Can You Dice Onions On OXO Good Grips V Slicer?

Short answer: Yes, the OXO Good Grips V-Blade Mandoline Slicer can be used to dice onions, but it would require extra steps because it primarily slices, no dice.

The OXO Good Grips V-Blade Mandoline Slicer is a versatile kitchen tool, designed for slicing various fruits and vegetables, including onions. Although its main function is to create uniform slices, with a bit of extra cutting after slicing, you can achieve a diced result. Please note that for perfect cubes or a true dicing effect, you may need a dedicated dicing tool or to use a knife.

OXO Good Grips V Slicer

OXO Good Grips V Slicer
V-Blade Mandoline Slicer

Efficient Slicing: The V-Blade Mandoline Slicer is designed to create perfectly even slices, juliennes, and crinkle cuts more quickly than using a knife and cutting board.

Ideal for Soft Fruits and Vegetables: This slicer is especially useful for softer fruits and vegetables like tomatoes, plums, or peaches.

Non-Stick Design: The textured ridges on top of the mandoline help prevent food from sticking, which is particularly beneficial when slicing stickier vegetables like potatoes, beets, or radishes.

Easy Blade and Thickness Adjustment: The Mandoline Slicer makes it easy to switch between blades and adjust slice thicknesses, from as thin as 1/16 of an inch to as thick as 1/4 inch. All blades are stored securely underneath the mandoline for convenient access.

Safety Features: The food holder, equipped with four metal tines, ensures your fruits and vegetables are held securely while slicing, and more importantly, keeps your fingers away from the blade. The non-slip feet enable quick slicing without the mandoline moving around.

French Fry Blade: The Mandoline Slicer includes a french fry blade that can be swapped in to cut perfect sizes for french fries.

Easy Cleaning: While the blades require hand washing, the body, and food holder are dishwasher safe (top rack).

Can You Dice Onions On OXO Good Grips V Slicer?

While the OXO Good Grips V-Blade Mandoline Slicer is an excellent tool for slicing a variety of fruits and vegetables, including onions, it’s not explicitly designed for dicing. Dicing typically involves cutting food into cubes, which requires a second cut perpendicular to the slices. The OXO slicer can provide the initial thin, uniform slices, but the second cut to turn these slices into dice would need to be done manually with a knife. So, in essence, while it can aid in the process, it won’t directly dice onions.

How To Use OXO Good Grips V Slicer?

Step 1: Open the slicer to the unlocked position. This will expose the crinkle blade slicer at the bottom and the two julienne blades at the top. The regular blade stays in place until you change it out.

Step 2: After you set up the blade you want to use, lock the slicer back into place. This ensures safety during operation.

Select the size of slices you want
Select the thickness of slices

Step 3: Select the size of slices you want, ranging up to a quarter inch in thickness.

Attach the food item
Attach the food item to the safety holder

Step 4: Attach the food item to the safety holder. This will help prevent you from accidentally cutting your fingers.

Begin slicing your food item
Start slicing

Step 5: Begin slicing your food item. The slicer works better when you use the stand to give it an elevated, tilted angle.

Step 6 : For the julienne and French fry blades, you will need to remove the regular slicing blade first. Pull up on the tip of the blade to remove it, then snap in the blade you wish to use.

Recommended Uses Of OXO Good Grips V Slicer

The OXO Good Grips V-Blade Mandoline Slicer is a versatile kitchen tool that can be used in a variety of food preparation tasks, including:

Slicing vegetables: The slicer can be used to make thin, even slices of vegetables, like cucumbers, tomatoes, beets, radishes, and onions, which can be used in salads, stir-fries, or garnish.

Prepping fruits: It can also be used to slice fruits like apples, pears, or plums for desserts, salads, or snacks.

Making french fries: The V-Blade Mandoline has a special blade for cutting potatoes into the perfect size for french fries.

Julienning: The julienne blade is useful for cutting vegetables into thin, uniform strips, perfect for salads, slaws, or for use in dishes like spring rolls.

Crinkle cuts: The slicer also comes with a crinkle-cut blade that can be used to add texture and visual appeal to your dishes.

Meal prep: If you’re preparing meals for the week, the slicer can save time by quickly and evenly slicing or julienning multiple fruits and vegetables at once.

Pros And Cons

Pros: 

  • Multiple blades allow for various slicing options.
  • Safety holder and lock mechanism increase user safety.
  • Helpful for quick slicing and prep of various vegetables.

Cons: 

  • The maximum thickness of slices is only up to a quarter inch.
  • Smaller food items don’t secure well on the safety holder
  • The crinkle cuts are too thin.

FAQs

What are the best kitchen tools for a home cook?

There are several essential kitchen tools that every home cook can benefit from. These include a good quality chef’s knife, a cutting board, a set of stainless steel mixing bowls, a cast iron skillet, a non-stick pan, a set of measuring spoons and cups, a digital kitchen scale, a silicone spatula, tongs, a whisk, a can opener, a vegetable peeler, a box grater, a colander, baking sheets, a slow cooker or instant pot, and a blender or food processor.

Can the OXO mandolin go in the dishwasher?

While the body of the OXO mandoline slicer is dishwasher safe, the blades should be hand washed. This helps to protect the sharpness of the blades and extends their longevity.

What can a mandolin slicer cut?

A mandoline slicer can cut a variety of fruits and vegetables, including but not limited to, cucumbers, onions, potatoes, apples, tomatoes, carrots, and zucchini. It can be used to create thin slices, crinkle cuts, waffle cuts, julienne cuts, and in some cases, French fry cuts.

What is the difference between the V slicer and the mandolin?

A V slicer and a mandoline slicer are essentially the same type of kitchen tools used for slicing and cutting fruits and vegetables. The main difference is the blade design. In a V slicer, the blade is in a V shape which can often make it easier and safer to slice through certain types of food. Mandoline slicers, on the other hand, typically have a straight blade, but some models also come with a V-shaped blade.

Which tool is used for dicing an onion?

Which tool is used for dicing an onion
Dicing an onion with knife

A sharp chef’s knife is the most common tool used for dicing an onion. It offers the most control over the size and shape of the diced pieces.

Do professional chefs use mandolin?

Yes, many professional chefs use mandolines in their kitchens because they are efficient and provide consistent cuts, which are key to even cooking and presentation.

Can you dice with a mandolin?

Typically, a mandoline is used for slicing, not dicing. However, some mandolines come with attachments that allow for julienne cuts, which can be used as a first step to dicing. You would then need to use a knife to cut the julienne strips into dice. It’s important to note that the size of the dice would be determined by the thickness setting on the mandoline.

Conclusion

While the OXO Good Grips V-Slicer is an excellent tool for achieving uniform slices and julienne cuts, it’s not specifically designed to dice onions. To dice an onion with this slicer, you would first have to use the julienne blade to make long, thin strips, and then manually cut those strips into smaller pieces using a knife. However, this process may not provide the precision and uniformity typically associated with diced onions. It’s important to note that while mandoline slicers like the OXO Good Grips V-Slicer add great convenience and speed to many kitchen tasks, for tasks such as dicing, a good chef’s knife might still be the most effective tool.