After cutting, immediately transfer the potato pieces to water or broth to prevent browning or cook them right away. Finally, squeeze out the excess moisture. Mandoline setting: Wavy blade, 3/16-inch to -inch depending on preference, Ever wanted to make crinkle cut pickles for burgers youre grilling at home? The base of any great ratatouille recipe is a tomato sauce peppered with aromatics like onion, garlic, pepper, basil, and thyme. Potato 101: Slicing Potatoes with a Mandolin - YouTube Alternatively, use the julienne attachment to make Spaghetti style noodles, which are perfect raw or lightly sauted. You can get a reliable one for under $50, but some of the best ones might cost hundreds of dollars. Its easy to do more than just peel a potato with this kitchen tool, though. Also known as 'zoodles', this pasta alternative is an incredible option for anyone with gluten-free dietary requirements. A fan of the classics? Mandoline setting: Straight blade, any thickness! Choose the right mandoline for your cooking needs, and the proper setting, and youll be slicing and dicing your way to professional-looking fries, pickles, zoodles, and more in no time. Their firmness after cooking makes them a perfect choice for potato salads where maintaining shape post-cutting is desirable. They arent all that expensive, and theyre handy tools to keep in the kitchen. Besides safety, washing potatoes is essential for food quality, especially when preparing fried potato snacks like fries, chips, or hash browns. That's because cheese really does taste best fresh! Position your thumb on one side of the blade and your index through the middle finger on the opposite side, pinching below the bolster. The gloves take practice to get used to but offer the most comprehensive safety for frequent or high-volume cutting. 64 mandoline (so named because it's 64 mm wide) is a favorite amongst professional . Maybe you've got a sweet tooth. Whether youre going to be using a mandoline or not, it might be wise to buy cut-resistant gloves for the kitchen. Sometimes youre going to need to thinly slice potatoes for certain recipes. To prolong the life of your cutting board, use one side for cutting vegetables (like potatoes) and the other side for handling raw meats. Mandoline slicers (which you might also see spelled "mandolin" outside of the U.S.) are kitchen tools designed to finely slice or grate foods. What Is a Kitchen Mandoline, and What Is a Mandoline Used For? This will ensure they crisp up beautifully. I gave potatoes as an example, but you can use a mandoline slicer to cut everything from vegetables and fruit to blocks of cheese. Grip the food in the holder over the blade and run it up and down to slice. They make it so simple to cut everything from vegetables to cheese. A mandoline is a great tool for slicing potatoes. The thin strips of cheese will be effective in making any dish you serve look beautiful. While coleslaw has many variations for vegetables and dressing, according to The Guardian,it must contain cabbage. Waffles fries, on the other hand, will require a wavy blade. Rotate the potato 90 degrees between cuts to achieve the distinctive waffle-cut shape. Mandoline Slicer - Guides, Tutorials & Recipes | Taste of Home The built-in blade will slice the potato into even, thin pieces. The pinch grip works well with most knives for various cutting techniques on potatoes. If thicker waffle fries are your thing, set the thickness dial one click thicker than the waffle setting. While making chips at home may seem like a lot of work, with a mandoline slicer it's quick and easy. This video is a tutorial showing How To Use A Mandoline to slice vegetables. Whether youre looking for thick tomato slices for a, Tomatoes are more delicate and take less pressure, so its best to stay light on the food holder. We recommend beetroot, parsnips, carrots, and sweet potato. spread the potato slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. #ada-button-frame { Updated on September 5, 2022 Fact checked by Marcus Reeves With their super-sharp blades that cut in many shapes and sizes, mandoline slicers can seem intimidating for many home cooks. It. A mandoline slicer is a kitchen tool used to slice vegetables and fruits into thin or thick slices. These recipes are just a sampling of what you can do with a mandolin, but we think theyre enough to convince you it deserves a place in your cupboards. Shocking juliennes in ice water after cooking also helps retain texture. Now Microplane has added a new version, the Mini Mandoline. Most mandolines come with these protective guards. Hi, I'm Sarah. Thin-skinned and seedless cucumber varieties like English or Persian work best for this recipe. The key is to use extreme caution and proper safety accessories like cut-resistant gloves, especially when making extra thin-cut fries. kitchen tips. When cooking or seasoning dishes, such as stir-fries or casseroles, the smaller surface area of diced potatoes allows them to absorb seasonings, spices, and sauces more efficiently. The above video shows you how to safely wield a mandoline so you can consistently slice all sorts of foods (and not your hands). Between each slice, rotate the potato and food holder 90 degrees. A mandoline is a kitchen gadget used to slice vegetables into thin, even slices. Granted, a mandoline is likely the best tool for the job, but that doesnt mean that you cant use other kitchen tools effectively. Plus, it takes a lot of timeand a lot of slicingto make a lot. The bitter flavor profile of cucumber originates from the seeds (via Organic Facts), hence why many people favor English cucumbers. Yukon Golds, classified as all-purpose potatoes, strikes a balance between starchy and waxy potatoes. Marcus received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Do you already own a mandoline, or do you plan on buying one? Cut the potatoes into long, thin strips and then stack them in sets of three or four. Cut the potatoes into thin slices using a mandoline. How to Use a Mandoline Slicer to Cut Vegetables, French Fries - OXO Now Microplane has added a new version, the Mini Mandoline. If thicker waffle fries are your thing, set the thickness dial one click thicker than the waffle setting. A large cutting board allows you to safely move your knife and handle your potatoes without worrying about them falling off the edge. For lasagna sheets, use the -inch straight blade on your mandoline