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The Mandoline
Basically, there are two methods of cutting food. In the first, a blade moves down through the food, while in the second, the food is moved over a blade. Typically, chefs employ a knife in the first method and a grater, or mandoline in the second.

The mandoline slicer is a multitasker that no chef should be without. It's a kitchen tool that slices, juliennes, and even waffles. The mandoline may be found in nearly every professional kitchen due to chefs' fondness for the ease with which it performs these essential tasks.

A wide variety of mandoline styles is available with different features and quality levels. However, the basic design consists of a straight stainless steel cutting blade set at an angle that is centrally located within a narrow frame. This frame, or the main body of the mandoline, may be constructed of one of several substances — wood, plastic, fiberglass, or stainless steel. The frame definitely affects the mandoline's durability and ease of use. For instance, some wooden mandolines tend to warp over time, while low-end plastic ones tend to buckle when in use. Encourage your customers to choose a sturdy, well-constructed mandoline that will not only hold steady while in use, but will enable them to easily interchange the blades.

Most French-style mandolines offer multiple cutting surfaces and a knob or regulator to change the slice's thickness (some models measure the thickness in both millimeters and inches). Also helpful is a "carriage" that holds the food steady and protects fingers while they're moving the food over the blades and a stand to help keep the mandoline still during its use.

A slight variation on the French mandoline shape is the Japanese mandoline. It incorporates a plastic tray into which the stainless steel blade is placed. This plastic tray may also snap onto a plastic container that will catch all that is being sliced, waffled, or julienned. The plastic container is also useful for storage.

Depending on the mandoline slicer's size and shape, the user can accomplish a variety of tasks. The mandoline's main blade features a straight edge for basic slicing and a serrated one for crinkle or waffle cuts. The straight edge is ideal for slicing a variety of foods from carrots and cabbage to lemons and potatoes. The serrated blade edge creates crinkle and waffle cuts, and is easy to use with vegetables or fruits. When making a waffle cut, it is important to adjust the guiding plate's height so that the slices are only slightly thicker than the slicing blade's serrated edge. Once a pass is made over the blade, rotate the vegetable or fruit 90 degrees for a second cut, creating a crinkle cut on each side. The more teeth there are on julienne blades, the thinner the sticks. Suggest mandolines complete with hand guards that anchor and slide food along the glide plate and prevent fingers from contacting the sharp blade. Hand guards are also sold separately.

Before using the mandoline for the first time, wash it in hot, soapy water. Designed to require only minimal maintenance, you should clean mandolines immediately after each use to prevent food from drying on their parts. Stainless steel mandolines may be placed in the dishwasher as long as they are positioned so that the blade will not cut or damage other items in the dishwasher. When not in use, store the mandoline by itself and not wedged between other heavy kitchen items to prevent it from sustaining damage.

Flours
Bran, rice, amaranth, buckwheat — there seems to be a flour made for every taste and application. A wider range of flours is available today than ever before. They may be made from a variety of cereals, nuts, and even starchy vegetables. Choosing the right flour is essential for baking since the type of flour used, in addition to its protein content and the quality of its gluten, serves as the basis for everything from bread to biscuits.

In the U.S. and most Western countries, the term "flour" is generally understood to be wheat flour — its principle use is in baking. Each wheat flour type varies in its composition. A wheat's hardness and strength help dictate its suitability for the baking of particular items. In general, hard wheats tend to be high in protein, and therefore, gluten (the substance responsible for enabling dough to rise), and as a result, are often used in bread baking. Soft-grain flour is milled very finely. Accordingly, it gives sponges, cakes, and scones a higher rise and a finer texture.

The three basic types of wheat flour are wholemeal (or whole wheat), brown, and white. Wholemeal flour is made from whole wheatgrain, which contains all the bran and germ, with nothing added or removed. It is high in gluten and protein, which creates light, airy loaves of hearty, textured bread. It is also good for pancakes, pizza, or brownies.

Brown flour contains about 85 percent of the original grain, with some of the bran or germ being removed.

White flour usually contains about 75 percent of the wheatgrain, with most of the bran and wheatgerm being removed during milling. White flour may be enriched with synthetic vitamins to make up for the nutrients lost by removing the bran and wheatgerm. White flours are further delineated by their hardness.

Bread flour, made from hard-wheat blends only, contains about 12- to 14-percent protein. All-purpose flour is a blend of hard and soft wheat, with 10- to 12-percent protein. Cake flour, which is made of soft wheat, contains approximately nine-percent protein.

Other varieties of flour are available, including wheatgerm, which can be either white or brown flour with at least 10 percent added wheatgerm; malted wheatgrain flour, which is either brown or wholemeal flour to which malted grains have been added; stoneground flour, a wholemeal flour that is traditionally ground between two stones; and organic flour, which is milled from grain grown without artificial fertilizers or pesticides.

Due to the various flours on the market, consumers have the option of choosing flours according to their uses.

All-purpose flour is used for shortcrust pastry, sauces, and gravies in which a raising agent is not required. It is also a good choice for muffins, cookies, brownies, scones, and cakes. In these cases, baking powder or soda substitutes for the missing raising agent.

Bread flour is high in protein and gives rise to coarser flour than does soft wheat. Since the wheat is hard, more mechanical damage is inflicted upon the starch granules during milling. This is important to the bread-making process since the already damaged starch grains are broken down more easily to provide sugars to feed the fermenting yeast.

Self-rising flour has a raising agent, such as baking powder, evenly mixed throughout. Self-rising flour is perfect for making tender, high-rising biscuits; muffins; quick breads; cakes; and pancakes. Because baking powder loses its raising power due to its propensity for absorbing moisture, this flour has a limited shelf life.

Other than these three basic wheat flours, there are also a variety of flours made from different grains and vegetables. Following is a short list of different varieties available for use in cooking and baking.

Rice flour is made from a variety of different rices, including Bhutanese red rice. Rice flours can be used for creating savory pancakes; as a dusting powder; for cookies, piecrusts, or muffins; or to thicken soups, stews, or gravies. It is also a wonderful accompaniment to fish when used as a coating.

Brown rice flour is often chosen by those who have allergies to wheat. Rice does not contain gluten, so it is best used in quick-bread recipes.

Buckwheat flour when added in small amounts can help create a hearty, dense loaf of bread with a strong flavor.

The delicate, sweet flavor of Oat flour makes it perfect for use in cookies, quick breads, and muffins. No gluten is present, so it is also a choice for those with wheat allergies.

Amaranth flour has a strong, distinctive flavor; therefore, it is recommended that it be used in small quantities, perhaps to add a bit of flavor and additional nutrients to a bread recipe.

Rye flour is used to make rye bread, but should be mixed with at least one cup of wheat flour for every three cups of rye flour in order to activate the yeast.

Soy flour is rich in high-quality protein. It also contains iron, calcium, and B vitamins. It adds a dense texture and a nutty flavor to baked goods, but because it has no gluten, soy flour should be used in small amounts in combination with wheat flour.

Tricale flour is a flour that is a hybrid of rye and wheatgrains.