Today´s Swedish word: vass. Means sharp.This is my newest kitchen toy, a ceramic mandoline! I went to the Stockholm Food Fair last Friday with this in mind: I should do something about our lousy knives. I wanted something sharp, really sharp. And I got it. The problem is that it is a little too sharp. I am a little afraid of it! And I haven´t used it for anything other than trying to slice an overripe tomato, showing my dear man that this wasn´t a waste of money (actually it wasn´t very expensive). Well, this was no good for overripe tomatoes but I am sure I will use it for lots of other a little more stabile things, like potatoes and cucumbers and carrots and cabbage... I just have to feel like cooking again, which I don´t, at the moment. At the moment A is the one who cooks, and I do the dishes with sideway glances at my sharp little friend who hangs there on the wall just waiting!
I sure know this is a versatile tool. Cream Puff´s mandoline can even speak for himself! But I need more encouragement. How do you use your mandolines, those of you who owns one? And no "Oh, I once cut off half my finger"-stories, please... *gasp*
And as I said, my desire to cook is luring just behind the corner and will be back soon. I have been to restaurants, I have BBM parcels to put together, I will participate in Menu for Hope, I will cook for a friend who defends her doctoral thesis in chemistry (party afterwards!) and above all Christmas is coming up in just four weeks. So stay tuned!
6 comments:
I haven't used my mandolin since I played Vivaldi's Concerto in G at our last chamber music party. The one in the kitchen is used only for escalloped potatoes. Have fun with your new toy!
I got a mandoline 20 years ago, and it rapidly worked it's way to the back of the shelf. Then I had a friend over who happened to be a chef and he showed me what I could do with it. Now, I probably use it once a week. I haven't used it for tomatoes but just about anything else. Maybe the strangest idea I had that was a total success was to freeze butter and then zip the butter through the mandoline over the dry ingredients for biscuits, scones and pie crusts.
It does help to get comfortable with it. After my friend showed me how, I bought a 5 pound bag of potatoes that weren't fit to eat and experimented. No cut fingers! Don't drink wine and use it.
Sadly I do not yet have a mandoline... but I think of how much better things would be if I did.
Aaaaahhhhhhhh... so THAT'S the kind of mandoline you were talking about! Sorry! I thought you were talking about the musical instrument! You must've thought I was nuts sending you that link... oh well, I'm a rookie when it comes to cooking utensils and had no idea!! :)
Thanks for all encouragement! I will take your advice Tanna and practise first to get over myself... And I will not drink and slice.
Haha, Nikki, no worries about that! I just thought "oh, her nephew (was it?) has just started a band and she just heard it so she is bursting to tell someone". Like I was bursting about the mandoline. Giggle.
Hi Clivia, directed here through Ivonne's, can't wait to learn some Swedish! It does help that a lot of words sound familiar in Dutch. It sure helped us through our last vacation in Sweden which we enjoyed so very much. I just love your country and we would like to visit again, and again and...Oh well 'nuff said... I will read and learn from now on!
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