How to Slice Potatoes Thin Without a Mandoline for Gratin

For potato chips, yes; a Y-peeler makes slices under 1/16 in (1.5 mm). For gratin they are too thin and too narrow, and the last 1 in (2.5 cm) of the potato puts your thumb against the blade. A knife with rails gives the 1/8 in (3 mm) a gratin wants.

Yes, if it has a 3 mm plate. It gives fixed 1/8 in (3 mm) slices in seconds and your hands never go near the blade. The trade is a bowl, lid and disc to wash, which is why a knife wins for one or two potatoes.

Yukon Gold or another waxy yellow potato. Its flesh is denser and holds a 1/8 in (3 mm) slice without crumbling, and Love and Lemons specifies it for scalloped potatoes. Russets slice fine but the slices are more fragile and the edges break when layered.

Peel for a classic gratin with clean cream-coloured layers; leave Yukon Gold skins on for a rustic one, since they are thin and soften fully in 65 to 70 minutes at 400 °F (204 °C). Russet skins are thicker and stay chewy, so peel those.

The knife is tilting during the cut, or the potato is rocking. Cut a flat side first so it sits still, keep the blade vertical against your knuckles or the guard, and let the whole edge pass through in one forward stroke rather than sawing.

About 3 lb (1.4 kg), or roughly six to eight medium Yukon Golds. At 1/8 in (3 mm) that is around 150 slices, which is about 15 minutes of knife work with rails once the first potato is done.

Yes, but hold them in the cream mixture in the fridge rather than in water, so the starch stays in the dish. Slices held in water lose the starch that thickens the sauce and need patting dry before baking.

The double style is about 3.0 in (7.6 cm) by 2.2 in (5.6 cm) and holds the index and middle finger side by side, which suits a bigger hand better than the 2.6 in (6.5 cm) single. The ring is symmetrical so it fits either hand.

No, they do different jobs. The guard is a rigid steel guide for the blade over one hand's fingertips, and the listing carries no cut-resistance rating. A rated glove protects the whole hand to a tested level. Many cooks wear a glove under the guard.

Cut a flat side first, then put the board on a damp towel so it cannot skate. A heavy board helps too. A wet potato on a light plastic board that moves is a bigger cut risk than the knife itself, whatever guard you wear.

Yes. A round chopstick is about 3/16 in (5 mm) at the tip and 1/4 in (6 mm) near the top, so slide the potato toward the thicker end for thicker slices. Two pencils give a steady 1/4 in (6 mm) for boulangère-style layers.

Use two wooden spoon handles, two pencils, or two strips of cardboard folded to 1/8 in (3 mm). Anything straight, flat and the same height on both sides works as a rail; the knife stops when its edge touches them.

Wood and bamboo resist a slicing stroke at the low pressure you use on a potato, so the edge parks on the rail. Press hard and it will bite about 1/32 in (1 mm) into a soft skewer, which is why skewers get replaced after a few uses.

Not well. The teeth tear the cut face and each stroke wanders, so slices come out 1/16 to 1/4 in (1.5 to 6 mm) on the same potato. A plain-edged 8 in (20 cm) chef's knife sharpened that week is the tool.

Sharp enough to slice a sheet of paper cleanly in one pull. A knife that folds the paper crushes the top of a 1/8 in (3 mm) potato slice before it cuts, leaving a wedge. Ten strokes on a honing steel before the first potato fixes most knives.

Setting the knife tip on the board beyond the potato and rocking the heel down through it. The edge passes through in one 8 in (20 cm) stroke instead of a saw, so the cut face stays flat and the slice comes off in one piece.

Crossways for round gratin slices that stack neatly; lengthways for long oval slices that cover more dish per slice. Both work at 1/8 in (3 mm). Cut the flat base along the long side either way so the potato does not roll.

Stand the last 1 in (2.5 cm) on its cut face and slice down through it, or lay it flat and slice with the guard over your fingertips. The knife moves down onto the board, never toward your hand, which is the whole difference from a mandoline.

No. Stacking lets the top slice slide as the blade passes, and the result is one 1/8 in (3 mm) slice and one wedge. Slice one at a time with the rails; the speed comes from a clean rhythm, about 1 slice per second once the potato is stable.

Slightly, for a straight downward cut. A 7 in (18 cm) santoku has a flatter edge and a thinner blade, so it goes through a potato with less wedging. A chef's knife wins if you use the rocking stroke. Sharpness matters more than the choice.

