---
slug: how_to_use_a_mandoline_safely
category_path: home_kitchen/kitchen_dining/kitchen_utensils_gadgets/mandoline_slicers
title: "How to Use a Mandoline Safely"
lead: "Always use the handguard or a cut-resistant glove, keep firm slow strokes with the blade angled away, and never freehand the last slice — sacrifice the small end nub instead of your fingertips. A mandoline injures more home cooks than almost any other tool, and every cut is preventable."
recommendation:
  name: "Always use the guard or a cut-glove, slow firm strokes, and never freehand the end — save the nub"
  reason: "A mandoline's blade is razor-sharp and invisible in motion, so safety is entirely about never letting skin near it. Set it on a stable, non-slip surface or hook it over a bowl so it can't skid, and pick your thickness before you start. Hold the food only in the handguard — the pronged holder — or wear a cut-resistant glove, ideally both, and push with firm, even, slow strokes; rushing is when fingers slip forward. The danger moment is the end: as the piece gets thin the guard loses grip, so stop and toss the last nub rather than shaving it freehand. Keep fingers clear of the underside where the blade exits, fold the legs and store it with the blade covered, and wash it with the blade pointing away from your hand."
published: 2026-07-08
updated: 2026-07-08
---


<ComparisonTable
  columns={["Rule", "Do", "Why"]}
  rows={[
    ["Grip", "Handguard or cut-glove (ideally both)", "Nothing else keeps skin off the blade"],
    ["Stroke", "Firm, even, slow; blade angled away", "Rushing is when hands slip"],
    ["The end", "Stop and discard the last nub", "The guard loses grip on thin pieces"],
    ["Setup & storage", "Non-slip base; store blade covered", "It cuts even sitting idle"],
  ]}
/>