Mandoline

Treated myself to a mandoline yesterday because I have been wanting one for ages.
Trouble is I can’t remember WHY I wanted it in the first place.
Any suggestions, please, for what I can start doing with it. 
Or is it going to be stuffed in the pantry along with the kitchen blow torch that has never come out of its packaging.

I use mine for fennel

Very good for slicing fingers, be careful. I've not figured out what a mandoline can do that a food processor can't. I had a cheap one in the cupboard bought in Lidl never used, so it went to the charity shop.

Very good for slicing fingers, be careful.  I've not figured out what a mandoline can do that a food processor can't. I had a cheap one in the cupboard bought in Lidl never used, so it went to the charity shop.

Mine is still in the packaging - so I’ve got 28 days to take it back for a refund. I’m actually wondering what it can do that a good knife can’t. Especially seeing as a recentish birthday present was a half day course on “Knife Skills”.

Please, please, please use the guard - watching them being used unguarded on TV makes me feel quite sick!
I have used one but have never bought one, and as you say, there isn't much that a good sharp knife won't do if used well, although it is slower, and for bulk a good food proc is as good.

I use mine for fennel

Fennel not for me - but thanks for the suggestion.

Its one gadget I've resisted buying! Don't like blood on my veggies, especially when its mine.

Woo - what a fab present! I would love to go on a knife skills course!

I use a food processor to chop or slice - but a mandoline would be much easier to clean if you aren't doing huge amounts. I'm not one for gadgets - always mixed my cakes by hand until the last few years, suddenly whisking a meringue is a lot more work than it used to be

Anyway - I love dauphinois potatoes - I don't believe you can't cut as finely with a knife as with a slicer? Lots of apples look much nicer and much quicker to do too. I think I would get a lot of use out of one.

They are scary things    I know our local charity shop refuses to take them in.   I use a slicer attachment on my Kenwood chef instead I don't think I'd trust myself with a mandolin after seeing what a friend did to their finger ends.

Could you have wanted one to  slice courgettes/cucumbers thin to go in pickles.

Well, going against everyone else, I think they are great!  I got one for my wife who never got round to using it. I took it out the other day and didn't realise all the different cutting blades that came with it, I chose one to make courgette spaghetti and it worked really well. There is a little handle thing that if you use makes it impossible to cut yourself.My next plan is to make sweet potato rice with it.