How to use a mandoline without ever touching the blade

Professional kitchens use mandolines all day and the injuries you hear about share one cause: someone slicing the last inch of a vegetable with bare fingers. Follow these steps and that moment never arrives.

1. Set the thickness before anything touches the blade

Our mandoline has three positions: 1 mm, 2.5 mm and 4 mm. Decide what you are making first.

• 1 mm: cucumber for pickles, radish for garnish, potato for chips.
• 2.5 mm: gratin, scalloped potatoes, apple for a tart.
• 4 mm: tomato for sandwiches, zucchini for the grill, onion rings.

Set the slider while the mandoline is on the counter, not in your hand.

2. Trim one flat side

A round vegetable rolls. Cut a thin slice off one side so the produce sits flat against the deck. This one habit does more for safety than anything else on this list.

3. Use the guard from the first slice, not the last

The hand guard has spikes that bite into the produce. Push them in, keep your palm flat on top, and slide. Beginners put the guard on when the piece gets small. Put it on at the start and you never have to decide when "small" is.

4. Slice away from you, long strokes, light pressure

The blade does the work. If you have to push hard, the thickness is too thin for that vegetable, or the produce is too soft. Firm, cold produce slices best. Ten minutes in the fridge makes a tomato behave.

5. Stop at the guard

When the guard touches the deck, you are done. The last nub goes in the stock bag. Nobody needs that slice.

Cleaning without the drama

Rinse under hot water with the guard still on, or put the whole thing on the top rack of the dishwasher. Hang it by the hole. Never leave it loose in a drawer with the blade exposed.

What to make first

Start with cucumbers. They are forgiving, cheap, and a bowl of 1 mm cucumber ribbons with rice vinegar, sugar and salt is the best thing you will eat this week.