My mandoline slicer failed mid-shift last Saturday and I nearly lost a fingertip

Working the line at a busy spot downtown, I was prepping for a 40-cover catering order. About halfway through a case of potatoes, the blade guard on my Benriner just snapped clean off. I didn't even see it coming, just heard the crack and then felt the sting. Blood everywhere on the cutting board, had to wrap my hand and let the sous take over for the rest of the prep. Ended up finishing the shift with three band-aids and a glove. Has anyone else had a tool fall apart like that during a rush? What do you use for slicing large batches that won't break on you?

2 comments

2 Comments

bens811mo ago

Yeah man, that Benriner guard is held on by two tiny screws and some hope, I had the exact same thing happen during a tomato prep. Switched to a Kyocera ceramic blade slicer, the adjustable one, the plastic frame is way more solid and the blade doesn't flex at all. For big batches I just go slow and use the hand guard that came with it, it locks in better than the Benriner ones ever did. Also learned to keep a spare cheap mandoline in the back just in case, a 20 dollar Oxo saved my ass when my main one died on a Saturday night.

the_margaret1mo ago

Heard about a buddy of mine who had his Oxo mandoline just give out on him during a holiday prep. The little foot thing on the bottom that keeps it from sliding around popped off and the whole thing flipped on him, he ended up slicing the side of his thumb pretty good. Had to finish the shift with a finger cot and a whole lot of tape. I think he just gave up on mandolines altogether after that, told me he just uses a knife and a steady hand now, says it's not worth the risk.