I'm tired of getting blood on my sandwiches.

Have you considered a mandolin? Equally capable of shaving fingers along with veg, but not if you use the spiked veg gripper/handle thing and aren't an idiot.

-Rob

A mandolin is great. But I’ve always cut the onion in half first ( pole to pole). The large surface area on the bottom makes it easier. I also use a cut resistant glove when I want to dice an onion like a chef.

Just practice some good knife skills.

Use a sharp knife and the proper one. Chef knife is best.

You can cut a small slice off one side to create a stable base so it won’t move on you. Or just cut the onion in half and place cut side down and cut half slices.

Learning the proper technique is far better than some gadget.

quote:

Originally posted by BurtonRW:
Have you considered a mandolin?

... If he's already cutting himself with just a knife, he's even more likely to really filet some fingers with a mandolin slicer!

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
Just practice some good knife skills.

Learning the proper technique is far better than some gadget.

This.

Curl your fingertips in, and use your knuckles as a blade guide/guard. With a little practice, it becomes second nature, and keeps your fingers away from the sharp parts.

Chain mail gloves


https://www.amazon.com/Schwer-...mFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1

I worked in the meat department of a supermarket years ago when they still cut and ground meat there on site unlike today and some of those butchers used those chain mail gloves for certain tasks.

Yep, they're handy for situation where traditional safe knife techniques like "the claw" aren't feasible, like breaking down a whole side of beef, or processing a pile of fish you just caught into filets.

But a chainmail glove is overkill for just slicing onions on a cutting board... Proper knife technique is better, and it's free.

quote:

Originally posted by ridgerat:
https://www.amazon.com/ESINAM-...istant/dp/B092VYKBDT

I’ve used this exact device for years, although I applied additional sharpening to the tines. Mine came with a nice storage cover. Other uses too. Here I safely slice a bagel into two even halves with my ancient Chicago Cutlery BT7.

quote:

Originally posted by Spudgun:
A mandolin is great. But I’ve always cut the onion in half first (pole to pole). The large surface area on the bottom makes it easier. I also use a cut resistant glove when I want to dice an onion like a chef.

^^^ This says it all.

Given the context, I'll just add to be explicit: when using the claw technique, tuck your thumb behind the fingers; touch the thumb to the middle finger. That will keep the fingers and thumb out of the way.

I used to be a chef and had to use a mandolin occasionally and I have to say they scare me a lot. Will no longer use one, a family member took a big slice off of his finger using one. NOPE

quote:

Originally posted by BurtonRW:

Have you considered a mandolin?

I have one, and use it for when I need a quantity of stuff sliced or chopped, like for cooking.

I did not think that it was worth getting the mandolin out, and the subsequent cleanup, for sliced onion for one sandwich. On the other hand, it took just as long to apply the Neosporin and band-aid, as it would have taken to wash the mandolin.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
Just practice some good knife skills.

Use a sharp knife and the proper one. Chef knife is best.

You can cut a small slice off one side to create a stable base so it won’t move on you. Or just cut the onion in half and place cut side down and cut half slices.

Learning the proper technique is far better than some gadget.

Agreed. A good sharp chef's knife and a little technique is all you need.

I can chop or slice an onion in far less time than it takes to get the mandolin out, use it, and clean it. My wife loves any kind of gadget though, and any given meal will dirty three or four of them.

quote:

Originally posted by ridgerat:
https://www.amazon.com/ESINAM-...istant/dp/B092VYKBDT

This is what I have I also have a mandolin but I use this for onions

My 2nd job as a teen was a pizza and sub shop, and I used to dice a mountain of onions every day. The boss taught me the proper finger position for holding the onion (like PASig and Rogue's posts), and I've been using it safely ever since.

I used to own cuisinart brand mandolin slicer. I never cut myself using it, but I cut myself disassembling it, hand washing it, putting it in the dishwasher, and taking it out of the dishwasher. I couldn't be trusted around it so I threw it in the garbage.

I have the knife skills so I don't need a mandolin slicer, and even better I go many, many years in between cutting myself with a kitchen knife

no need for Mandolin or learning to cut like some sous chef. Just get a hand held slicer, drop in the onion, tomato, whatever you want to slice, no fingers in the way! No blades to slice your fingers with, clean up is a breeze.

Link

^^^^^^^^

Seems like a good way to dull your blades.

I don't use a mandolin but it has it's uses. Just stop way before the onion is too thin. Onions are cheap, waste onion not flesh.

If you are chopping the Slap Chop actually works well.

In a restaurant I worked in, we had an apparatus that pushed an onion (or anything) through ten or twelve blades, slicing it into uniform slices. It was a time saver since it could slice a dozen onions in three or four minutes. It was a restaurant grade, big old thing.

It wasn't this one, but this one is a lot like it.

https://www.amazon.com/Vegetab...urants/dp/B0B72FMFDV