Can You Slice Meat With a Mandolin

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Can You Cut Meat With a Mandolin

Mandolins come in handy when you’re slicing fruits and vegetables. They help you make thin, evenly sliced portions.

However, can you slice meat with a mandolin? If yes, can you use it to cut raw or cooked meat? And are there any advantages or drawbacks to cutting meat with a mandolin?

Read on to find the answers to these questions and more!

Can You Slice Raw Meat with a Mandolin?

Mandolins are a convenient tool to cut fruits and vegetables. Yet, many people also use them to slice meat.

However, a mandolin’s blade lacks the sharpness to cut through the layer of fat on meat. So, while you can, in effect, slice raw meat with a mandolin, it may prove to be too complicated and messy.

Can You Slice Cooked Meat with a Mandolin?

Yes, you can, but it’s not easy. However, if you decide to use a mandolin with an adjustable blade height to slice cooked meat, you must be patient and take your time.

Mandolines are usually used to slice vegetables

Why Is It Hard to Slice Cooked Meat With a Mandolin?

Although it’s not advisable, using a mandolin to slice cooked meat is doable. There are some shortcomings to it, such as:

Cooked meat can be lean, which makes it harder to cut
Pressing down hard on the blade may pose a safety risk
There’s little control over the thickness of each slice
There’s a potential loss of meat during the cutting process
The thinner the portions, the harder it can be to make them even
Meat slices may stick together as well as to the blade due to residual cooking moisture
Some pieces may come out of the mandolin in shreds

How to Slice Cooked Meat Using a Mandolin

Follow these steps to slice meat with a mandolin:

Divide the meat into long pieces to make it easier to cut.
Freeze the meat until it becomes stiff.
Check the meat for ice crystals that can help prevent them from sticking to the blade.
You need to work slowly to prevent ice crystals from forming.
Place the meat on the blade and start slicing.
Make sure that the meat is under the food holder, aka the safety guard, when placing it on the mandolin.
If you don’t have a safety guard, you can always use a fork instead.
Turn on the mandolin and start slicing.

Slicing Meat with a Mandolin: Tips and Techniques

Be cautious when using a sharp tool like the mandolin slicer.
Keep your hands and the meat as far from the blade as possible for maximum control over portion thickness.
Freeze your meat before slicing it with a mandolin.
Use different cuts for different types of meat.
Don’t apply too much pressure.
For thinner slices of meat, adjust the mandolin’s blade to the narrowest setting.
Always place the mandolin perpendicular to the piece of meat.
Make sure the mandolin blade is sharp enough for cutting meat.
Clean the mandolin thoroughly after slicing the meat to eliminate harmful bacteria.

Disadvantages of Using a Mandoline to Slice Cooked Meat

The main disadvantage of using a mandolin to slice cooked meat is that it will not give you perfectly uniform slices. This means that if you want to have an attractive meat plater or even-sized meat-filled sandwiches then a deli-slicer is the best option.

So what is the difference between using a Mandoline for cooked vs raw foods?

The main advantage of using a mandolin to cut cooked meats is that the texture is firmer vs the softer and not so easy to cut raw meat with a mandoline.

How do you cut cooked meat thin without a slicer?

Yes, you can cut meat using a mandolin but firm cold meat is best to slice thin using this method.

It works well for slicing refrigerated cooked meats like chicken breast and pork roast.

Common Mistakes To Avoid

The first mistake people make is not reading the instructions carefully enough. This is especially true if they’ve never used a mandolin before. I recommend using a mandolin only after you’ve mastered the basics of slicing some carrots first as every mandolin blade is a little different. Of course, a sharp mandolin blade is best when slicing meat.

You can also use a mandolin to cut cooked meats like steak, lamb, and pork loins. Just remember that the blade needs to be sharpened after every use.

Better Alternatives to Slice Meat Than Using a Mandoline

A mandolin is a kitchen tool used to cut vegetables into thin slices. It has become popular as a tool for cutting breaded chicken tenders, but it is also useful for slicing other foods such as tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, potatoes, onions, carrots, etc.

How the two main ways that are better than a mandoline are