The World’s Sharpest Mandoline Still Keeps Your Fingers Safe

We asked chef Gabriel Kreuther (of his eponymous restaurant) what his favorite kitchen tool is. Here’s what he told us:

When I was working as a cook, the one item all of us carried in our knife bag was the Benriner Green Mandoline. It was light; it was cheap; the blade was very sharp; and it was friendly to use for all kinds of slicing. Now I have my own restaurant, and I’ve tried all the different kinds of fancy, stainless steel mandolines — but you know what? I still use the same, cheap Benriner mandoline because it’s the best one out there.

The setup is very simple: there’s the regular blade on one side, which allows you to get a precise, consistent cut. On the other side, you can add attachments to adjust the size of the cut. There’s one for a julienne, a dice, a chop — all in one piece of equipment. I use it for all my garnishes and salads, and no knife has ever created a better julienne. On other mandolines I’ve tried, the blades aren’t ever as sharp or lightweight. Those mandolines also don’t come with any attachments, so you’re limited with what you can do. The ones that do come with attachments make them hard to change out. With this mandoline, you easily screw the main blade in and out, and the attachments you just pull to remove.

I also appreciate that the mandoline comes printed with the words “Watch your fingers!” in both English and Japanese, which can be a nice reminder when you’re going fast and not thinking. Even the plastic safety covering that you can put on top is easier to grip than the circular ones that usually come with mandolines (though I have to admit I use it without the covering).

As told to Priya Krishna.