Wasted $80 on a fancy mandoline I barely used

I bought this expensive Japanese mandoline six months ago thinking it would change my prep game forever. Saw all these chefs online slicing perfect, even vegetables in seconds and I just had to have one. Used it maybe three times before it went straight to the back of my drawer. Thing is, I mostly do line cooking at a busy spot in Portland and we don't really need that kind of precision for most of our dishes. Plus cleaning that thing is a nightmare with all the little crevices. I finally admitted to myself last week that a good chef knife and some practice does the same job without the hassle. Anyone else drop cash on a gadget that just collects dust?

2 comments

2 Comments

spencer_ross18d ago

Huh, I actually used to think the same way as you @johnson.lee about just practicing more with a knife. But then I got one of those cheap julienne peelers as a gift and yeah, it definitely changed my mind a little. It's way easier to clean than a mandoline, but I still only use it like once a month for certain salads. So I get why yours ended up in the back of the drawer.

johnson.lee18d ago

Changing your prep game forever" is a pretty big promise for any kitchen tool. Sounds like the problem wasn't the mandoline, but the idea that a single gadget would fix something that really just takes practice with a knife. I've seen plenty of guys chase that magic item at work and it never works out the way they hope.