Ha! I watched this because I was curious if there was something better than the one I've had for over 20 years, and it turns out the one I have is the one they recommended! So, I can vouch for it's longevity as well!
DITO! As soon as I saw this I watched and saw mine. I said none is better. Turns out WE are correct. Ive had it so many years I dont know how long its been. Still sharp as hell! love it.
Holy crap! Same story. I said, "I wonder if they'll review my Borner V-Slicer". Bought it off an infomercial... gosh.. well over 25 years ago. Still works great.
The quality of this review exceeds that of almost every other review I've seen on RU-vid. You clearly know how to use the product, and you have well-considered opinions about the function of each sample.
Now that's a proper, professional review. I got here after doing a quick search for a mandoline on Amazon and finding myself inundated with a myriad of options and feeling utterly clueless. Thank you!
I had the same V Slicer for 25 years and it remained in good shape and sharp. I did just replace it only because the plastic was getting discolored after all the years of use. Very easy to use and a great price.
I love this woman. I come to this channel every time I want to replace or buy something new for my kitchen. Concise, informative and easy to listen to. She is the best
I love my Börner V-slicer!!! My mom got our first one with a couple of their other graters/slicers for $2.00 at a thrift store, but when I moved out I invested in a new one. I use the small Julienne the most, as a substitute for grating. It rinses well and a toothbrush works well to clean the nooks and crannies.
- Truly luv, luv, luv the Swiss Borner cutter that I've had for years. The blades have remained sharp for the entire 18 yrs I've owned it. GREAT piece of kitchen machinery.
I have two Borner V-Slicers one for inside our caravan & one for the home, I’ve had them for more than 28 years & bought my son-in-law one 12 years ago & they are still going strong, but I know very soon I’m going to have to replace my orange beauties soon, blades are still as sharp as the day I bought them but the orange casing is becoming brittle 😩😩😩 but I’m just so happy they are still purchasable hallelujah 😍😍😍😍😍
The Tuppware mandochef is pretty good! You change the blade but its very safe and pops right out! The sharp spikes r inbuilt so no need to change that! Just the regular flat blades ^^. Does a lot of things like crinckle cut, waffle, julienne and you adjust thickness with the dial. And! there is lock mechanism. The spikes go inside the mandalin so fingers are safe! Wish you reviewed that too.
Almost 7 years after this video was uploaded, I just purchased a slightly higher-end Borner, direct from Swissmar. So far I have only opened it and don't have anything to slice at the moment ... but I am already very satisfied with it, just in anticipation.
*Great video! I bought the winner and love it.* After lots of research, reviews, in-person recommendations, and price comparisons, your video really helped me confirm that this really would be the mandolin slicer for me and my household, so I bought it several months ago and love using it. You're absolutely right about the cleanup and storage, it's fantastic all around! Thanks for sharing this video, your equipment reviews are the best.
Edwina Brady B.Ed Australia 4 months into my 90th yr knew I needed to be cautious with the very simple Wiltshire one blade with 4 thickness selector button. Your Testing advice about many other models added good advice so well done. Cook with care.
To reduce crying when cutting onions, peel them under running cold water first. Cover lightly and put away in a microwave or in the fridge until the time to use. If you have more onions to slice, wash and slice each one separately, repeating the whole process : wash, slice, cover & put away in the same bowl. Got that tip 45 years ago from a professional chef’s cooking lessons. Works pretty well, I find.
Thank you for the video! Happy you found it! I use Borner mandoline for good 16 years - salads, soups, pies..... it does it all. Very sharp and actually in Europe they will exchange it for you if sharpness is gone before 25 years. I honestly can say that I love it dearly and cannot live without it.
I have been using your recommended slicer for over 30 years....this is my 2nd one because I loaned mine to a chef at a restaurant when his electric on quit. He loved it so much he never went back to the electric one! He paid me for it and I got my 2nd one...that was 20 years ago and still as sharp as when it was new.....I guarentee once you get the hang of it you will take it to your MIL's house when going to help prepare a big dinner...she will be amazed.....don't however, loan it out!! LOL!
