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I was dead set against using a mandoline after a close call last year, but after slicing 40 pounds of potatoes for a catering gig last weekend I finally caved and now I get why everyone in the kitchen uses one
My line cook swore by it for speed and consistency, and after watching him bang out those potatoes in half the time without a single slip I'm starting to think my fear was just making the job harder, has anyone else switched sides on a tool they swore they'd never touch?
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blairsanchez20d ago
Yeah, that line about "fear making the job harder" really got me. I remember watching this video from some pro chef where they said fear of sharp tools actually increases your chance of getting hurt because you're tense and making jerky movements. I was totally anti-mandoline too after that time I nearly took my fingertip off slicing beets, but my buddy loaned me one of those Japanese ones with the really good grip and the little food holder thing, and now I feel dumb for suffering through hours of uneven potato slices when the tool was literally designed to solve that problem.
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anna_shah919d ago
That bit about "jumpy movements" is so true. My friend Alex used to brag about never using a mandoline, then he tried cutting potatoes for latkes one night and his hand slipped on the knife, sent a chunk of potato flying across the kitchen and nearly took a piece of his thumb off. He finally borrowed a mandoline from our other friend and now he's all "why did I fight this thing for years, my slices are actually even and I still have all my fingers.
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