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Dicing Mandolin for Making Vegetable Cubes


Have you ever wondered if there's a mandolin that dices vegetables without you having to first create cross-cuts with a knife? Some of the new-generation mandolin slicers do just that: with a twist of the wrist, these compact kitchen helpers turn your favorite fresh (or cooked) ingredients into perfectly-shaped cubes for salads, gratins, salsa, snacks, soups and stews! In addition to dicing vegetables and fruit, the best dicing mandolins are usually also capable of creating thin julienne strips, waffle cuts, lozenges (diamond-shaped cuts), crinkle cuts and thick julienne cuts for French fries.

If you are on the lookout for a V-slicer or mandolin that dices, slices, shreds and makes julienne strips, scroll down to the comparison chart at the end of this article. The chart provides a side-by-side comparison of two fruit/vegetable slicers that double as dicers: Swissmar's popular Borner V-Power V-7000 mandolin slicer and De Buyer's 2012.30 Ultra 2.0 Deluxe model.

Note: You can support this website by purchasing a slicer/dicer, or another product, using the Amazon affiliate links provided in this article.




The Real Price of a Dicing Mandolin

Now you might think these ingenious gadgets come with hefty price tags. While that is true for some models, some mandolin dicers are actually surprisingly cheap, especially in comparison with some of the heavy-duty vegetable dicers or Chef's Choice electric food slicers. When comparing prices of different dicing tools designed for home use, you might also want consider whether the tool can handle other tasks besides dicing vegetable and fruit (equipping your kitchen with multi-functional tools can help you save a good amount of money in the long run).

Dicing Mandolin
Borner V-Power V-7000, available through Amazon.com, through Amazon.co.uk in the UK and through Amazon.ca in Canada

If you're thinking about buying a dicing mandolin, you sure don't have to worry about your new gadget being a unitasker that's only good for dicing vegetables. Take Swissmar's Borner VPower Mandolin V-7000, for example. Aside from turning vegetables and fruit into cubes, this multi-tasker also slices, juliennes, shreds and cuts potatoes and other root vegetables into French fry shaped sticks.


How to Make Cubes Using the Dice Setting

Both the De Buyer 2012.30 Ultra 2.0 Deluxe Slicer and Swissmar's Borner VPower V-7000 V-slicer mandolin use a similar mechanism to create cubes out of your favorite vegetables. To use the dicing function, grab your mandolin and insert the julienne blade. Before the first cut, rotate the safety holder (hand guard) 45°, then cut through the produce. After each cut, turn the hand guard 90° back before cutting again. The combination of the razor-sharp julienne blades and the rotation of the hand guard results should result in neat cubes, though some Amazon customers say it may take a while to actually master the art of using a mandolin with a dicer setting.


Looking for A Mandolin That Dices? Check Out These Two Models

If you're looking for a multi-functional mandolin that both dices and slices, there are a couple of models that frequently pop up. Swissmar's Borner V-Power V-7000 mandolin is one of them, and it has received hundreds of great reviews on Amazon. Made in Germany, this mandolin comes with extra-sharp blades made of surgical-grade stainless steel and 3 inserts that allow you to create 10 different cuts. Another one you might want to check out is the De Buyer 2012.30 Ultra 2.0 Deluxe Slicer, which has been designed and made in France. For up-to-date price information and an overview of some of the key features of each of these two dicing slicers, take a look at the comparison chart below:

Borner VPower Mandolin V7000 De Buyer 2012.30 Ultra 2.0 Deluxe
Current price on Amazon in US$

Borner VPower Mandolin V7000 De Buyer 2012.30 Ultra 2.0 Deluxe
MaterialSturdy plastic, stainless steel bladesMetal w/ some plastic components
Adjustable thicknessYesYes
Number of inserts34
Non-slip feetYesYes
Country of manufactureGermanyFrance
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Note: Some of the information provided above may have become outdated since the writing of this article. Therefore, please carefully read the product description on the relevant Amazon page before making a purchase, and/or contact the manufacturer/seller directly for an up-to-date description of the features of the product.