Perfectly chopped ingredients are what separates professional chefs from home cooks.
Well, that and working under immense pressure, stints at cooking school and perhaps a Michelin star or two.
Still, whether you’ve got grand culinary ambitions or you just want to perfect family recipes in your kitchen, mastering knife skills is the first step for all.
If you’re anything like us, you’ve watched in amazement as TV chefs chop, trim, dice and julienne through a farmer’s market worth of produce at lightning speed without requiring a trip to an A&E unit afterwards. It’s an incredibly impressive skill honed through a lifetime working in a professional kitchen and requires complete focus and deep respect for the blade.
Yet there is a way for amateur cooks to achieve the same results while sparing their digits.
A mandoline offers a way to get perfectly even slices without handling a traditional knife. The cooking tool is designed to slice firm vegetables and fruits by running them over a blade embedded within a short plate made of metal, wood or plastic.
Rudimentary blades will give you plain slices, while upgraded designs allow you to cut ridges and shapes. Different slices can be cut simply by adjusting the angle at which you hold the produce: think disks, slices and matchstick-like julienne. Mandolines often come with safety hand or finger guards to protect your skin from the sharp blade; you’ll be thankful for them when faced with cutting up small veggies like carrots and cucumbers.
Cutting ingredients to the same proportions is key for cooking; uniformity means the dishes will cook evenly and look nicer when plating up, not to mention a better mouthfeel too.
While some purists look down on such short-cutting gadgets, you'll find no such judgment here. We're fans of anything that makes our lives easier - kitchen tools included.
We’ve rounded up the best mandolines to invest in and shorten the cooking prep process below.
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Fullstar 6-in-1 Mandoline Vegetable Slicer Spiralizer
Stop freshly prepped fruit and veg from flying all over the kitchen thanks to this design which locks a container underneath so that everything collects neatly in one spot. As well as making all the popular cuts, this device can spiralize, zest and juice too with specific blades to see to each job. A finger guard and cut-resistant gloves are also included in the purchase.
Buy now £19.99, Amazon
SUPMAKIN Safest Mandoline Vegetable Slicer
Crisps are one of Britain's greatest snacks. If you've ever fancied trying your hand at making some yourself, you'll need a mandolin. This ABS plastic slicer keeps precious fingers away from the blade, instead using two plastic pushers to get the veg up against the blade.
There are three other cutting modes in addition to slicing; you can dice, chop and julienne with this bad boy too. And it comes in lots of fun colours to match it with the rest of your kitchen appliances if you wish.
Dishwasher safe.
Buy now £31.99, Amazon
ProCook Mandoline Slicer
You'll wonder how you managed without this slicer from the first time you used it. From the kitchen and cooking experts at ProCook comes a versatile design that comes with five interchangeable stainless steel blades.
It opens up a world beyond slicing: swap the blades to grate and julienne produce too. The fold-flat design can rest over bowls, pans and food storage containers for processing straight into a recipe or lunchbox while a food guard keeps fingers clear of the sharp blades.
Buy now £14.00, ProCook
OXO Good Grips Hand-Held Mandolin
Zip through cooking prep with OXO's mandolin in your hand. the Good Grips design makes chopping veg a doddle, slicing fruit and veg like a hot knife through butter on the stainless steel blade. Adjust the thickness through three levels to get the slices you need, whether super thin for a salad or medium-sized for dishes like potato dauphinoise.
Buy now £15.00, M&S
OZD Mandoline Vegetable Slicer
This stand mandolin has enough space underneath to slide a plate into, meaning you can keep your worktops clear of sliced and shredded veg. Adjust the thickness to your liking and use the included safety gloves and hand guard to stop yourself from accidentally lopping off the top of your fingers. A cleaning tool is also included to keep the blade in top-performing condition.
Buy now £26.99, Amazon
Joseph Joseph Multi-Grip Kitchen Mandoline
Joseph Joseph's handheld mandolin makes cooking a far more streamlined process. The angled mandolin offers three levels of adjustable grip to slice fruit and veg safely and evenly while a protective guard shields fingers from the blade.
It's particularly useful for slicing up small quantities and veggies like radishes right up to the roots. After cleaning, lock the guard over the blade to avoid cuts when searching for it in your cupboards.
Buy now £18.00, Amazon
Microplane Adjustable V-Blade Slicer
Perhaps best known for its collection of fine graters, Microplane also offers other handy kitchen tools, like this mandolin. It uses an adjustable V-shaped blade to precisely chop fruit, veg and cheese. For thin julienne strips, simply flip it over to utilise the set of shredding teeth. An infinity dial allows you to pick a desired thickness, from paper-like to chunky. It comes with a small finger guard to avoid injuries.
Buy now £43.50, Amazon
Habitat Healthy Eating Mandolin
Make eating healthy dishes a much easier task with Habitat's mandolin, which makes slicing everything from onion and potatoes to apples so easy. Made from strong plastic and with a non-slip base, the handwash-only gadget comes with three blades so you can add grating to its repertoire. It comes with a food container to catch newly cut slices.
Buy now £12.00, Argos
Vogue Mandoline
Whether you're prepping for a dinner party or making salads to take to a BBQ, this mandoline makes light work of chopping large volumes of veggies. There are five interchangeable blades to assist with making different slices, from traditional and julienne to waffle. Safety comes in the form of a protective pusher which keeps fingers and hands out of harm's way. Rubber on the stand's feet ensures no slipping on the worktop or table.
Buy now £70.78, Nisbets
Niken Japanese Slicer Vegetable Fruit Mandoline Cutter
This simple mandolin is best reserved for slicing and shredding large veg like cabbage, lettuce and cucumbers. The stainless steel and plastic can have widths adjusted but it comes without a guard, so one to use carefully. Try pronging produce with a fork to guide it safely over the blades. Hand wash only.
Buy now £29.99, Amazon
Verdict
With six cutting styles, Fullstar's Mandoline offers the most variety, and at a decent price point too. We like that everything gets processed into a compartment underneath, making cleaning up an easier job.
From a safety aspect, Supmakin's slicer gets a shout-out too; those pushers mean fingers are kept nice and clear of any blades.
