Vegetables can be delicious when prepared correctly ... but making that happen can feel like a repetitive slog; even for me, a kitchen writer. That said, having the right tools makes meal prep a cinch, namely this Fullstar 6-In-1 Mandoline Slicer. True to its name, the popular gadget comes with six attachments you can swap out for slicing, shredding, grating, spiralizing and ribboning, and it cuts down my time in the kitchen by half. Intrigued? Keep reading for my unbiased review.
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Quick veggie prep with very little effort? This mandoline is music to my ears.
A time (and finger) saver
As someone who loves to cook (but hates to prep vegetables), I was thrilled to receive the Fullstar as a Christmas gift a few years ago. I'd seen similar products online, and while I'm generally wary about using mandolines — they've sent many a cook to the ER! — this one seemed designed for safety. Not only does it come with a protective glove, it also has a nifty finger guard you can stick onto the vegetable you're slicing, so your hand is never at risk of coming in contact with the blade.
Speaking of blades: The aforementioned six interchangeable attachments include 2-millimeter and 5-millimeter mandolines, a julienne blade, a grater blade, a spiral-cut blade and a ribbon-cut blade. Each one easily snaps into the lid, which you place on top of a clear bin that keeps your sliced vegetables nice and contained. So far, I've used all but the ribbon-cut blade, and I can safely say I'll never again shy away from veggie-heavy recipes.
This vegetable slicer comes with more attachments than your boss' emails — and has a nifty little holder for them too. (Britt Ross/chof360)
Versatile vegetables
Thanks to the mandoline blades, I've been able to churn out homemade sweet potato chips in minutes with barely any effort. It takes me under a minute to slice a sweet potato, and I always get thin, uniform disks. From there, I just coat them in some olive oil and salt, then bake in the oven for a crunchy snack. Delicious! You could also do the same with beets, carrots — the world is your oyster (mushroom).
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Two Thanksgivings ago, my husband made a sweet potato gratin and hand-sliced the potatoes. No more. We made it again this past Thanksgiving using the Fullstar, and it came together in a fraction of the time. (I know we've got a long way to go until Turkey Day, but let me tell you: The Fullstar is a mighty holiday helper.)
You say "potato," and Fullstar says, "let me count the ways." (Britt Ross/chof360)
I recently made "zoodles" (zucchini noodles) for the first time using the spiral-cut attachment. I was prepared for it to be a cooking fail, but lo and behold, I was greeted by perfectly shredded veggies on my first go. I sautéed them in a bit of olive oil and seasoning, then added some of my favorite jarred tomato sauce (Rao's Marinara all the way, baby) for a quick weeknight side dish. My husband and I both thought it was very tasty (though our weekend pasta nights aren't going anywhere).
With this vegetable slicer, the pasta-bilities are endless. Next time, I'll try my hand at potato pappardelle using the ribbon-cut blade. (Britt Ross/chof360)
The grater attachment comes in handy for cheese, since I don't have to drag out a cutting board. I've also used the julienne blade for shredding carrots for salad, and come Hanukkah, making latkes will no longer be the bane of my existence.
One thing to note: Cleaning the attachments can be a bit of a pain, but there is a mini brush included to get into the hard-to-reach grooves. You can also throw everything into the dishwasher, but I prefer to wash and dry the metal blades by hand to keep them from rusting. Be careful — they're extremely sharp (that's why they work so well).
What the masses say
Over 24,000 Amazon customers also give the Fullstar a perfect rating.
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"My arthritis makes it hard to slice things, so I figured I'd get a mandoline so I could stop failing at slicing my veggies," shared one reviewer. "Now I take seconds to slice potatoes, whereas it [used to take] me a few minutes with hands cramping up and locking up."
"No more cut knuckles," said this relieved fan. "I'm telling you, this is good. I don't have part of my fingers in the salad anymore. You can chop, you can do all kinds of stuff with this thing. Big chop, little chop. Very very good product."
"I mostly use this slicer to make hash browns and slice vegetables, and it does it impeccably," raved a generally satisfied buyer. "I've washed it in the dishwasher a half dozen times so far, and it's held up. If I had to express one complaint, it would be that the top doesn't very easily lock onto [the] clear tub part. Gotta fiddle with [it] a little."
"I was afraid this would be flimsy and cheap, but it's not!" wrote a final fan. "I mainly use this to make zucchini noodles and it does a great job. The only issue I've had is it is a little difficult to get the spiral noodle cutter clean, but that happens with this kind of product. I pop it in the dishwasher and it's good to go."
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I have it in white, but you can also opt for clear, gray or this sleek black version.
And for chopping? Look no further than this No. 1 bestseller, also from Fullstar:
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Unlike those models where you have to keep pulling a string to whiz up your veggies into oblivion, this gizmo gives you a uniform dice in one fell swoop. In addition to chopping, it also comes with spiral and ribbon blades.
"Impressive!" gushed one happy home cook. "It makes chopping up small veggies like baby carrots, onions and celery a breeze! I'm a senior now with arthritis, and this really helps speed things up in the kitchen while giving my achy hands and fingers a break from the rigors of manually chopping up everything."
If you have Amazon Prime, you'll get free shipping, of course. Not yet a member? No problem. You can sign up for your free 30-day trial here. (And by the way, those without Prime still get free shipping on orders of $35 or more.)
The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.
