[Sca-cooks] Kitchen tools question (mandolin)

[Philip & Susan Troy]

UlfR wrote:

> I've been considering getting myself a mandolin. The only ones I have
> found locally -- apart from cheepies -- is
> http://www.kitchen-classics.com/mandolin.htm and an all stainless steel
> one that looks similair.
>
> Any advice from those who have used them? Are they worth the price?
> Would the all stainless steel one be a better buy in the long run?

The stainless one might be a better buy in the long run than the one you
reference, and here's why. Others may have different opinions, but what
happens is that as you use the mandolin, it very slowly begins to become
dull, like any other knife. Unfortunately, unlike other knives, the
design doesn't really allow for sharpening. As it becomes even more
dull, you find yourself using more force, placing the plastic parts and
joints under what amounts to the plastic equivalent of metal fatigue
(repetitive stress injuries?) while simultaneously increasing risk of
cutting yourself seriously as you use it, either because you simply get
your hand too close to the edge, or because you suddenly break the thing
and the blade ends up somewhere it shouldn't be.

"How could that be?" you ask. "I would use the little safety
handle/plunger thingy!"

  The trouble is that that little plunger thingy tends to be put away
sometimes, when people realize that it mars the food with little spike
holes, and that when using it you can lose something like 25% of your
usable product, unless you can find another, less cosmetically dependent
use for those pieces. So, safety risks notwithstanding, I've found that
a lot of cooks prefer to use a side towel or their bare hands.

Much of what I'm describing applies to all-stainless versions as well,
except perhaps less liklihood of plastic-fatigue and spontaneous
dissolution of the mandolin itself, but they also become dull after a
while, making them somewhat dangerous to use.

Radical or not, I guess what it boils down to is how often you're going
to use it. If you use it every day, or own a restaurant, etc., I would
say go with the all-stainless-steel machine. If you use it at home once
a month or less, well, what I do is buy the $7 cheapy from the Korean
market, and at the first sign of damage or trouble, replace it. For use
somewhere in between, you might consider the more expensive plastic
version you cite.

Adamantius
--
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com

"It was so blatant that Roger threw at him.  Clemens gets away with
things that get other people thrown out of games.  As long as they
let him get away with it, it's going  to continue." -- Joe Torre, 9/98