In 1989 I bought my Boerner. I have used it almost every day (I entertain a lot!) and still love it. It is still sharp after all this time. I lay it across a bowl, so I do not have any counter clean up to do. Yes, it is the best mandolin out there. Be careful and treat the blade with great respect, it is very sharp!
I've had my V slicer since 1986 and it too is still perfect...it's crazy. It certainly gets used a lot though these days it doesn't stay out on the counter....because it's colour is ORANGE lol
The one she said was the best and still is, i am 46 and got mine when i was 16, still have it and is sharp as the day i got it, you just can't beat german made steel
I've had the Swissmar Borner V-Slicer for 20 years now and I agree. It is the best mandoline! I've tried really expensive mandolines that are much worse and even tried a KitchenAide version before loving the V-Slicer. In fact my parents stole my first one and I had to buy a new one. It makes excellent shredded cabbage for coleslaw as well as excellent julienne carrots for stir fries.
I've used mine for @ 5 years and the blades are dull.... too dull to make sweet potato fries anymore. Am wondering if I should buy another or try one of the new electric mandoline models. I used the mandoline a lot but wish you could take the blades out for sharpening
talkingstick2u.....I'm irritated that implements have blades unable to be sharpened. At the very least they should be replaceable. Swivel peelers are another throwaway gadget.
Benriner mandolins have the same design problem with forcing you to handle the sharp blades to change them or change cuts. I should know, I had one for years before switching. The Benriner blades are excellent but the Benriner's product design doesn't keep up with the more advanced design of the Borner, in ergonomics, safety, and convenience. The Borner also has excellent Swiss/German knife steel, (as good or better than the Japanese) but has a much more thoughtful design. Even little touches like just the way everything nests together for drying is super convenient and useful to the point of never going back to the Benriner! Drain board real estate is some of the most valuable space in the kitchen, and the Borner is great, as well as saving storage space too. This was even the older design. Borner has an even newer model called the Powerline that's even better.
❤I love my V-slicer!❤️ I recommend them to everybody!! When I was a young teenager, my mom and I found one bundled with Börner's waffle slicer, super fine julienne cutter, and a potato Rosti grater at a thrift store for $2.00!!! We never used the other ones much, but the V-slicer gets used all the time. Easy to use, safe holder, easy to clean, and Mom is still using that first one we found used 30 years later!! I bought my own when I moved out and also took the potato rosti grater.
One thing completely unaddressed, although understandably this was 5 years ago, is how fine you can adjust the thickness of the slices. I have a version of the Progressive and the problem is that if you want a slice that's thinner than the smallest setting, or if you want a thickness that's in between two of the settings, you have to hold the silder in those intermediate positions while working the mandolin. I find that with adjustment systems, the ones I like are the ones that let you twist a knob of some sort without any stepping, which lets you adjust as finely as you'd like. Another thing to consider is how stable the panel before the blade is: if the design of the mandolin adjusts thickness by flexing that panel up or down, that panel can be too flexible and hence prone to being inadvertently pushed lower than you adjusted for as you slide the food across it. This is a problem with the Progressive's design because that sliding adjuster works from the rear handle and has nothing towards the middle to support the flexible panel as you approach the blade. These design elements all concern basic performance, so I find these factors far more important to a mandolin than anything else discussed in the review. What I would look for in a design is an adjustment system where a knob is found to the side of the device, and near the middle just before the blade. The adjustment should have no stepping, meaning it should be based on some kind of round (rather than polygonal) camshaft-like roller underneath a flexible pre-blade panel. Having this mechanism be close to the blade in the middle means that the mechanism itself will reinforce the flexible panel right up until it reaches the blade, and so won't risk changing the thickness if you push down on the food as you slide it.
I bought the oxo brand, and couldn’t be happier. The best part about it is the feature where you can accurately control the exact thickness of a slice (i.e. it has a preset 1/4 inch, 1/8 inch, etc.). The downside would be if you wanted a thickness in between those pre-set settings; but that hasn’t happened to me, yet.