Slide the index finger, or both index and middle for the 3.0 in (7.6 cm) double style, into the ring so the curved face sits over the fingertips, then press the potato down with the pads of the fingers behind the steel. Dry the potato with a towel first.

Yes. The split ring on the inner face is symmetrical, so it goes on either hand with nothing to reverse. A left-handed cook wears it on the right hand and slices with the left, with the same 2.6 in (6.5 cm) or 3.0 in (7.6 cm) hood over the fingertips.

The double finger guard, about 3.0 in (7.6 cm) by 2.2 in (5.6 cm), with two rings so the index and middle finger both sit behind the steel. Two fingers hold a wet potato steadier than one. The single is 2.6 in (6.5 cm) across and suits small hands.

No dishwasher rating is given, so treat it as hand wash only: warm soapy water, then dry it straight after prep. Left wet in a drawer it will spot, even though it is stainless steel.

It carries no cut-resistance rating, and the product page says it is not a substitute for rated cut-resistant gloves. It is a rigid steel guide about 2.6 in (6.5 cm) or 3.0 in (7.6 cm) across that keeps the blade off the fingertips of one hand; a rated glove protects the whole hand to a tested level.

Not claimed. It's documented for knife work on a board only — not for mandoline blades or graters, which move against the steel differently. Use the hand guard supplied with those tools, and keep this one for the 8 in (20 cm) knife.

The listing does not give a thickness or a steel grade, so neither is quoted here. What it does state is a curved hood about 2.6 in (6.5 cm) or 3.0 in (7.6 cm) across with a smooth outer face for the blade to slide along.

Cover them with the cream or milk mixture within 15 minutes, or lay a damp towel over the stack. Water stops browning too but washes off the starch a gratin needs. A little browning on the cut faces disappears under cream in the oven anyway.

Yes, for 30 minutes to a few hours in cold water, because for a fried potato you want the surface starch gone so the pieces crisp and do not stick. Drain and pat fully dry before oil. This is the opposite of what a gratin wants.

Uneven thickness. A 1/4 in (6 mm) slice needs longer than a 1/8 in (3 mm) one and sat under the cover for the same 30 minutes. Stack ten slices before baking: 1.25 in (3.2 cm) tall is right, and 1.5 in (3.8 cm) means thick slices got in.

Two published versions: Love and Lemons bakes 1/8 in (3 mm) Yukon Gold at 400 °F (204 °C), covered 30 minutes then uncovered 35 to 40 minutes; Once Upon a Chef bakes thin russet slices at 350 °F (175 °C) for 60 to 75 minutes. A knife tests them as tender.

Yes for the first stretch, so the slices steam tender before the top browns. Love and Lemons covers for 30 minutes at 400 °F (204 °C) and then bakes uncovered 35 to 40 minutes for the crust. Foil or a lid works; tent it so it does not touch the top.

Both are used in published recipes: Love and Lemons uses Yukon Gold at 1/8 in (3 mm), and Once Upon a Chef uses russets sliced as thinly as possible. Yukon Gold holds a thin slice better while you cut; russets go softer and creamier once baked.

Roughly 3/4 to 1 cup (180 to 240 mL) of cream or cream and milk per 1 lb (450 g) of sliced potatoes, enough to come about three quarters of the way up the layers. Slices pressed flat need less liquid than loosely layered ones.

Yes, and they are firmer, so the flat-side cut matters more. Cut 1/4 in (6 mm) off one long side, use the rails, and expect to need a firmer stroke. Sweet potato slices at 1/8 in (3 mm) bake tender in about the same 60 to 70 minutes covered then uncovered.

Wet starch on the cut face and a thick knife. Wipe the blade every 10 slices, or push the stack over so the fresh slice falls away, and keep the cutting stroke moving forward rather than pausing at the bottom.

Choose potatoes of a similar size, about 5 to 6 oz (140 to 170 g) each, and slice them crossways so every slice is a similar oval. Width matters less than thickness for cooking, but even ovals shingle more neatly in a round dish.

Not raw. Freezing turns raw potato slices grey and watery once thawed. Bake the assembled gratin first, cool it, then freeze in portions for up to 2 months and reheat covered at 350 °F (175 °C).

Submerged in the cream mixture, overnight in a covered dish is fine, and the gratin bakes straight from the fridge with 10 to 15 extra minutes under cover. Held in water, slices are fine for a day but need draining and drying and lose starch.

A heavy board that does not slide, with a damp towel underneath if it is light. A 12 x 8 in (30.5 x 20.3 cm) board is enough for one potato at a time. Wood and steel both work; a thin plastic board that skates across the counter is the one to avoid.

