This Mandoline Slicer Is a 'Considerable Time-Saver' According to Our Allstar

Slicing an onion with a knife is all well and good, but it does take time. If you go too fast, you risk uneven cuts—or worse, nicking your finger with the blade. So, how can you slice quickly, evenly, and safely without having to train as a professional chef? Enter: the humble mandoline slicer. 

These tools feature a flat plane with an embedded blade. Just run an ingredient down the surface, and you’ll have a slice ready to go. There is a lot of variety when it comes to mandolines: Some are handheld, while others are free-standing, some have multiple blade attachments, and others have adjustable thicknesses. Many mandolines also come with food grips that keep your fingers far away from the blades for added safety. 

With all that variety, we thought some testing was in order. Allstar Nosheen Babar rose to the challenge of trying out a number of different (and popular) mandolines. After slicing up a lot of potatoes and tomatoes, she found a few fantastic options.

OXO Good Grips Adjustable Hand-Held Mandoline Slicer

$19 at Amazon $19 at Target $19 at Walmart

Nosheen had a lot of compliments for this handheld model. Not only was it lightweight and easy to hold, but it was simple to store as well, given its flat shape and small footprint. According to Nosheen, she was able to easily adjust the thickness of the slices using the mandoline’s sliding tab. There are three possible thicknesses: 1 millimeter, 2.5 millimeters, and 4 millimeters. The thinner settings are great for making crispy homemade potato chips, while the thicker setting is good for a hearty stew. Nosheen did note, though, that thinner slices required a bit more pressure in order to make even slices. 

In terms of safety features, the mandoline came with a food gripper to keep her fingers safe from the blade. The plastic gripper does have small spikes that grip ingredients while sliding down the mandoline, but Nosheen wishes they were a bit sharper to really grasp the food. A black knob on top makes for an easy grip. Two wings on the side lock the gripper in place while not in use, so you won’t have to worry about losing the grip in the drawer when it comes time to use the mandoline again.

The tip of the mandoline is non-skid, so you can rest it against the counter and use it without scooting around. Of course, you can also lay the mandoline over a bowl and slice straight into it, just remember to keep a firm grip. This mandoline particularly saved her prep time while slicing onions for curries. "For me, having a tool that helps cut onions evenly for my curries is not essential, but a considerable time saver," she says.

One area where the Oxo handheld mandoline slicer fell a little flat was slicing up tomatoes. The soft fruit more often turned to mush rather than neat slices of hamburger-ready tomato rings. None of the thicknesses produced a particularly pretty tomato slice, sadly. Nosheen suspected the blade wasn’t quite sharp enough to slice instead of smush. For better results, try slicing the tomato when it’s at room temperature rather than straight from the fridge. Additionally, ripe tomatoes slice easiest. 

When it came to cleaning, this Oxo model was Nosheen’s favorite. “The best part about a light object with simple parts is there’s nothing to disassemble,” she says. “A soak in sudsy water followed by a good scrub down with a brush and the mandoline was squeaky clean.” Though she hand washed her slicer, the tool is dishwasher safe if you want to skip the scrubbing. 

All in all, Nosheen heartily recommends this handheld mandoline. “I think it’s a good tool to have on hand for when you need to slice something quickly and evenly. It’s reasonably durable, affordable, easy to store, and easy to clean.”

Other Mandolines to Consider

Though the handheld Oxo certainly got Nosheen’s stamp of approval, that model may not be ideal for all cooks. After all, we’ve mentioned how mandolines come in many shapes and forms. Let’s go over the two other models Nosheen tested and put the spotlight on a mandoline another Allstar raves about.

Benriner Mandoline Super Slicer

$55 at Amazon View on Korin.com

While the handheld Oxo is a great pick for its affordability and ease of use, it’s fairly bare bones. It only comes with one blade for standard slices. The Benriner Mandoline Slicer, on the other hand, comes with four. These blades are interchangeable and have different functions. There’s a standard straight edge for your typical slicing needs, a coarse blade for thicker strips (think french fries and carrot sticks), a medium blade for narrower julienne slices, and a fine blade for super thin strips ideal for garnishes. Though the blades are interchangeable, a screwdriver is required to switch them out, which takes time. 

Nosheen had much better luck slicing up tomatoes with the Benriner’s straight edge. She was able to get nice, even slices. However, she did have a tough time adjusting the thickness of the slices, since the dial beneath the mandoline was difficult to turn.

The free-standing mandoline has a non-skid base to keep things sturdy while slicing. It’s also lightweight and simple to store, according to Nosheen. She complimented how easy it was to clean with just some warm soapy water and a light brush.

OXO Good Grips V-Blade Mandoline Slicer

Orig. $46 $39 at Amazon Orig. $46 $42 at Target View on Oxo

Now we turn to another Oxo model. This V-blade mandoline slicer is free-standing, unlike the handheld version. As its name implies, the blade on this tool is V-shaped—in fact, there are four interchangeable V-blades designed for various cuts. There’s the standard straight edge, of course, two different sizes of julienne blades, and even a wavy blade for crinkle-cut potato chips, carrots, or cucumbers. 