Great test. I always wondered what those did, and now I know I have no need for one. But if I did, their choice is a logical one. Odd they didn't test an OXO, which specializes in being ergonomic and I see is sort of like the one they liked.
The Borner V Slicer that you rated the best is the first purchase I ever made off an infomercial back in 1976 and I use it all the time and it is still in fabulous condition and just as super sharp as ever without any babying. I just throw it in the dishwasher and it comes out great. I can definitely recommend this to anyone. A friend just got a new one of these and it appears to have very similar top quality construction like mine. Just make sure you use the finger guard or you can cut the tip off your fingers quick as a wink - those blades are super sharp!
Holy thorough review Batman! Thanks for this video, and all of the other ones in fact. This was very in depth and I appreciated how you described the pros and cons so well. Thanks again, I've added this mandoline to my Amazon wishlist!
I had a Boerner for years and wore it out. Searched for more years to find another one. Tried others and most all of them sucked. I just found a new Boerner and it’s like old home week. I’m back in the groove. It feels good to mow you were right about...... something.
Even though it's been awhile since the production of this video, I am happy to have watched it. I have advancing cataracts in my eyes, and need help in the kitchen as I have cut myself. Not due to dull blades, but to loss of clear eyesight. So this is a lifesaver for my poor fingers. Next, any luck with Apple corers. Autumn is approaching and it is Apple season. I do a lot of juicing, so I could use a good one.
Had the last one for several decades. Got it from a buy on TV commercial. And it is exactly the same one you showed with the holder, different cutters and even the holder for the veggie holder. Cost back then about ten or so dollars. Used it once without the finger guard and nearly cut the tip of my finger off, OUCH! Recently got one at Walmart that has the "V" slicer and the different blades pop out without too much hazard. Cost about $15.00 and works fine. Not dishwasher safe because the metal bar under the mandoline rusts, but I put it in anyway and the small amount of rust is something I can live with. The blades are stainless steel and sharp as a razor. Nice kitchen tool at way less then the prices you mentioned.
Kevin, you can set the Borner over a bowl and have no mess at all. I bought my Borner about 30 years ago (use it for every meal I cook). The quality is unrivaled. Just updated to the new model. Tried other brands in friends houses, Borner is sooo much better. Place a moist cloth on the counter, place a bowl on the cloth, set the notches of the Borner on the lip of the bowl and slice. It is still the best. Any time I have a friend over and they help cooking, I always let them use the Borner. They love it so much, I give them (I have a stack printed out in a folder in the kitchen) the order info for the Borner. So many of my friends proudly boast ownership of a Borner.
Just bought the Swissmar Borner mandoline that has a box to store everything and can be used as a bowl for slicing/shredding. I am so happy with this and use this on a daily basis. My hands are arthritic and this helps a lot in easing my daily chores. Thanks for an excellent review!
My personal favorite is the Kyocera adjustable one as shown above. Super fast, super efficient, but deadly sharp! I haven't "technically" cut myself with it, but I've come close enough to get a nice close shave. I don't use the finger guard, but instead have just trained myself to not cut within an inch of the last of the produce. Nothing beats a diamond hard ceramic blade, so I got the julienne slicer and shredder.
I find it interesting that you reviewed the Kyocera that seems to only have thickness adjustments but not the OXO equivalent which is my "daily driver". Super cheap and thinly slices my zucchini, onions, and mushrooms 'til the cows come home. And uses less drawer space than anything. Still, pretty good, if I had more space I would be going in on the Swissmar Börner.
Oddly missing is the Benriner mandoline which you'll find in just about every restaurant kitchen. As for the favorite, sounds like I have my choice of all of two thicknesses? Benriner has a screw that lets you dial in a thickness; from piece of paper to about 1/4".
