Our Gourmet Mandoline Instructions

1. Rigid Frame with Handles and Stand 2. Bearing Plate with Fluting Blade 3. Fixed Plate with Straight Cut Blade	4. Adjustible Knurled Knob 5. Insertable Cutting Blade Unit 6. Sliding Maintenance Tongue	7. Adjustible Thickness Lever 8. Safety Guard
Set Up for Use Prior to first use, wash the mandoline in warm water and allow to dry. To avoid injury, note where the straight cut blade (3) and fluted blade (2) are located. To attach and detach the easel stand: Squeeze together the metal rods at the open end of the stand and place in either set of holes located on the side rails of the rigid frame (1). The position of the stand will be determined by which cuts you're making – for basic/straight, matchstick, julienne and French fry cuts, use the mandoline bearing-plate (2) up, as in Figure A. For crinkle and lattice cuts, use the mandoline fixed-plate (3) up. Basic/Straight Cutting Place the mandoline with the bearing plate (2) in the up position, with the easel stand attached to the holes flanking the bearing plate. To control the thickness of the slices, raise or lower the bearing plate by means of the adjustable thickness lever (7). The lower the bearing plate, the thicker the slice. Using the Safety Guard (8): The safety guard can and should be used on all cuts. Place the vegetable to be cut against the guard's stainless steel spikes to help hold it securely in place. Position the guard at the top of the mandoline with its cutout arrows pointing up and down, and slice the vegetable by moving the guard(and vegetable) up and down the mandoline.	Matchstick, Julienne, French Fry Cuts To insert/remove the cutting blade units (5) required for these cuts, place mandoline backside up (Figure B). Loosen the adjustable knurled knob (4) and slide the straight cut blade (3) as far away from the fluted blade (2) as it will go. Re-screw the knob tight enough to hold the blade in place. Slide the maintenance tongue (6) up, revealing the grooves on either side of the frame. Insert your choice of the 4 cutting blade units (5) onto these grooves, making sure the two cross symbols are aligned as illustrated. See size chart (Figure C) to select the right blade unit. Slide the maintenance tongue back over the insert. Please note: The sliding maintenance tongue is made of flexible stainless steel. If it does not slide easily over the insert, adjust by first removing and setting aside the insert. Apply slight upward pressure from under the tongue at its center, slightly bending it so that it fits over the insert snugly. Conversely, if it is too loose, apply slight downward pressure so that it fits snugly over the insert, holding it in place. Loosen the knurled knob and move the straight cutting blade forward so that it just barely touches the inserted cutting blade unit. Take care not to damage the cutting blade unit by pushing the straight cutting blade too close. Tighten the knob. Slice following directions for basic/straight cutting.	Store the cutting blade units in the box provided to prevent damage. Crinkle and Gaufrette (Lattice) Cuts For crinkle cuts: Place the mandoline with the fixed plate (3) in the up position, and the easel stand attached to the holes flanking the fixed plate. Set the thickness lever (7) to the thin slice cutting position, moving the fluted blade (2) slightly above the straight cut blade (3). Slice following directions for basic/straight cutting. For gaufrette (lattice) cuts: Follow directions for crinkle cut, making a single cut to produce fluted ridges on your vegetable. For the second cut – with the safety guard positioned back at the top of the mandoline – rotate the guard 90° so that the arrows are now pointing side-to-side. Slide the vegetable (attached to the holder) down over the fluted blade, producing ridges 90° opposite your previous cut. This crisscross action produces the lattice look on your slices. (Adjust the thickness lever (7) as appropriate – if the cut is too thick the perforations will not appear; if too thin, the vegetable slice will not hold together.) Continue alternating the guard 90° with each slice. Cleaning and Maintenance Unscrew the knurled knob (4) and carefully remove the straight cut blade (3). Remove any inserted cutting blade units (5). Clean mandoline and fluted blade carefully under warm running water with a soft bristle-type scrub brush. Clean the straight blade and cutting blade units in the same way. The frame is dishwasher safe, as the attached fluted blade has been specially treated for this purpose (be sure you remove the straight blade first, as it is not recommended for the dishwasher.) If needed, restore the edge of the (removed) straight cut blade on a sharpening stone.