Tuesday, October 19, 2010

OXO Mandoline Slicer from CSN Stores

I love making (and eating) scalloped potatoes. However, I refuse to make it unless I can get the potatoes sliced paper thin. I used to have a mandoline, but it was old and a little broken, so it got thrown out before we moved. So when I saw the mandolines on the CSN website, I knew I had to have one. You can probably guess what I made first.

But first let's back up a little...

When this slicer arrived, I was immediately impressed with the packaging. I just knew something special was inside because those people at OXO made the box even look beautiful. Notice the instructions on the lid in the second photo. A more detailed instruction booklet was included inside.



















I did some trial cuts with a potato before making the above-mentioned scalloped potatoes. The slicer is well-built, sturdy and comes with an easy to grip food holder. The food holder clips to the underside of the body when not in use. This means that it's not necessary to keep the storage box. As far as cleaning goes, the whole thing comes apart without difficulty making cleaning a breeze. The body is even dishwasher safe (a must in this house).















I found the slicer fairly easy to use. I was able to create slices in various thicknesses and a couple of different sized juliennes. The crinkle cut also worked like a charm. However, I couldn't get the waffle cut to work correctly. It looked like it should work in theory, but the slices are too thick so the waffle pattern doesn't come through. Maybe I'll have more luck with more practice.

Like most things in this world, the slicer is made for a right-handed person. I happen to be left-handed. So when I use the slicer, I can't easily see what the thickness dial is set to. It's just something I'll have to get used to.

Back to those scalloped potatoes. Scalloped potatoes are fairly easy to make, but slicing the potatoes can be chore without a mandoline. Luckily, I have one now and I had those potatoes sliced in no time. I'd love to include a picture, but they were so good, we ate the whole thing. Delicious.

The second thing I tried to make using the slicer was sweet potato fries. While the regular potato went through the slicer (set on thin slices) with no difficulties, the sweet potato (set on large julienne) was less successful and took a little practice. After a few tries, I was able to get some decent looking fries, though, so I'm happy.

If you're in the market for a mandoline slicer, this one can be found on the CSN Stores website.

And that's not all. In a day or two, I'll have my second review of another CSN Stores product!

Disclaimer: I received a coupon/gift certificate from those nice people at CSN Stores that partly covered the cost of this item. I tried to present an honest review despite that fact.

6 comments:

  1. What a coincidence! I AM in the market for a mandoline slicer! I've got a cookbook to review and one of the recipes I want to suggests using one. I'm sure if I make the investment, I'll find plenty of uses for it!

    Thanks for your product review.

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  2. LOL! That is a coincidence. CSN has lots to choose from if this one isn't exactly what you're looking for. I know this one is going to get lots of use here.

    Thanks for stopping by.

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  3. now it really gets weird. When I went to look at the CSN site a few weeks back the item that caught my attention most was the Mandolin slicer.

    Great review.

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  4. I have a mandolin slicer but it is not as nice as this one. Be sure to use the food holder...I had a bad accident because I didn't use it. I learned there was a reason for it the hard way. There is nothing like a mandolin for scalloped potatoes or cucumber salad. Enjoy your new mandolin!

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  5. Thanks Heather. That is weird. There are so many items on that site and yet the mandolin is receiving so much attention. ;)

    Hi Beth, Thanks for the tip. I hope your accident wasn't too too bad.

    Thanks to both of you for stopping by.

    By the way, like the two of you, I'm inclined to spell "mandolin" without the "e". However, the slicer I bought uses the "e", so I chose to use it in my review, even though spellcheck flagged it everytime. It drove me nuts!

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  6. Hello,

    Indeed a good post, I know mandoline slicer is very important for our kitchen, it helps do various work like cutting in a very short time, I myself love it & that's why I have recently purchased one of the top Mandolin Slicers available, because i really the slicer to save my time and need it work for long time.

    By the way, Keep up the good work.

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Thanks so much for your comment. I really appreciate it. Unfortunately, I've been getting lots of spam comments, so I'm turning on word verification to help keep spammers away. I know it's a pain; I don't like it either. Hopefully, in time I'll be able to turn it off again. Thank you!