mandoline
MAN-duh-leen
ˈmændəliːn
A kitchen tool used for slicing and for cutting juliennes; it consists of a flat surface with adjustable blades.
Specifically refers to the manual slicer, not the musical instrument (though they share a name).
The story behind the word. The kitchen tool is named after the musical instrument because the back-and-forth motion of the hand while slicing resembles the motion of a musician strumming a mandolin.
Word relationships
- slicer: A more general term for any device that slices.
Commonly confused with
- mandolin: The 'mandolin' is a musical instrument; the 'mandoline' is the kitchen tool.
Collocations
- adjustable mandoline
- mandoline slicer
- handheld mandoline
Example sentences
- "I still have a scar from a mandoline I used in 1994; it is a dangerous but necessary tool." Culinary memoir
- "Use a mandoline to slice the radishes into paper-thin rounds for the salad." Recipe instruction
Memory hook
Imagine playing a MANDOLIN while slicing vegetables on a MANDOLINE. Musical slicing.
When not to use
Do not confuse with the 'mandolin' (musical instrument), although the spelling is often used interchangeably in some regions.
Fun facts
- Professional chefs often call the mandoline the 'finger-taker' because of how easily it can cause injury without a guard.
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