I was thinking the same thing. Simple, sharp and effective, it's a classic. Every other mandoline I've used seems like it's trying to reinvent the wheel (and failing)
Danielsan B Which benriner do you recommend ? Some people in amazon reviews say the regular model is too narrow. I was thinking of getting the benriner super model but it doesn’t come with the catch tray. And it’s twice the cost of the regular model. Is it worth it, or is the regular model just fine? Benriner’s website says about the cutting surface width: Regular: 6.4cm (2.5 inch) Super: 9.5cm (3.75 inch) www.benriner.co.jp/benriner_en/
@@foxkenji I have both. Frankly, I use the smaller one more often. It's a little easier to adjust because there's only one screw to turn. (The larger one has two). As for the tray, neither size I have comes with anything to catch what you cut. I usually just let it fall onto a cutting board or into a bowl. I'd say start with the small one, cutting any larger items down if necessary and, if you find you need the bigger one at some point, you can always get one of those too. :)
I have one very similar to the one she recommended. I bought it at a home exhibition about 35 years ago and it still works as good as when I first got it.,
I have the first mandolin on the left. OXO. I absolutely lovvve it. It never got mentuoned. I use mine all the time and have had it several years now I do recoment it. 👍🤗💝
Agree with you on the V shaped mandoline. Its safe to for handling blades too. I own one and enjoy using it. But they all glide beautifully when they are new it’s a trial after sometime.
So so informative…. Came here to find out how to use my silly new contraption and then slapped myself for not investigating before I purchased impulsively.. So well explained. 👏👏
I have the Oxo shown on the far left. The way it is designed, the holder will run the food right down to the end. Because of the rails/guards on the side, that spacing between the tines inside the hold and the blade is maintained. The tines never hit the blade and the "wasted" food is virtually nonexistent. Very good unit. I think the recommended one is quite similar. I'd recommend both.
Look up the name of the one she recommended. I have it. They show how to use it in DETAIL...GOOD VIEW. I watch it as a reminder of what my machine can do and how fast it can do it. lol.
I have the red one in the middle, Kyocera. It's great if you only need to cut slices. It doesn't julienne. She did not mention that the blade is made of ceramic instead of steel, the only one unique of all those. it's not complicated like the other brands with so many parts and I love that it's so simple to use.
I went from the Borner to the OXO. One of the things I find disconcerting About the Borner is that it has no stand. You have to hold it up on one side. Legs would give it a foundation for solid contact with the work surface. But, some seem to think no legs is a feature. I'm surprised the review didn't mention this. So, while I thought the Borner did a real nice job cutting, the OXO does just as good on a solid base. Odd such a popular mandolin wasn't considered in the review.
" while I thought the Borner did a real nice job cutting, the OXO does just as good on a solid base. Odd such a popular mandolin wasn't considered in the review." Isn't that an OXO in the back row to camera left? The OXO has been their winner in previous testing, and I bought mine based on ATK's review a few years ago, but time marches on. As they said, the Swissmar Borner is "The test kitchen's NEW favorite mandolin."
Kevin der Kinderen I have two OXO mandolins; one has a black frame, and metal body, and a straight blade, and the other has a white frame, white plastic body, and V-blade. I think both are still available, but I'm not sure. The one ATK currently recommends (it's their #4 pick now) is the white one.
One thing I can say about the Borner compared with the Oxo (metal frame, straight blade) is that the Borner seems to have a much sharper blade. For example, when I'm making french fries from a Russet the Borner seems to allow cutting all the way to the thinnest piece while the OXO jams on that last piece - like I'm losing two layers of fries. Maybe the handle spikes are not quite long enough but I think blade sharpness is key as it also seems the Borner slices with less effort. Still like the legs of the OXO though. Odd thing, but I'm keeping both. Figure between the two they'll probably last forever.
Excellent review. Touched on all the important points. I don't use the one I have due to safety issue (even with a hand-guard) and difficulty changing blades. The search is over now. Thank you!
I bought your favorite at a home show demo about 45 years ago. I still use it almost every day. I was given an expensive stainless steel one but passed it along because it just wasn’t as good. Manufacturers name has changed but the product is the same.
Hey guys. Love your work. Do you'll mind updating this test? There are so many newer, really fantastic popular mandolines in the market now - I wonder if your test results will be different?
