Review on Cuisipro Hand Held Mandoline Guard by Lisa Watson

PROS: Robust construction. The blades are in the mandolin. Easy adjustment of the cutting thickness. 5 different blades. Practical protection for the hands at the bunker. The storage process and the result of the fine grater aren't much different. The Cuisiro Manual Mandolin is a sensible iteration of this simple type of kitchen utensil, with a few features that set it apart from the rest. The reverse-mounted blade helps you quickly cut fruit and vegetables into even slices with little effort. The food is placed in a manual hopper so you don't accidentally cut your finger when trying to cut the food. The sloping board accepts blades of various shapes for slicing or grating food to order. Handheld clippers like these are best for quick small to medium jobs. If you plan on slicing in bulk, it probably makes sense to bring a food processor or similar device. Cuisipro has a large, easy-to-grip, rubberized handle. It has non-slip rubber feet and a notch at the base for easy use over a bowl. The blades are conveniently stored on the mandolin itself. This is a nice feature as you don't have to worry about losing the blade, but it limits the number of blade options you can use. The blades fit into an active slot and do not require a complex snapping or installation process. This is a nice touch as mandolin blades tend to be quite sharp and many can injure themselves inserting and pulling the blade into the device. There are 3 blades that can be adjusted for basic slicing, creasing, waffle slicing, french slicing, julienne (thinner than french slicing) and grater. The blades snap in and out conveniently, and the way it works minimizes the risk of injury. There is a handle on the side for adjusting the slice thickness, which is also very convenient. The funnel is oversized and has three metal protrusions that hold the food in place. The handle is easy to hold and once the veggies are attached, slicing them is easy enough. However, some things work better in a bunker than others. Potatoes and apples seemed to work best for me. Carrots and parsnips are difficult to cut unless you're slicing into thicker bases as the three metal prongs don't hold them very well. The bow was a mixed bag. If you're trying to slice an onion that's on the softer side, forget it. Crispy, firm Vidalia, on the other hand, tasted very good to me. The actual slicing worked very well for potatoes, sweet potatoes, and apples. Something big and clear seemed to work best. The blades are razor sharp and you can quickly cut through large, crunchy vegetables and get nice, even slices regardless of the settings. Things like carrots and parsnips are usually too narrow to load into the hopper. You can easily do this by opting out of the funnel; However, this is not recommended as it is too easy to cut your finger. Again, less crunchy veggies and slightly soft onions don't work at all in this system and should probably be prepared in a food processor. The grater attachment has two sides. One for the little one and the other for the bigger one. I didn't see a huge difference in the size of the final product. The mandolin works better with hard cheeses but is more difficult to grate softer varieties. The blades themselves make a well-made impression. Of course, it's difficult to say how well the blades will hold up over time. One problem I had with this mandolin was that there was no lid when storing the blade device. Most blades are safely stowed on the machine, but they are always open in the cutting position and must have a protective cover for storage. The blades must be cleaned by hand and very carefully, as the blades are very sharp. It would be nice if the blades could be washed in the dishwasher. This is not the most advanced mandolin device on the market and the number of blades is limited. However, it works as expected and is a quick and easy-to-use kitchen tool.