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Mandoline: Not Just for Musicians
I don’t even remember the first time I used a mandoline but I know that ironically it was after I owned a Cuisinart. I say ironically because mandolines have been around much longer – as have the musical instrument, which is spelled “mandolin” by the way.
When I first got a food processor, like many people, I overdosed on carrot cake, shredded veggie salads, finding uses for shredded cheese and the slicing disc got put to good use too, slicing potatoes, zucchini – anything we could fit in the tube.
But the thing is that after a while, when you only have a couple of veggies to slice or dice, hauling out and then cleaning the food processor just doesn’t feel worth it.
The Manual Food Processor
I think we all got used to how quick and easy the food processor made food prep and then, when we needed something more convenient, the mandoline experienced a renaissance. Of course, professional chefs didn’t need to be reminded. Mandolines have long been standard equipment in many pro kitchens. Those versions are usually stainless steel and very pricey. They are gorgeous, but way more than the home cook needs; and they are often gigantic and pose storage problems.
Urban Trend Mistral Mandoline Features
Enter the convenient, inexpensive plastic mandoline, such as the Mistral. There is a place for one of these is every kitchen. Here are the features and highlights:
- Inexpensive
- Easy to store
- Easy to clean
- Few Moving parts = less to misplace
- Durable material
- Attractive, intuitive design
- Slicing action works in both directions, meaning even less work for you
- Fits in or over bowl very easily
- 3 thickness settings
- Slices and creates julienne
- Built in safety lock for julienne blade
- Hand shield/vegetable holder is very comfortable
- BPA free
- Top rack dishwasher safe
We put it through its paces slicing cucumbers, zucchini, yellow squash, red pepper, carrots and more and it worked very well. Other mandolines that we have tried and/or owned have had moving parts (blades, etc.) that you have to remove or put into place and this has not only been inconvenient but it is also easy to misplace these and/or cut yourself!
To adjust the Mistral, you simply grab the green plastic flange at the top and push or pull it up or down, which adjusts the blade thickness with that simple action. The knob on the side is the lock and also can be used to engage the julienne blade.
It’s All In How You Slice It
You can see how our cucumbers were cleanly sliced into three very different thicknesses and this was accomplished with ease; below you can see how it fits right over a bowl for clean prep.
Check out our recipe for Creamy Cucumber Dill Salad made with our perfectly sliced cucumbers!
Our Take on the Mistral Mandoline
If you have always wanted a small economical mandoline with few parts to lose, this is a good bet. It can fit in a drawer, it is sharp and works well and we really like how easily it adjusts. Our one wish was that it folded up flat. But a good kitchen tool option to have!
Where to Buy: Currently available through Amazon and other outlets.
Have you tried this product? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
FODMAP Everyday received this product as a gift for review. All opinions are the reviewer’s own.