to make robust, long ribbons. A final tip according to The Washington Post, spritzing your mandoline slicer's grater attachment with cooking spray will make the cleanup much easier. Corus Entertainment Inc., 2023. Whether you peel your vegetable chips or not is a matter of personal preference. In case yours did not come with a protective guard, you can buy one separately. Get the Most Out of Your Mandoline: Tips and Techniques The best mandoline slicer for experienced cooks: Benriner No. This limits the depth of potential cuts and nicks to fingers and hands. Thick yogurt (Greek yogurt is the go-to, although we posit homemade yogurt would work well too) combined with finely grated cucumber, garlic, lemon juice, salt, olive oil, and plenty of fresh mint. They make quick work, and I mean quick work, of cutting all kinds of food to even and precise slices. On the other hand, full-sized mandoline slicers will allow you to slice, grate, julienne, and even waffle-cut vegetables with different blades. Chips are everyone's favorite snack food. Salads full of fresh sliced vegetables like this recipe with cucumber, red onion, and coconut are easy to make when you use a mandolin to slice things up quickly. When potatoes are submerged in water, the exposure to oxygen is limited, slowing down the enzymatic reaction that causes discoloration. 4 Easy Ways to Thinly Slice Potatoes (Without a Mandoline). This grip works best with a shorter knife designed for control, such as a paring knife. for your cooking needs, and the proper setting, and youll be slicing and dicing your way to professional-looking fries, Mandoline setting: Straight blade, 1/4 inch square, If you like a classic fry (think McDonalds consistency), cut a potato in half lengthwise, place the cut side down and push firmly with the food holder. Selecting the proper potato variety is key to easier cutting and peeling. Add basil pesto or garlicky brown butter for a light yet unctuous dish. Youll get nice thin slices of potato, and youll be done with everything before you know it. You might wish to try a knife instead of a food processor if youre not sure how well things will turn out with your cutting attachment. Cutting potatoes may seem like a menial, mundane task, yet it holds great significance, being a crucial cog in the wheel that influences the outcome of your dish. The most common grips for cutting potatoes are the handle grip, blade grip, and pinch grip. It allows the knife to cut food while restricting how much of the blade is exposed during cutting. Youll get long, thin strips of zucchini that pair well with sauce and cheese. A pinch grip at the blade bolster provides a balance of control and efficiency. One potential issue that you might have is that cheese planers arent necessarily the most common kitchen tool. If the item you're cutting doesn't have a flat surface, use a sharp knife to cut an even surface for even more stability. Salads full of fresh sliced vegetables like this recipe with cucumber, red onion, and coconut are easy to make when you use a mandolin to slice things up quickly. A straight cut down through the vegetable can be difficult to achieve uniformly with each slice. A sturdy cutting board provides a non-slip surface to make cutting potatoes easier and safer. This is where cut-resistant gloves come into play because they will give you a crucial layer of protection. Youll get a large batch of matchstick slices of potatoes in seconds. Your email address will not be published. Tzatziki is a tangy, creamy, and garlicky yogurt-based dip hailing from Southeast Europe and the Middle East. Ones with rubber feet that come with safety food holders are your best bet. PennState Extension stresses that the standard vinegar for pickling should have 5% acidity, and white distilled vinegar is usually a great choice. It does take practice to achieve the signature seven sides and correct tapered ends. Diced potatoes work well for sauting and pan-frying. Firstly, make a basic brine by heating vinegar, water, salt, and sugar. How you cut your noodles will depend on the pasta you'll be replicating. By entering my email above, I consent to receiving marketing and other promotional emails and consent to the. Finger guards protect fingers closest to the cutting edge of the knife, and they typically cover about 1 to 1.5 inches of the blade from the tip. As an alternative, use the fine julienne attachment to make very thin strips from your vegetables. Published: May 30, 2020 Modified: Oct 27, 2022 by Isabel Laessig. To make standard vegetable chips, opt forthe 1/16-inch slicing blade of your mandoline. Using a sharp and thin knife might be one of the best things to do when you dont have a mandoline. If you make a careless mistake, you should be able to avoid taking a huge chunk out of your hand. Adding thin carrot medallions to a boring salad will instantly transform it and make it look like a professional chef helped out. Or use your mandoline slicer for side dishes like potatoes au gratin or ratatouille. As per Ontario Potatoes, Russet potatoes are the best variety for potato fries due to their high starch content and low moisture. Beyond using a mandoline to make fries, did you know that it's the key tool to make homemade apple chips? More than just a fad, zoodles will soon be part of your weekly recipe rotation. Simply cut your cucumber in half and use the coarse grater attachment of your mandoline to make quick work of grating the cucumber. 64 Japanese Mandoline. And although we've spent a good amount of time finding cool new kitchen gadgets, today we're going to take it back to the basics and cover something that everyone should have in their kitchen: Mandoline.What is a Mandoline?A mandoline is a metal kitchen tool that uses a sharp blade and a few different adjustable slicing options to cut all manner of fruits and vegetables - but only ones that are firm. This adjusts the pH level, returning the potatoes to their original color. Mandoline slicers (also spelled mandolin, outside of the U.S.) are a kitchen utensil used for finely slicing and grating foods. The aim is to make seven evenly distributed cuts around the potato, creating a smooth, curved surface. Ann Trieger Kurland can be reached at anntrieger@gmail.com. The only downside to using a peeler instead of a mandoline is that itll be more tedious. To cut sweet potato fries with a mandolin, first slice the sweet potatoes into thin strips.