If you're like me, you do a lot of chopping during food prep, especially when making my favorite winter food, chili. And if you're also like me, you have a healthy fear of those giant chopping knives. Mine comes from an early experience in my teens when I was chopping an onion, it slipped and I put a nasty gash in my left index finger. To this day I still have a scar from that incident.

So when the Mandoline slicer was invented I was one of the first people to grab one. I have since gone through 5 of them with varying degrees of success. To date, my favorite is the OXO Mandoline.  Although it's a little pricey at $69.99, it's worth its weight in gold.

It has straight and wavy blades which you can set to various thicknesses using their easy dial system. This makes is perfect for thin slices of cucumber and thick slices of potatoes.  And when not in use, the blades are covered and stored on the board for safety and convenience .  Unlike other mandolins the OXO Mandoline has a large surface to hold food securely, a soft grip for secure handling and non-slip feet to keep it securely on the countertop.

Easy to clean and safe to use, I no longer have to worry about chopping onions. I simply slice the onions to the desired thickness and chop the slices in convenient batches. And the best part is, if I only need a little bit of onion, I can use the rest during the week for hot dogs or other meals. I found mine at Crate & Barrel, but you can also get it directly from OXO and other fine retailers. This handy item needs to be a part of every cooks' kitchen, so get one for your self today.