Girlfriend wanted wine so I brought up a spare fermenter from my other house, giving lemon wine a shot. This will be my first proper wine (that I won’t be immediately turning into brandy) Glad to be back at it after the hectic holidays. I want to make an orange brandy next, but after slicing 50 lemons by hand (I don’t own a mandolin) I think I need a short break from slicing citrus.

  • @[email protected]
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    74 months ago

    If you’re making brandy frequently, a $50 mandoline and a $45 chain mail glove (not just anti-cut, they make some out of actual metal. You want one of those) sounds like an investment that you’ll get a lot of use out of.

    Do not get a handheld mandoline. They are useless and you will cut yourself with that thing.

    I was a chef for over 20 years, and have been cooking for almost 40. I love both my mandoline and my glove. I’ve never cut myself with a mandoline yet.

      • @[email protected]
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        44 months ago

        Yeah, they just cost around $50 rather than the cheap $10 handheld ones. They have legs or a stand and sit on the counter above a cutting board or bowl

        • @[email protected]OP
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          14 months ago

          Just letting you know I bought one with stands and a chain mail glove. Should be in tomorrow. Appreciate the recommendation!

          • @[email protected]
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            14 months ago

            No worries! Once you’re comfortable with a mandolin, making the thinnest of slices is a breeze, so working in the kitchen becomes even more fun. :)

            • @[email protected]OP
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              24 months ago

              I’m looking forward to trying it out! Already bought the 16 pounds of mandarins to do the test run for my next batch!

        • @[email protected]
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          64 months ago

          Oh ok, I thought maybe there were electric ones or something like that. Thanks for the clarification.

    • @[email protected]OP
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      24 months ago

      Nice! Appreciate the tip! I’ll definitely keep it in mind depending on how this wine turns out and how the eventual orange brandy goes. most of my brandies I use much easier fruit to work with, but I love the idea of citrus brandies so $100 seems like a fair investment