A Look at Mandoline Styles

By Mandolines.com Staff

If you are in the market for a new mandoline, there are a number of different mandoline styles to choose from. Selecting from among the different mandoline styles available will be based on what your usage requirements are for a slicer, how much you are looking to spend and which of the mandoline styles best suits your needs.

The three main mandoline styles include adjustable platform mandolines, platform insert mandolines and flat board mandolines. Although each style is slightly different, all mandoline styles operate in a similar fashion. There are a variety of different features and different price levels among mandolines and mandoline styles, but they all accomplish the same basic task – slicing food into uniform pieces with ease. A brief summary of each of the mandoline styles is below.

Adjustable Platform Mandolines:
Adjustable platform mandolines are basically mandolines that have an adjustable platform. What this means is that adjustable platform mandolines are comprised of two parallel platforms that are connected into one complete unit and one of the platforms can be manually adjusted to change the thickness of the slices that are cut. The platform that houses the cutting blade remains stationary while the platform that guides the food across the blade can be adjusted to determine the width of the food once cut. Most adjustable platform mandolines utilize a knob that can be turned to easily adjust the thickness of the cuts.

The benefits of adjustable platform mandolines are that they are the most versatile of all the mandoline styles because they allow the food preparer to easily adjust the tool to suit their needs. Most adjustable platform mandolines offer cutting widths that range from almost paper thin cuts to cuts that are an inch in thickness or more, with a wide selection of thicknesses in between.

Platform Insert Mandolines:
Platform insert mandolines operate in much the same way as adjustable platform mandolines operate, with the exception that the platform insert mandoline offers a more limited variety of cutting thicknesses than the adjustable platform model. This is because rather than having one self-contained unit that houses a cutting blade and an adjustable platform that can be changed slightly with the turn of a knob, the platform insert mandoline cuts food in varying thicknesses with different cutting plates that are independently placed into the tool. Because each thickness requires a corresponding cutting plate, the number of thicknesses to choose from are more limited. Platform insert mandolines do not provide the ease of use that adjustable platform mandolines offer for those who often vary the thickness of their cuts.

Flat Board Mandolines:
Flat board mandolines do not offer the variety of cutting thicknesses that either adjustable platform mandolines or platform insert mandolines do. Flat board mandolines contain one main blade and are used for a specific type of cut. Very often, flat board mandolines are utilized when the same type of cut is required over and over, such as a julienne cut or a crinkle cut, such as in a professional cooking environment.

Among the three basic types of mandoline styles, adjustable platform mandolines, platform insert mandolines and flat board mandolines, there are a variety of models available in different price ranges and quality levels. Mandoline styles are available in stainless steel, plastic, ceramic, fiberglass, and even wood. Different styles of mandolines also come with an assortment of blades and attachments. No matter which mandoline style you choose, you will find that using a mandoline slicer in the kitchen is a versatile tool that will ease meal preparation and add to the aesthetic quality of your meals.

Published: October 19, 2009

For additional information on mandolines or mandoline topics please visit our mandoline article center.

| | | | |