The weather is warm and my mandoline is getting a workout. From onions and cabbage to carrots and daikon, it is working overtime. There's nothing better to get tough vegetables sliced thin in a jiffy. I never used one until I worked in a professional kitchen. We didn't use the fancy French mandolines, we used the plastic Japanese Benriner mandolines and they are still my favorite. It was one of the first things I needed to get for myself, after my knives and my Peugot pepper mill. Remember when everyone had to have one of those on their stations? By the time someone gets a fancy stainless steel one set up, I'm halfway done with my prep. I don't need to buy a fancy spiralizer when I have the julienne blades to cut long threads in two different thickness. My mandoline is easy to store and easy to clean, all very important things in my kitchen. There is a mixture of red cabbage and carrots pictured above. It took less than 5 minutes to prep that salad for tonight. I added salt and apple cider vinegar and refrigerated it. Later I'll check the seasoning and add sliced green onions just before dinner. I can serve it with almost anything from lamb chops to hamburgers, adding fresh herbs to taste. The mandoline makes slicing vegetables easy and beautiful, an important thing when your child likes to consume all the colors of the rainbow. Admittedly I've got a few scrapes on my hand from the julienne blade because I hate gloves and guards, but that seems a small price to pay for the efficiency.
Years Past
June 1, 2005
Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work
Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook
Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table
