Rai Mincey is a food writer and baking enthusiast whose focuses include culinary history, seasonal cooking, and Southern cuisine. She splits her time between Birmingham, Alabama, and Tulum, Mexico.

Though a mandoline slicer may sound like a cross between a musical instrument and a piece of gym equipment, it's actually one of the most valuable tools every cook should have in their kitchen drawer.

Sometimes, you just want to slice an entire cucumber — especially if you’ve been seeing it all over the internet lately. What’s the easiest way to do it? Using a mandoline, of course. But just because ...