After a mildly involved set up process (which resulted in her cutting her thumb, so be careful with the sharp blades), Nosheen was happy to find everything else was easy-peasy. She was able to adjust the thickness with a turn of the dial—which is clearly labeled with a convenient color-coding system on the mandoline’s side. Swapping out the blades was fairly easy, too, and she admired the crinkle-cut blade in particular. The mandoline guard was another win since it gripped ingredients firmly and kept her fingers away from the blades. 

Nosheen did note that the mandoline is the largest of the ones she tested. While the various blades store beneath the mandoline, it’s still a fairly bulky tool. Folks with smaller kitchens or limited space should keep that in mind.

Gramercy Kitchen Co. Adjustable Stainless Steel Mandoline Food Slicer

Orig. $85 $45 at Amazon

Last, but certainly not least, we have the Gramercy Adjustable Mandoline Food Slicer. This pick comes from Allstar Jill Trei, who’s had her Gramercy for nearly three years. “I mainly use it to slice veggies very thin—for example, potatoes to make a potato gratin, beets for beet chips, zucchini to make a layered zucchini dish, etc.," she says. "It's so much easier than grating or using even a chef's knife."

Part of that ease comes from the adjustable dial on the side of the mandoline. Not only does it change the thickness of the cuts, but it can swap the blades from straight-edge to julienne. The slices are a bit thicker than the other mandoline on this list, ranging from the smallest 4.5 millimeters to 9 millimeters for the julienne blades. The straight-edge, however, ranges between 0 millimeters to 9 millimeters in increments of three. 

One of the nicest highlights about the Gramercy is the number of safety features included. The set comes with a pair of cut-resistant gloves, a plastic blade guard, a food holder for gripping ingredients, and even a pipe cleaner tool for getting food bits out of the slim sections near the blade.

About Our Tests

After thoroughly researching several popular models of mandoline slicers, we sent three picks to our Allstar Nosheen Babar. Nosheen put each of the mandolines through a gamut of tests, slicing both sturdy potatoes and soft tomatoes in various thicknesses. She also assembled and disassembled the units and cleaned them well, noting how the tools performed at each point in the process. Once testing was complete, she wrote up her notes and ranked each mandoline in a number of categories:

• Design: Does it seem durable and well-made or cheap and flimsy? Is it heavy or light? Is it easy to store? 
• Ease of Use: How comfortable was the mandoline to hold and use? Was it difficult to keep steady while slicing? At any point did it feel dangerous to use? Was it easy to adjust the thickness? 
• Performance: How well did the mandoline slice the potatoes into thin, medium, and larger slices? How well did it slice the tomato into thin slices? Was the blade sharp enough to easily push the vegetables through?
• Cleanup: How easy or difficult was the mandoline to clean? At any point did it feel unsafe to clean?

Common Questions

How do you use a mandoline slicer?

Most mandolines are fairly straightforward. Simply slide the ingredient down the plane and across the blade for an even slice. Some mandolines are held in your hand, while others stand on the countertop. Some even snap over a bowl so food slices directly into it. Many mandolines also come with interchangeable blades for different styles of cuts. Most will also have an adjustment dial or tab to change the thickness of those slices. 

Can you slice cheese and meat with a mandoline?

Mandolines are often advertised for slicing potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, yams, carrots, apples, radishes, cabbage, and more. So what about cheeses or meats? Could you use a mandoline to slice them up like your favorite deli place? Mandolines work best with ingredients that are on the firmer side, so you may be able to slice up some hard cheeses such as block cheddar or perhaps some parmesan, though it may not be as easy (or uniform) as using a cheese knife or wire. 

The same goes for meats, with a few key differences. While firm, cooked meats (such as aged salami) could be sliced on a mandoline, avoid softer and raw meats. At best, the soft meats will gum up the tool, and at worst, they could cause some contamination if not properly cleaned. 

Ultimately, a mandoline could be used for certain cheeses or meats, but you may be better off sticking with a good chef’s knife instead.

How do you clean a mandoline slicer?

The best method of cleaning depends on the model. Some are fully dishwasher safe, while others have some dishwasher-safe parts, and still others that require delicate hand cleaning only. Most are simple enough to clean with warm soapy water and a good scrubbing brush. Be mindful of the blades while cleaning. 

Why Take Our Word for It?

Allison Wignall is a writer who focuses on kitchen products and food content. To write this article, she relied on thorough research and the insight of Allstar testing. Her work has been featured in the Spruce Eats, Food & Wine, Southern Living, Travel + Leisure, and more.

Nosheen Babar is an Allrecipes Allstar. For over 20 years she has been recreating Pakistani recipes from her childhood and has started a blog to share South Asian dishes with people around the world. She tested three mandoline slicers and offered her valuable insight to Allrecipes. 

Allstar Jill Trei gave her enthusiastic recommendation based on owning and using her mandoline for years. She’s an avid cooking enthusiast who gardens and bakes bread in her free time.