We love our mandoline for getting paper-thin slices of produce like cabbage, radishes and apples. Not so much our fingers!
Are You Making This Dangerous Mistake With Your Mandoline Slicer?
It’s the perfect time of year for this shaved fennel salad, featuring the melody of bright anise-flavored fennel, backed by the season-crossing harmony of sweet, crunchy honeycrisp apples, refreshing cucumbers and radishes. The ingredients are all sliced paper-thin.
The perfect tool to use is a mandoline like this one—it has super-sharp blades to make quick work of your salad prep. However, even the most graceful of mandoline “players” runs the risk of a nicked finger. We know. We’ve been there! Ouch.
Every chef needs these kitchen essentials.
The mistake we’re all making
Mandolines come with a slicing guard or food holder that’s supposed to hold food in place and protect your fingers. It’s usually bulky, doesn’t grip food well and leaves you with a pretty sizable chunk of unsliced produce. The guard also ends up mashing tomatoes (and other more delicate things) into a watery mess. It seems like the only option is to leave the guard behind and slice bare-handed.
But we have a better solution. We have got you covered with our list of the best mandoline slicers, tested by our pros.
How to keep your fingers safe
We suggest investing in a pair of cut-resistant gloves. Amazon’s Choice for cut-resistant gloves is the delightfully named “NoCry” brand. (You can purchase ’em here.)
As powerful as your mandoline is, it’s no match for these gloves, which have a cut resistance four times stronger than leather. Yet they’re lightweight and, because they come in four sizes (S, M, L, XL), they provide a snug grip no matter how small or large your hands are. Having a good grip is essential when you’re trying to tackle a precise slicing job. Oh—the gloves are also machine washable.
Bottom line: Go forth and “play” that mandoline, but please keep your fingers safe! These kitchen safety products should be your cooking go-tos.
Coleslaw Recipes That Use Your Mandoline
Creamy ColeslawThe best place to start is with a classic creamy coleslaw. Make the dressing with both mayo and sour cream, plus dried mustard, sugar and salt. It’s super easy, whether you use bagged coleslaw mix or shred cabbage yourself.
Nutty Broccoli SlawThe beauty of a slaw is its versatility and ability to take on any number of ingredients. This one starts out as a broccoli slaw, but gets added flavor and crunch from onions, almonds, sunflower kernels and crushed ramen noodles. The dressing is a simple olive oil and cider vinegar blend.
Ruby Raspberry SlawSometimes all it takes is one extra ingredient to give ordinary coleslaw some pizzazz. In this case, it’s a tangy raspberry vinaigrette and fresh berries.
Farmhouse Apple ColeslawCrisp apple offers a nice contrast to shredded cabbage in this coleslaw. Raisins add sweetness, but you can also leave them out.
Copycat KFC ColeslawThanks to its buttermilk and mayo dressing, this sweet and tangy coleslaw is a perfect side dish for fried chicken and biscuits. Grate the cabbage by hand for best and freshest consistency, but you can certainly use bagged coleslaw mix in a pinch.
Spectacular Overnight SlawLike a lot of great salads, the flavors in this coleslaw get even better when you let them meld overnight. There’s a lot of savoriness in this one: shredded cabbage, thinly sliced onion, sweet bell peppers, pimento-stuffed olives and a mustardy dressing.
Campers’ ColeslawA good basic crunchy coleslaw should be in everyone’s repertoire. You can shred the cabbage or run it over a box grater for a choppier consistency. Because it isn’t creamy, this is a great recipe for picnics and outdoor potlucks.
Coleslaw with Poppy Seed DressingIf you prepare poppy seed coleslaw ahead of time, make sure to leave the sunflower seeds off until you’re ready to serve. Add those just before it hits the table so they stay crunchy and add texture.
Macaroni ColeslawA coleslaw that doubles as a macaroni salad is a great accompaniment to any barbecued rib recipes. Use traditional macaroni or other small shapes like ditalini for easier eating.
Fiesta ColeslawWhen you add crisp vegetables like jicama and radishes to cabbage, you get a cool and crunchy slaw that pairs with everything from smoked pork to barbecued chicken. Thanks to jalapeno and cilantro, it’s also a perfect topper for fried fish tacos.
Kale Slaw Spring SaladMove over kale salads! This slaw-salad hybrid using bagged cabbage along with the leafy greens is a welcome change of pace from everyday slaws. Toss in salty feta cheese and crunchy sunflower seeds at the table.
Jicama SlawInstead of cabbage, let jicama add a sweet, nutty flavor to coleslaw. When buying jicama, choose one that is firm with a dry skin. It shouldn’t look too wrinkled or shriveled, and should be free of large blemishes.
Summertime SlawA refreshing change from creamier slaws, this one uses garden vegetables like tomatoes and onions along with shredded cabbage. Sweet pickle relish is the secret ingredient to the dressing!
Caraway Coleslaw with Citrus MayonnaiseCaraway seeds and a citrusy, orange dressing make this coleslaw super unique. Make it a day in advance to let the flavors come together. This would taste great with grilled bratwursts or other sausages.
Zesty ColeslawBell peppers add some extra zing to this creamy coleslaw. Everyone has their favorite way of cutting a bell pepper, but we like to slice off the top, pull out the seeds, cut it in half and commence slicing.
