Does This Mini Mandoline Attachment Work?
Hands down Kuhn Rikon makes the best vegetable peeler I've ever used. Full stop.
It has an ergonomic design, a blade that seemingly never goes dull, and it's compact and brightly colored (meaning it fits easily in my drawer and yet doesn't get lost). It's also lightweight, so I don't get tired of using it. I've purchased them for multiple family members. I've convinced coworkers that they make an excellent gift, along with a few other cooking essentials. And, because they're so inexpensive, I've taken them on vacation and left them in the rental as a gift to guests-yet-to-come. Pay it forward, you know?
Kuhn Rikon 3-Set Original Swiss Peeler
10.00, Amazon
So when Kuhn Rikon released their new Click 'N Slice mini mandoline attachment for that peeler, I was more than a little excited.
The Click 'N Slice is, quite simply, a plastic mandoline runner that you attach to your regular Kuhn Rikon Y-peeler, allowing you to use the peeler's exceptionally sharp blade as a mandoline. Could this alleviate the need for a mandoline altogether? Could making perfect, thin slices of cucumber be as easy as purchasing an attachment for my beloved $3 peeler?
Here's where this story turns dark.
When I first opened the package and attempted to take the peeler and mandoline apart—which you'll likely want to do for easier storage or because you want to use the peeler without the mandoline—the blade of the peeler popped out. That's not such a set back since it's easy to wedge the blade back in if you're a handy kind of person, which I believe that I am. Still, it doesn't bode well that the tool pretty much instantly broke.
After the duo was reassembled, I got to work actually trying the thing out. I set the mandoline on my work surface and swiped a radish down the ramp toward the blade. The peeler popped off of the mandoline attachment. (Silver lining: the blade stayed in this time.) I tried again, thinking I'd used too much force. The mandoline attachment and the peeler continued to separate any time I attempted to run the vegetable over the blade—with no radish slices to show for it.
Mini Mandolin - IG
This would seem to be the end of the story, but I really love that peeler so I was determined to make the mandoline attachment work. After playing with the device for a while, I discovered that if you hold the peeler in one hand and brace the two pieces together between your thumb and palm, the radish easily slides along, rendering perfectly delicate shavings. And while that might not be the most practical way to use a mandoline, if you're the kind of person who likes to shave radishes—or cucumbers, or Parmesan, or garlic—directly over a salad, it really could work for you. It's a good, inexpensive solution for occasional use on small vegetables only. Don't think you'll be making any potato chips with this thing. Don't think it will replace your regular mandoline altogether.
Kyocera Advanced Ceramic Double-Edged Mandoline
18.00, Amazon
I really understand the appeal of having a mini mandoline to avoid whipping out the whole thing, or buying it and storing it, if you're only going to occasionally use it on small vegetables. For me however, any mini mandoline moments in my future will be handled using a different device: Microplane's Ginger Grater. It's another tool we're all pretty fond of over here. When I tested it, I found it to not only be the best tool for grating ginger: it also has a mini mandoline-style blade that's just the right size for radishes and small cucumbers and ginger and turmeric.
With my Kuhn Rikon peeler, my Ginger Grater blade, and my standard-sized mandoline for the bigger jobs, I feel pretty set up for any and every slice-or-shave situation that may come along.
Microplane 3-in-1 Ginger Tool
15.00, Amazon
Originally Appeared on Epicurious
