5 Clever Ways to Use a Mandoline Slicer

My slowcooker, Instant Pot and skillet are the workhorses in my kitchen, helping me meal prep and cook most meals. But my mandoline slicer? It’s a show-off, and admittedly one of my favorite kitchen gadgets.

With grace and precision, it slices cheese for Pinterest-perfect charcuterie boards and turns zucchini into super-slim ribbons I use to replace lasagna noodles for a low-carb, veggie-loaded dish. (More on that in a minute!)

With adjustable settings that allow you to choose just how thin you want to slice your food,  mandoline slicers can be versatile tools in the kitchen, helping you cut translucent-thin citrus to top a tart or julienne vegetables for garnishes. They are masters of consistency, and will definitely help you excel in the presentation department.

Here are five dishes that prove you need a mandoline slicer in your kitchen gadget lineup.

‘Lasagna Noodles’ With Zucchini

Come summer, I’m always trying to find ways to use up zucchini — mixing the veggie in breakfast breads and soups and even using it as a noodle replacement for my favorite Italian dish!

The pièce de résistance in this summertime lasagna recipe from Skinnytaste is the thinly sliced zucchini. You can use a mandoline to slice the zucchini into thin ribbons that are 1/8-inch thick and then layer the veggie slices just like you would noodles.

Scalloped Potatoes

Scalloped potatoes demand some serious knife skills. Your spuds not only need to be thinly cut, but they also require even thickness for consistent cooking. Make friends with the mandoline, and let it tackle the challenge. The reward? Buttery, cheesy potatoes that are thin enough to get a slightly crispy crunch on the outside, but a mashed potato middle.

Gruyere cheese adds decadence to this slow cooker scalloped potato recipe from Damn Delicious. The parsley and thyme are a nice touch, too.

Vegetable Gratin

Undercooked potatoes and overcooked carrots make an odd couple. Instead, you want your veggies in a gratin to be cut similarly so that they cook at the same rate. Mandolines, thanks to their preciseness, are a must for vegetable gratin.

Use your farmers market haul to make this root vegetable gratin recipe courtesy of Dietitian Debbie Dishes. It’s vegan and gluten-free, and makes enough to have leftovers for lunch the next day.

Veggie Chips

Baked veggie chips aren’t just healthier than bagged potato chips. With a rainbow of colors, they’re also prettier. With the help of a mandoline, it’s super easy to make your own veggie chips. You can thinly slice up sweet potatoes, carrots, rutabaga, squash, beets and parsnips. Lightly spray with oil, and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper before baking. The Big Man’s World has a recipe for crispy, crunchy veggie chips.

Coleslaw

Trust us on this one: homemade coleslaw > store-bought coleslaw. You can make a crunchy, creamy, bright coleslaw at home that isn’t drowning in mayo. Put your mandoline on the julienne setting and let it work its magic on cabbage and carrots. Fifteen Spatulas has a homemade coleslaw recipe that works great as a side dish (picnic, anyone?) or as a topping on a pork slider sandwich.

Love cooking? Check out clever ways you can use your air fryer.