Mandoline

A mandoline is a hand kitchen tool for quickly and precisely cutting vegetables and fruit into even slices of a set thickness. It consists of a flat platform with a sharp horizontal blade (and often additional vertical knives too), along which the product slides back and forth, each time cutting off a perfectly even sheet.

The chief advantage of the mandoline is the speed and impeccable uniformity of the cut, unattainable even for a skilled cook with a knife. By adjusting the height of the blade, one obtains ultra-thin translucent slices (for crisps, carpaccio, salad), thicker sheets, or, with attachments, julienne matchsticks and cubes. The mandoline is indispensable for dishes where equal thickness matters: evenly cut potato for a gratin or crisps will cook evenly, and thinly shaved fennel will grace a salad. Because of the extreme sharpness of the blade the mandoline demands care: it should be used only with the guard that holds the product, since a cut on it is one of the most common kitchen injuries. It is a powerful tool that saves time and raises the aesthetics of dishes to a professional level.