Mandolines make quick work of many tasks normally performed with a chef's knife, including french fries, veggie chips, potato casseroles and all sorts of other goodies.

It's a piece of equipment that is underutilized in most kitchens: the mandoline.

Mandolines make quick work of many tasks normally performed with a chef's knife, including french fries, veggie chips, potato casseroles (see accompanying recipe) and all sorts of other goodies. Using one gives you wonderfully consistent pieces of whatever you're cutting quicker than you can shout, “WATCH YOUR FINGERS!!!”

THE STEPS YOU TAKE

First of all, some of you may not have heard of the mandoline, or you're confusing it with the similarly named musical instrument, the mandolin. Note that our device includes an extra letter “e” at the end, like those creepy cats that Hemingway had with the extra toes.

Though mandolines come in several designs, they share their main feature: a flat surface at the end of which sits a stationary blade. By running a potato (for example) across that flat surface into the blade, it produces evenly sized slices.

Mandolines are very, very, very, very, very, very sharp.

OK, I admit it. I cut myself on my mandoline just this past Christmas. I was rushing (of course) to get 5 pounds of potatoes sliced in 5 minutes. Unfortunately, I was moving too fast to notice the slices piling up under the mandoline until they up and blocked the blade, stopping my potato in its tracks. The forward momentum sent my thumb careening off the potato and into the waiting blade like a wayward dove into the window of a gleaming glass skyscraper.

Fortunately, though my poor thumb was no match for the accursed contraption, the jammed potato stopped its forward trajectory so that the blade did not remove completely a thumby slice. Instead, it created a flap, like a fleshy trap door that I was able to slam closed and seal with a bandage.

Here's the takeaway: Sure, I cut myself. But, I've cut myself a dozen times with a regular knife. It's part of working with knives.

The good news is, your mandoline probably comes with a safety guard that comes between the food and your tender digits. Not using that extra layer of protection comes with the price of possibly removing a portion of yourself with like precision.

Another protective device you could get would be a glove made out of chain mail, like something Lancelot might have worn if he'd worked in a deli.

Here are three common blades that come with most mandolines:

n Main blade. It usually runs straight across the flat plate, though some are V-shaped. The thickness of the cut is varied by the distance between the blade and the flat plate. Depending on the mandoline, that distance is adjusted via the blade itself or the flat plate.

n Corrugated blade. This is for waffle fries. Waffle fries are cute and easy to make: Adjust the height of the corrugated blade to produce one very thin chip, like a potato chip with one ruffled side. Rotate the potato 90-degrees, and make another pass over the blade to produce the waffle chips which the French call gaufrettes.

n Stick blades. Some mandolines have another set of blades used for cutting sticks such as french fries or juliennes.

Along with chips and fries, here are some other great ideas for your mandoline:

n Cucumbers, tomatoes or onions for sandwiches or salads.

n Lengthwise slices of zucchini or carrot. Blanch them in boiling water, and shock in an ice bath for flexibility, then line them on the inside of a biscuit cutter, fill with cooked rice, quinoa or other starch, and remove biscuit cutter. Your starch stays in place, held in a tight and fancy, schmancy circle by the colorful vegetable.

n Cabbage shredded on flat blade for cole slaw.

n Zucchini pasta (use flat blade or julienne blade).

n Root vegetable slices for baked chips: Toss with olive oil, season with salt and whatever other spices you like, then bake in a single layer on greased parchment at 325 for 20 to 30 minutes.

This recipe is also known as au gratin potatoes.Because the starch from the potatoes thickens the sauce, do not store them in water after peeling and slicing.Prep: 20 minutesCook: 40 to 60 minutesMakes: 10 to 12 servings2 cups heavy cream1 clove garlic, smashed2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, sliced into 1/8-inch thick roundsSalt as neededFreshly ground black pepper as neededSmall pinch nutmeg1 pound Gruyere cheese, shreddedParmesan cheese as neededHeat cream and garlic to a simmer in a heavy-bottomed saucepan.Layer half the potatoes in the bottom of a greased baking dish large enough to hold them all, and season with salt, pepper and a very small dusting of nutmeg.Sprinkle half the Gruyere over the potatoes.Construct a second layer with remaining potatoes and Gruyere, being sure to season potatoes. Pour in the heated cream, discarding garlic.Bake, covered, in a 350-degree oven until potatoes are tender, 30 to 45 minutes.When potatoes are tender, uncover, sprinkle with Parmesan, increase oven temperature to 450 degrees and bake until top browns, 5 to 10 minutes.Serve immediately, or cool and refrigerate up to 5 days. To reheat, cut into squares and bake in a 425-degree oven on a parchment-covered sheet pan until warmed through, about 10 minutes.