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It’s very easy to adjust the thickness of the slices by simply sliding a switch and changing it from slicing to julienning. It has a sharp blade and a nice wide runway. This handheld tool won’t set you back a bundle and can easily be stashed in a kitchen drawer. Most home cooks will enjoy having the Prepworks by Progressive Adjust-a-Slice Mandoline in their arsenal for the occasional time when they need to slice evenly, perhaps to put out a pretty array of tomato slices for a buffet or slice onions for French onion soup. All of the parts except for the blade cover and case are dishwasher safe. However, at about the size of a DVD player, it’s a bit bulky and will take up some room in a cabinet or closet. The julienne blade comes in a slim protective case, too.įor storage, the food pusher and the extra blade in its case can be snapped onto the back of the mandoline so you only have one item to store and don’t have to scrounge around for the parts.
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There’s also a plastic cover that snaps over the blade as an extra precaution. When it’s on the zero setting, the blade is level with the cutting surface making it hard to accidentally cut yourself. There are a few other safety features, too. Because the guard is so easy to grasp, you’re likely to use it, protecting your hands from the risk of injury. It fits comfortably in the hand, making it easy to push food forward over the blade. The KitchenAid includes a large handguard with prongs that grasp food securely. To cut strips or fries you need to change the blade, which is done easily without risking a cut finger. There are also settings for waffle slices as well for thin julienne strips and French fries. To adjust the slice thickness, there’s a large knob with five settings, clearly marked in fractions of an inch from 1/16 to 5/16. The stainless-steel blade and runway are housed in a black plastic casing that has a large handle and a leg that unfolds, stabilizing the mandoline while you’re working. As we worked, food virtually glided over the wide and smooth stainless-steel cutting surface. It cut everything from ripe beefsteak tomatoes to plump eggplants to pickle-sized cucumbers into uniform thin, medium, and thick slices, leaving little waste behind. In our tests, the sturdy KitchenAid Mandoline Slicer really had no competition for either great results or ease of use. If you’re looking for an inexpensive tool that you can stash in a drawer, our top choice is the handheld Progressive by Prepworks Adjust-a-Slice Mandoline ( available at Amazon). However, it’s large and somewhat pricey for a kitchen gadget. To find the top mandoline, we sliced, julienned, and waffled bushels of vegetables and can say with confidence that the KitchenAid Mandoline Slicer
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However, these devices can just as quickly and easily nick your fingers, so it’s important for a good mandoline to come with safety features that help protect you while assembling, slicing, and cleaning. Need to create uniform vegetable slices for your favorite salad or ratatouille? A mandoline can quickly and easily cut almost anything you throw at it, including potatoes to make a mound of ultrathin chips or tomatoes to create thick slabs to pair with mozzarella for a Caprese salad.
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