OXO Good Grips V-Blade Mandoline Slicer
|
List Price: Our Price: $39.79 You Save: $0.20 (1%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $25.00 (click here) Category: Kitchen See more product details |
|---|
Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of OXO Good Grips V-Blade Mandoline Slicer
Customer Review: Excellent results - with one small bit of help.
Summary: 5 Stars
** UPDATE 02-16-2011 ** I noticed an additional item in the picture of the slicer. It's part of the accessory "Cubing Set" from Oxo (P/N 1136800), and is not included with the original purchase. It's designed to make larger cuts, is available from Oxo.com (not sure about Amazon) for $9.99 plus shipping. I've ordered one and will review it later.
Received my Oxo mandoline slicer yesterday and immediately tried it out. . . on one of the toughest vegetables to slice: a tomato.
PROS:
Some people's reviews have complained that the slicer was "sticky." That's caused by the dry plastic food guide. Dip the tip of your finger in olive or cooking oil and spread a very light film of oil on the ramp where the food to be cut slides down toward the cutting blade. Voila! No sticking or jerkiness.
As to the result with the (very ripe) tomato? Excellent cuts!
Also tried the Julienne blade on an unpeeled cucumber. Again, excellent results.
Haven't yet tried the other blades but, from the previous cuts, I assume the results will be the same.
Nor have I tried to use the food holder (used to protect your hand). But it seems well designed and should work okay.
After having tried two different economy slicers from Wal-Mart, and throwing them in the trash, I was worried about the results from this product. I shouldn't have worried. It's quite satisfactory.
Cleanup's not a problem; hot water and a spritz of liquid soap (as long as the food's not dried on it anywhere). Just be careful of the blade. And it's easier to use--and cleanup your work area after--if you put the mandoline on a sturdy cutting board while you work.
CONS
Blade changing is somewhat of a challenge. . . You'll need the instruction manual the first couple of tries.
Customer Review: Not a great design
Summary: 2 Stars
I've used Borner V-Slicers for many years and I wanted to try a different machine, so I picked the OXO based on the cost and positive reviews.
Pros: Interchangeable blades; adjustable slice thickness; folding back foot
Cons: The blades are fussy to change; the julienne blades are not long enough for anything more than the thinnest slices
I want my mandoline to be fast and easy to use and clean. The Borner V-slicer fulfills this need, but it can make only 2 thickness slices. I liked the idea of the adjustable slice thickness of the OXO, but it seems to be of little practical value. Changing the julienne blades on the Borner is very fast and eash, but on the OXO, it is much more difficult and I feel that I'm in danger of cutting myself while I'm doing it. The OXO feels more precisely made than the Borner, but that feel doesn't translate into a better product. Cleaning the Broner is faster and easier than the OXO. Setting up and cleaning the OXO just seems like way too much of a project, and as a result, I find that I usually pick up a knife instead.
Update: I chop a lot of onions, so I've decided that the best way for me to use this machine is to leave it set up as a dedicated onion chopper, with the coarse multi-blate insert always in place. It's always ready to go and it's fairly easy to clean with a sink sprayer. Now that I'm not having to deal with changing the blades, I pick it up all the time for this tedious chore.
Customer Review: waste of money
Summary: 1 Stars
So I got this about a year ago, and it's only been good at taking up valuable space in my kitchen tool drawer. It worked great for about the first two or three uses, but then the blade got dull and despite all my best efforts I can't seem to get a good edge on the thing since it's more than a little tricky to hone a v-blade or a julienne blade all of which were dull when I got the mandolin. The set up of some of the other blades has been difficult and more than a little counterintuitive, not to mention dangerous. The plastic deck at the tip of the V isn't nearly sturdy enough so if you have to use any pressure on the food you're slicing, and you will, it dips down and then none of the slices are thin or uniform enough. The safety guard is an unweildy mess and I end up having to ditch it after a few seconds, which, you know is a great feature for a safety device. This thing is only good on softer veggies, or hard veggies that have been boiled to tenderness prior to use from what I can tell. Don't use this if you're trying to cut anything denser and harder than a boiled skinless yukon gold potato. Oh, yeah, and I think the only thing that's been sliced effectively on this thing after the first three uses has been my hand on more than one occassion. I'm not a novice with this stuff since I've cooked in restaurant kitchens before.Customer Review: What a piece...
Summary: 1 Stars
Look, I know that I'm not everybody, but it's like, COME ON. This thing is a piece. It's like, so hard to put together and take apart, and then I'm like, JEEEEEZ I wish I just used a box grater or a knife or something like that. It's like, what's so hard about cutting something thinly? Because, what's more trouble: getting some stupid OXO Good Grips hunk assembled with it's like 10 thousand parts or just using a knife? PS I know the answer.
What a waste. I can't believe I paid $40 for this piece. What a total hunk. Just garbage. I wish I never had had it. I wish I never had thought to have it.
I've got a better idea. Don't buy this thing. No one needs it. You want crinkle cut french fries? Use a knife. It's so much easier. What else can I tell you? This thing is a piece. A total and complete hunk. Maybe if you like taking two twenty dollars bills and setting them on fire and then flushing the ashes down the toilet, this thing's for you.
Also, it doesn't seem to be well made. The plastic feels cheap. You know what I mean. It's like, all white and fragile seeming. Like one of those football helmets that a kid wears. Not a kid, really, but a doll. Like that.
Look, it's a piece. That's all you need to know.
Customer Review: good product, although I would not buy it again.
Summary: 3 Stars
I bought this mandoline based upon America's Test Kitchen review, but was a little disappointed at it's flimsy construction. I am a professional cook and work in many places as I work for an agency - I have used a wide variety of products. I am dissatisfied with it limited 4 slicing thicknesses, the frame is flimsy, the 2 julienne plates are not properly aligned so they cut too deep (as well as being dangerous to your hands). I don't see this being a durable product. The V blade is nice, but definitely not the distinguishing factor ATK makes it out to be.
I have used at least 20 mandolines during the past year, although I had not seen this one prior to buying it. I have since purchased the Benriner mandoline (http://www.amazon.com/Harold-Import-Company-BN1-Mandoline/dp/B0000VZ57C/ref=sr_1_9?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1291608532&sr=1-9) for under $20 and find it more versitile as it uses a screw for fin size adjustment, it is easiuer and quicker to use, and the frame is much more durable appearing (I carry it in my backpack so I can pull it out to do quick jobs at work), and it produces a better food end product (I do some high end catering and quality prep is everything).