[Sca-cooks] Kitchen tools question (mandolin)

[Mark.S Harris]

UlfR asked:
> 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?

Wow. Even the fiberglass one is almost as expensive as a food
processor. They do look good for create slices or strings of things.

Another item I noticed on that site were some knives with ceramic
blades. I remember comments back around Sept. 11 about knives with
ceramic blades being difficult to detect with the scanners. I guess
these were the types they were talking about.

Anyway, has anyone tried any of these knives with ceramic blades.
How well did they work for you? The idea of never having to sharpen
them is intriguing, although they are fairly expensive and I imagine
the selection of blade and handle styles is limited. You better not
have to sharpen them since they are supposedly only second to
diamond in hardness. You might not be able to sharpen them except
with one of the sharpening sticks that uses embedded diamond chips.
They sound wonderful for slicing wonderfully thin slices of meat
or vegetables, though.

Thanks,
  Stefan li Rous