Cuts a sweet potato like butter!
Written: Feb 21 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: super sharp, easy to assemble and use
Cons: none, as long as you keep blades protected
The Bottom Line: This is a wonderful tool for cutting uniform slices. It's very sharp and easy to assemble and clean. The holder (included) keeps blades covered and safe for storage.
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| leylowe's Full Review: Borner V-Slicer Plus Mandoline (14") |
My 17-month old daughter has decided that the only vegetables she will eat are green beans, carrots, and corn. Now, compared to some children, that's pretty good, but I'd like her to enjoy a larger variety of vegetables. I read a recipe recently for veggie chips - vegetables sliced thin and cooked like potato chips. Aha! She likes potato chips, so maybe this is a solution. I tried slicing vegetables with a knife, but couldn't get them really thin. So, out to my local Bed Bath and Beyond I went to find a mandoline.
They had three models, one for $29, one for $39, and one for $50. The most expensive one was my first choice, but I wasn't ready to shell out $50. So, I picked up the Boerner V-slicer for $29.99, and headed home with it.
When I pulled it out at home, my husband read the box, "As sold on TV." He looked skeptical. I hoped I hadn't thrown my money away.
What I got
The slicer itself is housed in a plastic rectangle and consists of two surgical steel blades in a v formation. There is a plastic insert which, inserted in one direction, allows you to create thick slices, and inserted the other direction, allows for thin slices. Additionally, there are 2 inserts with tiny triangular blades sticking up so that as you slide the vegetables over them, they create julienne slices. Again, there is one for thicker slices, and one for thinner ones. There is also a contraption for holding the food so that your hand is protected. It has steel prongs which are inserted into the food, and a pusher so that as the food gets smaller, you can push it off of the holder to slice it. All of the components can be slid into a housing unit which completely covers the blades for drying and storage.
My experience
When I first looked at all of the parts, I wondered if I was going to be able to figure out how to fit the thing together. The instructions didn't look very clear to me at first. I soon discovered, though, that putting it together was quite easy and I could have done it even without the directions.
I started off with a sweet potato to make sweet potato chips. As you know, raw sweet potatoes are rather difficult to slice. When I first ran the potato over the blade, I didn't think anything had happened because it moved so smoothly. Then I looked in the bowl, and lo and behold, there was a perfect, thin slice! I discovered that it was easier to hold the potato in my hand until about halfway through, and then I used the food holder. I definitely didn't want my hands anywhere near that blade. I sliced through that sweet potato in nothing flat and then baked them in the oven to make chips. Since all the slices were the same thickness, I didn't burn half of the batch and leave the other half not quite done. They turned out great!
Since I needed carrots, bell peppers, and onions for my supper recipe, I went to work on them. Soon, I had everything sliced in about a third of the time it would normally take. The onions diced beautifully. The carrots required a little more finesse, but they were not difficult. It helps to slant the carrot slightly and turn out long ovals rather than round coins. The bell peppers needed to be cut into pieces before I could julienne them. Cutting up vegetables is my least favorite part of cooking, but this actually makes it fun!
Cleaning up the V-slicer was easy. The directions recommend that you just dip it in soapy water, but I'm a little more finicky about washing than that. So, I ran my sponge over the blades, being VERY careful not to move it against the blade. For the julienne inserts, I just very carefully TOUCHED the blades with my sponge. As I cleaned the parts, I put them in the drain pan, but was slightly worried that I might come back later and reach for something in there and hit a blade. Then I remembered the holder that they came in. Perfect! I slid all of the parts in the holder and they dried right there on the counter, safely away from careless fingers. In order to remove the parts from the holder, you have to press a safety latch, so little hands will have a hard time getting the blades out.
The final analysis
I've never used a mandoline before, so I can't compare it to other similar tools. However, this beats cutting with a knife by a landslide. I'm sure that I will be looking for opportunities to use it! It makes attractive, uniform slices, something I've never been able to do well with a knife. It's super sharp, and it cleans up easily. In short, it does exactly what I wanted it to do, and I can highly recommend it.
My daughter ate a few of the chips, so I consider my new recipe a success! Now for beets, parsnips, zucchini...
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
leylowe
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Reviews written: 16
Trusted by: 2 members
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