer”

The link leads to an Amazon page for a Benriner mandoline, but the price is $106.

Is this what inflation looks like in 2022?

I have been searching for a Benriner mandoline for several months. I bought one (new) from Amazon for $80 but it came with a dull used blade. I bought a (new) one from eBay. Same problem.

ATK, please tell us where to buy the recommended $51 Benriner mandoline.