If you love fruit and veggies but the thought of spending ages chopping fills you with dread then you really should invest in a mandoline slicer for speed, ease of use and consistently even slices. They are also great for minimising wastage and work a treat for quality food presentation.

The Progressive Professional Mandoline is one of the best slicers on the market and quickly turns fruit and vegetables into slices, julienne sticks or cubes. With four thickness options it really is a great tool for a variety of dishes.

You can essentially undertake much of a mandoline’s work using a steady hand and great knife skills but the mandoline dramatically cuts down the length of time it takes you to achieve it. In a time poor society this is exactly what most people need. Not only does it reduce prepping time it gives beautifully uniformed slices, sticks or cubes every time.

Mandoline blades are razor sharp and I know this only too well having sustained an injury using one in the past. However, this mandoline is sturdy, stands well and has a great hand guard.

I love to serve fruit and veggies in different ways to encourage my children to eat as much of them as possible. I think this is one of the main reasons I love the mandoline, it can turn fruit and veg into different and fun dishes for the kids. (root veg chips, fruit chips, veggie sticks, fries etc)

I recently used this mandoline to make some pretty fruit rice paper rolls. The kids loved them but it is also a beautiful snack / dessert for adults. It is perfect for those that believe aesthetics are just as important in a meal as taste is. I know I would have never achieved the uniformed apple and nectarine sticks by hand cutting.

To make this recipe, I used the PL8 Professional Cubing Mandoline that can be found here. To view our entire range of mandolines, slicers, spiraliser and more click here

Fruit Rice Paper Rolls with a raspberry yoghurt dipping sauce.

Makes 8 rolls

What you will need:

For the rolls

• 2 large apples
• 2 large nectarines
• Lemon water (2 cups of water mixed with juice of ½ lemon)
• 6 strawberries
• Several mint leaves
• 8 raspberries
• 8 rice papers

For the dipping sauce

• 1/3 cup Greek yoghurt
• ¼ cup Raspberries
• 1 tsp Honey

Directions.

To make the sauce…

For a thick yoghurt dip.

Blend the raspberries and honey together until pureed. Stir into the yoghurt.

For a runny yogurt dip.

Blend all the dip ingredients together.

To make the rolls….

Set the Professional Cubing Mandoline slicing switch to 4 and the julienne switch to the setting with 7 narrow lines (see picture) (PIC 6)

Use a knife to cut a flat surface at one end of the apple before slicing. Carefully pierce the hand guard prongs onto the opposite end of the apple. Ensure the apple is secure and then slice.  Repeat with the other apple and the nectarines.

Place the cut apple and nectarines into bowls of lemon water to prevent browning.

Thinly slice the strawberries with a knife.

Fill a pan/ dish, large enough to place rice paper sheets in, with warm water.

Place one of the rice paper rolls into the water for 2/3 seconds and then carefully remove it and place on a board / plate.

Place four slices of strawberry, in a row, onto the center of the rice paper. Layer with the nectarines, apples, a couple of mint leaves and some more strawberry slices or a few raspberries.

Fold over the edge of the rice paper closest to you. Then fold in the sides and roll until closed.

Repeat until you have made all the rolls.

Slice in half and serve with the dipping sauce and fruit.

The perfect afternoon tea snack that can be enjoyed by the whole family