Does a Mandolin exist that won't take a knuckle off?

[gryphonskeeper]

I have bought a couple mandolins and both have caused me injury. Is there a no bloody knuckles mandolin out there?

If you have one, and are happy please chime in, I am willing to pay up to $100 for a good one.

[AndrewK512]

I hate the hand guards. Just use your hands until you get like halfway or 3/4th through the food you are slicing and then get a fork and put it a few millimeters in and slice the rest using that as sort of a makeshift handguard

[roux42]

When I worked in kitchens and had to slice pounds and pounds of potatoes we used to wrap our knucles in masking tape. It worked....

[scubadoo97]

a mandoline needs to be razor sharp. So either protect your knuckle or get it out of the way. You knew that.....:)

[FriedClamFanatic]

Having made a zesty scalloped potaotes that almost had a tip of a finger in it. ( I found it and the nearby slices of potato), I'm not sure there is one. But, one rule I now have: Never,ever talk while using one and concetrate on what you are doing. Slow is sometimes better

[jarona]

My rule of thumb when using my Mandolin--I just tell the family there is a chance that dessert will be lady fingers with a nice red berry sauce. Badumbum.

[ricepad]

"Rule of thumb"...? Har!

[Cookiefiend]

My rule of 'finger' is to call Mr CF for his mad mandolin skillz or just use a knife.
Did you know your fingernails are actually for holding the soft skin under them, in?

[Zeldog]

The Bron is very sturdy and the safety guard (actually a sort of box that attaches to rails on the main body) works great. Hard to describe, but the potato or whatever is pushed from behind instead of being dragged through the blade using one of those spiky pad things. You can slice as fast as you like and your hand comes nowhere near the blade. Costs around $150, though.

http://www.healthytraders.com/bron-coucke-stainless-steel-professional-classic-mandoline-p-1784.html

http://www.chefdepot.net/howtouseaman...

[ricepad]

Many mandolines/V-slicers now come with hand guards (some of which look like air hockey handles), and can be had for not a lot of $$. Here's just one: http://www.amazon.com/Oxo-Grips-V-Bla...

[jerry i h]

+1. PLEASE use the cheapie, idiotic-looking hand guard that came with your mandolin. More than once, I have seen professional chefs slice off the tip of his/her finger on a mandoline because he/she refused to use the supplied hand guard.

[alanbarnes]

Problem is that the hand guards don't work. Well, they work to protect your hands, but they don't work for cutting food. Ever tried to slice a sweet potato using one of those things? Fugeddaboudit. IMHO a protective glove is the only way to go.

[flourgirl]

I have to say that I've owned a V-Slicer for years (I love it!), use it at least a few times a week, and I always use the guard it came with. For almost everything, it works just fine.

I also have a straight edge mandoline, and that seems to be harder to use the guard with. I almost never use my mandoline - the V-Slicer is simpler to use, and usually all I need. But I think I'm still going to buy one of those gloves - there are somethings that ARE very hard to cut using the guard, and up to now, I just avoided doing those things.

[LadyCook61]

I use a cut resistant glove when using the mandoline.

[alanbarnes]

No such thing, but you can solve the problem with a little body armor. Sporting goods stores carry the Rapala Fillet Glove. I hate the safety guard thing on my mandoline and refuse to use it. Chain mail (okay, kevlar, steel, and who-knows-what else knitted together) keeps all fingers intact.

[alanbarnes]

http://www.rapala.com/products/access...

Or you can pay 3 times as much for the same thing at Williams Sonoma.

[flourgirl]

Wow - great tip. Thanks.