I'm in the Alton Brown camp. I've never seen a mandoline hand guard I liked much. Frankly, most of them make me feel less safe with anything but potatoes. Throw it out and get a cut-resistant glove like fish cutters wear. You still need to pay attention to what you're doing, but you'll have much better control and better safety than with a shaky plastic hand-guard. They run $10-20 for a pair on Amazon.
I agree with you. The hand guards on the mandolins I've used in the past are just plain useless. They do not grip the food properly and there is a lot of waste. I highly recommend paying a few extra bucks for the cut-resistant glove.
Ha! The one I've had since 97 is one she likes. Still sharp to this day. Swissmar-Börner. It was worth watching this to see the weaknesses and strengths. I want to find a 1 or 1.5mm julienne slicer to make long, thin, threads for kimbap and sushi. This didn't address that, but it's one of the better videos I've seen.
I agree. Bought mine about twelve years ago and it still gets used at least once or twice every week. There are some things I wouldn't even attempt to do without it, for example a salad with julienned carrots or a nice coleslaw.
I use mine at least 3 times a week. It stays in the caddy on the counter. Had it for over 10 years, still sharp. Love the very thin tomato and pickle slices for burgers.
I love this mandoline! I use it often. It is simple and easy to use and very easy to clean, I simply rinse it off under hot water and set to dry. I never hand cut foods if I can use this mandoline.
This review is excellent, but getting old. I would be delighted if it was updated. Improved models from many manufacturers have come on the market since this was made.
I used the Swissmar in my restaurant every day for many years. It held up and always worked to perfection. I have not seen many products as good as this one.
I'd suspect that well over half of the people who have ever used one of these without the guard have cut themselves. I did that my first time out the gate, and then again pretty recently. The second time, I was thinking, "I'm probably going to cut myself if I'm not careful. Let's see, I have four more slices to go before it gets too close for comfort.... one, two-owww!"
A good trick is to use a food-grade chain-mail glove. Butchers use it when they are breaking down meat. It's cut resistant and easy to clean. This way you can get the last bit of food cut.
The guard usually prevents you from cutting the last 1/4" to 1/2" of the food, so it's kind of annoying. Now I've got cut-resistant gloves I use instead.
I have had a Borner mandolin for over 30 years. Except for my Victorinix chef knife (also an ATK top pick), it is the most used cutting tool in my kitchen.
Hah, not even close. The best slicer has always been the Bron Stainless Steel Mandoline Slicer. It used to be $125-150, however, I see Amazon has it for $201. this is the original. Stay away from the knockoffs.
Thank you, Lisa! I needed this review. Such a useful gadget. The old school mandolines in my time never had the hand guard thingie so you had to slow down at the end.
Wow, that was an excellent and extremely usefull review. Not only because you get some special product recommendation but it will help you to judge about other mandolines by providing the most important points you have to look at. Thanks!
they have addressed this question repeatedly. there is no restaurant or single answer to what happens to it but it all gets eaten, though by various different people depending on the situation.
there is a set there .... aka, people who made the production happen... I'm sure someone ate the food made... if not, then I'm sure less got thrown away here than gets thrown away on a daily basis by many large companies/corporation in the world.... so you giving this TINY group SHIT over a couple pounds of food when many corporation are throwing away HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF EDIBLE FOOD/PRODUCTS, is just kinda an asinine thing to do now ISN'T it? how about shut the fuck up and THINK about what you say before you ACTUALLY say it.....
I, also, own the Tupperware Mandolin. It is easy to use, I've owned it for 5 years and it is always sharp, it has a huge safety holder to keep your fingers safe from the blade. You only turn a knob to put up the Julienne blade. You can't beat it. BUT it is pricey. I got mine for free, but I believe they are in excess of $60 us. I'm a vegetarian and I go through a lot of veggies. The Tupperware Mandolin is up to the task, always.
I was looking to buy one as gift for one of my young family members. Borner appears to work the best, blade quality is everything for mandolins. I have one that was bought in Japan by a relative in the 60s, it is mostly made of lacquered wood, it still cuts effortlessly after all these years.
