Mandoline slicer

[maggie101]

I am looking for something like this because I have very shaky hands. Makes it hard to slice carrots or zucchini. Has anyone used one before? Nothing with small piespces

 

[susanm9006]

I am looking for something like this because I have very shaky hands. Makes it hard to slice carrots or zucchini. Has anyone used one before? Nothing with small piespces

I had one once but found it difficult to use and easy to cut myself. I don’t know if it is a good choice for someone with shaky hands. The zyliss chopper is great for chopping vegetables since you just pound on it from the top but not good for slices if that is what you need.

 

[lizzie]

I would look for one that comes with a safety guard that you set on top of the veggie or fruit you're slicing so your fingers and hands are away from the blade.Mine have little prongs that (as an example) stick down in the potato and it also steadies said veggie.Also,some food processors come with a slicing blade and you feed the fruit or whatever you're wanting to slice down a tube to the blade,so your hands never go near anything to cut you.I think I might go to a good home goods store or even a hardware store and have them show you what they have to give you options and ideas as to what's out there and best for you.Hope this helps!

 

[Winchester]

I have a mandoline, but don't use it. Why? Because if anybody's going to kill themselves on a mandoline, it would be me! I use a food processor. Or if I'm feeling lazy, I just slice what I need with a paring knife.

 

[misty8723]

I have one, but I'm a bit afraid of it. I've used it to slice potatoes. You need to be careful because it's really sharp.

 

[bbdoll22]

I had one it had the safety guard but I still managed to cut my self. I gave it away after that.

 

[Jem]

I use one all the time, it has a safety guard/handle thing with little spikes to hold the veggie/fruit, never had an issue.

 

[Lari]

I have this one. I don't use the guard because it's actually harder for me. I just hold the top and don't use the entire vegetable. I like being able to adjust thickness, but if you're looking for completely uniform, I've noticed it'll start going diagonal and one side will be thicker than the other. But better than if I try to slice things in equal sizes.

I'd love to upgrade to a nicer one someday. I find it helpful, but I'd be lying if I said I never sliced myself, so if you're super shaky you might want to splurge on an automatic one like this (that's the kind of thing I want to upgrade to at some point).

 

[nurseangel]

I have a Pampered Chef crinkle slicer and love it. It is sharp, though. I think they have discontinued it, but there are similar items for sale on Amazon. Since you mentioned being shaky, I would recommend either a chopper with a string pull (as a Zyliss mentioned above) or something a plastic top that you press down on. Both are more hand friendly, though I am clumsy and still have to be careful when washing. I use a Santoku knife probably more than anything for chopping and slicing vegetables.

 

[maggie101]

This is the one I saw. You turn a dial to switch between slicing and juleinn instead of having to pick parts up. Only problem is you can't see it. Once I find what size I want I will mark it some how. I can't convince my friend to get thisfor me because she thinks a knife is safer. I cannot hold a knife steady

Amazon.com

 

[Kflowers]

Have you considered buying one of the large meat forks and using it to steady the knife? That is push the fork in and put the knife through the twines to cut to make the julienn and get a covered chopper for the rest? This would not work with raw carrots.

In fact, you might want to lightly boil (five minutes should do it) the hard veggies so that you could stick the fork into them and cut them without them fighting you as much as raw carrots and even potatoes do. It's not a perfect solution, but the hardness of the veggies can smack that knife right out of your hand. I say this as someone who once made the unfortunate choice to cut part of a frozen chocolate Easter egg. It was not pretty.

 

[maggie101]

Carrots,zucccini,and peppers I cut the most. Acorn squash or butternut cut in half first short distance, I will try heating it first in the microwave. Good idea I forgot about! Thanks

 

[Kflowers]

Microwave is excellent idea. You might try for the squash and other hard things using a steak knife with a serrated blade. That way instead of pushing the knife through you saw it gently through the tough skin. That should give you more control. Also, get a couple of hardback books, wrap each one in plastic wrap and put the squash between them so they help you hold the squash in place to cut it and not just your fingers.