Rinse with cold water first, because hot water sets potato starch into a gummy film. Then wash with hot soapy water and dry within 5 minutes. The finger guard gets the same warm soapy hand wash and a towel dry.

A wire cheese slicer takes a slice about 1/16 in (1.5 mm) and drags on raw potato, so slices tear. A plane-style cheese slicer works on a peeled potato for very thin chips but not for 1/8 in (3 mm) gratin slices.

More uniform, since the plate is fixed at 1/8 in (3 mm), but the slices are cut so fast they sometimes shatter on the edges and the bowl, lid and disc all need washing. For one or two potatoes a sharp knife with rails is faster from drawer to dish.

Two chopsticks laid parallel on the board, one either side of the food, so the blade stops on them at the end of each stroke. Every slice comes out the same height as the rails. It works for potatoes, onions, cucumbers and 3/16 in (5 mm) tomato slices.

After. Peel the whole potato with a Y-peeler, cut the flat base, then slice. Peeling individual 1/8 in (3 mm) slices is slow and takes off half the slice. For skin-on gratin, scrub the skin with a brush and skip the peeler.

Cut it in half lengthways first, lay each half cut side down, and slice crossways into half-moons. A halved potato sits dead flat and each half is short enough that the whole 8 in (20 cm) blade passes through in one stroke.

The guiding hand runs out of room and the knuckles lift away from the blade. Slow down for the last 1 in (2.5 cm), keep the rails in place, and if slices are wandering by then, flip the piece onto its cut face and slice down.

Yes, a 7 in (18 cm) vegetable cleaver with a thin blade slices potatoes well because its flat edge comes down straight. Avoid a heavy bone cleaver, which wedges the slice apart before the cut is finished.

About 15 minutes for 3 lb (1.4 kg), or six to eight medium potatoes, once the rails are set and the first potato is done. That is around 150 slices at 1/8 in (3 mm), so budget it into the timing before the oven goes on.

Season as you layer rather than salting the raw stack. About 1 teaspoon (5 mL) of fine salt per 2 lb (900 g) of potato, spread over the layers, seasons a gratin evenly; salting the loose slices first draws out water that thins the cream.

With a guard on the guiding hand, a stable board and a supervising adult, yes, for children old enough to hold a 6 in (15 cm) knife properly. The guard covers the fingertips, but the product page gives it no cut rating, so an adult stays within arm's reach.

Yes. Rails set the same 1/8 in (3 mm) thickness on cucumbers, courgettes, carrots and onions. Round vegetables still need a flat side cut first; the rails only control the height of the cut, not whether the food rolls.

About 1/16 in (1.5 mm), half the gratin thickness. Two thin skewers or two coffee stirrers make rails that low, and the slices need a very sharp knife because at that thickness a dull edge crushes rather than cuts.

Slice one potato, push the stack over so it fans, then lift the whole fan into the dish and press it into an overlapping row. Each slice overlaps the last by about half its width, which spaces 1/8 in (3 mm) slices evenly.

Yes, within limits. Love and Lemons' 1/8 in (3 mm) slices bake in about 65 to 70 minutes total at 400 °F (204 °C); slices at 1/16 in (1.5 mm) are tender sooner but lose their layers. Thicker than 1/4 in (6 mm) and the middle stays firm.

The ring is riding on the fingertip instead of the second knuckle. Push the finger further into the split ring so the curved 2.6 in (6.5 cm) or 3.0 in (7.6 cm) hood sits over the tips with the ring around the middle of the finger, and dry your hands and the potato first.

No. Frozen potato is glassy and the knife skids, and thawed raw potato goes watery. Slice fresh potatoes at room temperature; a potato straight from a 40 °F (4 °C) fridge slices fine but is a little firmer under the knife.

Cool, dark and dry, around 45 to 50 °F (7 to 10 °C) if you can manage it, and out of the fridge. A firm potato slices cleanly at 1/8 in (3 mm); a soft, sprouting one bends under the blade and gives ragged wedges.

Slide the flat of the knife under the fanned stack, steady it with the guarded hand on top, and move it in one piece. A 20-slice stack from one potato fits on an 8 in (20 cm) blade; two trips beats dropping half of it.

No. The blade slides along the smooth outer face of the guard with light contact, the same as it would along a knuckle, and the guard's outer edge is rounded. Keep the stroke moving down rather than scraping sideways across the 2.6 in (6.5 cm) of steel.