I wasn’t in search of love, nevertheless it discovered me anyway…
…within the type of a compact, light-weight 12-inch-ish Benriner mandoline.
However first, I would like you to know two issues about me: 1) I’m not a gear particular person. Actually, I’d go as far as to say I’m an anti-gear particular person, even on the subject of gear that can purportedly be life-changing. (Speaking to you, Sluggish Cooker, Prompt Pot, Air Fryer), and a couple of) I’ve owned a mandoline for many of my grownup life, however, as I now know, it was the flawed one.
It was a meals stylist, Lauren Radel, who launched me to the proper one. We have been on set capturing my subsequent cookbook, and I couldn’t assist however discover how typically she used it to slice greens — onions, potatoes, radishes, cucumbers — into delicate, uniform, cookbook-photo-worthy items. Extra essential, I seen how straightforward it was to deal with, wash, and stow away in her gear bag, and that it had no bells and whistles. The mandoline I’d owned till that time was the other: it was cumbersome, twice the scale, and got here with a zillion interchangeable blades, a finger protector the scale of a baseball mitt, and a fold-out stand to maintain the entire thing propped up on the counter. That fancy one lived on a excessive shelf in my kitchen.
As quickly as I purchased my very own bare-bones Benriner, I by no means bothered placing it away. It lives on my counter — or within the drying rack of my sink — as a result of I find yourself reaching for it day by day, often a number of occasions. I exploit it for on a regular basis duties, the best way I’d use a really sharp knife, for slicing radishes and cucumbers right into a lunchtime salad, or to make fast work of a candy potato positioned underneath fish in a parchment paper dinner…
…and I exploit it for special-occasion duties, to shred Brussels sprouts into feathery slices that change into ethereal when tossed with walnuts, currants, and Pecorino, and in scalloped potatoes for a cocktail party. Now it looks like every little thing comes out prettier and tastier.
What about you? What kitchen gear do you swear by? This isn’t sponsored, I simply like it!
P.S. The prettiest methods to slice your greens, and a easy salad with a secret.
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