I have a question.
is there a tool - of most any sort/kind - that when used in violation of recommended practices . . .
is still harmless?
a mandolin is no more dangerous than a sharp knife.
…says he who just recently did a spectacular knuckle gouge when the onion skin abruptly parted ways . . .
inexperience people who use pneumatic nailers are prone to nailing themselves to the wall - or their co-workers - Heh Bob, look at this! BANG - OOPS!
if you use a mandolin - observe the proper precautions and usage. not all too difficult to grasp, no?
I would say so. A spatula might be one. But before you jump to say someone could spatulate one’s self to death,… I think there’s a crucial difference between “in violation of recommended practices” and reckless or intentional abuse.
I think a mandoline is much closer to what the law calls an “attractive nuisance” than knives or other sharps in general. It has something to do with the fact that the blade is somewhat hidden, and something with the fact there’s usually some reciprocating motion that one can lose track of until fingers drop into the blade. Deli slicers are sort of the same way, except their guards are better thought out.
1 L. So, if you’re a landowner and you install a mandoline on your property, a trespassing wannabe kiddo chef who removes his finger playing with it can look to you to make him whole, so to speak. Not a kiddo, but just a trespasser, no such luck. If you invited someone to use your mandoline, what then? I’ll quit now. I hated Torts anyway.
Yes, a little like the railroad turntable and dynamite shack we all learned about…
They’re doubly attractive because home cooks believe mandolines will make themselves resemble real chefs. There are many such things, but few that bite like a timber rattler.
Agreed. I’ll go back to nursing my bottle of Old Tortfeasor, a brand I conceived while enduring that dreadful class. Sorry, Professor Butler, but Torts, Property, and Evidence were the anaesthetic trifecta. Come to think of it, law school ought to be unlawful.
My torts professor was intensely disliked. Among his many faults was grading exams based on the most common answers written by students–the most common answer became the “right” one, on down to the least common, which was sometimes the right answer.
We got our revenge on him in two ways. First, we used operant conditioning on him, giving him the classroom feedback he wanted only if he stood to one side. By the end of our second quarter, we had him in a far corner. Second, we did a fake press release congratulating him on becoming Dean, when he most expected it.
My Torts professor was even more insufferable than the average law school professor, and that’s quite the contest. I will check in my cabinet for a bottle of Old Tortfeasor - I have a Star Trek Saurian Brandy bottle (Dickel bourbon) unopened but evaporating- it’s of the same era.
We had Hammurabi’s law clerk for property. He was that old.
Ah, now it all makes sense. Bunch of legal beagles. No wonder you guys are so argumentative. LOL
As someone who has lots of lawyers, maybe too many, I pay for, lawyers are very smart with words but have no ability to gauge risk. Every risk is equally dangerous. The ability to quantify or mitigate risk lacking. That’s when they always turn to me and say that’s a business decision. A lawyer who can identify and quantify the risk is rare and priceless.
As in house counsel of a bank, compounded by being a public company, I got extremely good at assessing risk, being in effect the company’s lawyer, a part of the company who had a share of any risks, and who would be an assured target if any risks were not timely and accurately disclosed. It was not as gut clenching, however, as a restaurant kitchen.
we’ve run far afield from mandolines, In an attempt to get this thread back on track, the other day I was using a sharp knife to slice onions as thinly as possible for Oklahoma burgers and it occurred to me that a mandoline, used properly, with non-cut gloves might actually be a lot safer.
This could well be true. It would be wise for people to use these gloves with mandolines.
Someone above asked why gloves are not used more in pro kitchens. The answer is: They slow the prep, limit dexterity, get dirty (and must be cleaned), and pose food safety risks.
I still want to be a fly on the wall while representative cooks in this thread are prepping a meal for six and need all this speed, knife edge longevity, etc. A mandoline can’t go agonizingly slow, but you don’t need to exhibit ten cucumbers a minute speed, either. Use the pusher, watch what you’re doing, and don’t worry too much. A glove is a great idea too. Impress people with the food on the table. You’re not on TV. You can have “mad knife skills” and serve utter garbage night after night. And if the thing that most excites you about cooking is using the new knife that UPS just delivered, you probably are.
BITD, saw plenty of sliced fingertips (not mine!) from the Hobart slicers working in food service. We didn’t have protective gloves then. However, the worse injury I have seen was from the home Cuisinart slicing blade slicing someone’s face. The machine and blade was kept on an upper shelf and when being brought down from that upper shelf the blade got separated from the bowl piece and slit a 5" slice down the side of the unfortunate home cook. There is a reason for blades to be stored in their shields when not in use. My stomach still turns when I recall the event. Be safe!
