I have had an aversion to purchasing a mandolin for years. Years, I'll tell you. Years.

And really, for no particular reason beyond laziness. I simply don't want to wash anymore dishes than I have to.  If I'm going to end up washing my knife anyway, why do I want to wash any additional equipment. And, my knife skills are pretty decent, my style of cooking is more rustic than professional, and my plating homey versus restaurant quality. At least, this is what I told myself.

However a Mandoline is, and has been on my kitchen wish list for years... just because. And last year, at Christmas, I received a few gift certificates earmarked for kitchen supplies. So, I decided to take the leap, did my research, and settled on a 5 piece set by Swissmar Borner.

You guys!!!! I don't know why I waited so long - it's life changing. Yes, there are a few more dishes but with this specific model, everything except for the blades can go in the dishwasher, the directions have you only rinsing them with hot water, and instead of hand-drying have you place them in the included stand to air dry. So that's a win.

And oh my yes, it actually does save time. Especially when slicing vegetables for a family of six. They may taste the same regardless of how you slice them, but the uniform cuts, while looking fancy, actually have a practical benefit to your cooking. Yes, it makes chopping a lot of similar vegetables easier for either a raw (think of my sweet and spicy Thai Slaw) or a cooked meal but, did you know that roasting, braising, and stewing vegetables becomes even easier when dealing with food that is exactly the same size.  Same size vegetables cook at the same rate. This mandolin puts you in the Goldilocks Zone for cooking. Every. Single. Time. No more roasting squash only to find that some pieces are too mushy and others too crunchy. You the same amount of "done" across the board.

Ease of use and clean up AND improves your cooking techniques?!?! This, my friends, is a win-win piece of equipment.