If you happen to be in the market for a good vegetable slicer, I am fairly certain that you have noticed there seem to be as many shapes, sizes, colors, and varieties, of these neat gadgets as there are days in the month.
Not to worry though, the trick lies in finding the slicer that will best accommodate your cooking methods and styles. You may also be surprised to learn that they really do so much more than simple slices for your fruits, vegetables, and whatever else you may have in mind. These are truly versatile tools and a must have for the kitchen of any budding gourmet.
When looking for a vegetable slicer, I highly encourage you to seek those with safety features in place to prevent the chopping of your fingers or fingernails along with your fruits and veggies. It’s easy to get careless with the somewhat repetitive motions of a slicer and have your mind wander off. While taking a wrong turn with the slicer will quickly bring you back to reality it really isn’t all that appetizing in the long run. Many of the newer mandolin styles of vegetable slicer have a safety pusher to protect your hands from the blades. If the slicer you choose does not have a safety pusher, for whatever reason, you can also purchase them separately. The protection it provides is well worth the cost.
It is important to understand that the different vegetable slicer styles will provide different types of slices. Most mandolin slicer models offer a few different styles of cuts. This versatility makes them a very popular choice among consumers. Combine the versatility with easy clean up, easy storage, and a very reasonable price tag and you have a product worthy of serious consideration. You can easily find a mandolin that will slice, julienne, and make waffle cuts. You can use them for all kinds of (not so healthy) delicious French fries as well as the much healthier vegetable selections.
Your vegetable slicer doesn’t have to be the simple mandolin version. There are much more complicated and expensive varieties from which to choose. The good news is that with more expense and complexity, comes more interesting and creative uses. The turning vegetable slicer will command a heftier price tag but it is a much more complex piece of equipment and deserves the price it commands. With this nifty tool you can create paper thin potato chips, miles and miles of carrot strings, and cucumbers sliced so thin you can read a paper through them (well almost). At any rate, you can get varying degrees of thickness in your slices as well as create decorative garnishes that are sure to please with these incredible slicing tools.
No matter what your intentions for your vegetables there is a slicer out there that should be able to accommodate your culinary needs. Take great care and caution in selecting a vegetable slicer that will be most suitable to your cooking skills and needs.