What to Purchase As a substitute of a Meals Chopper

I like reducing up greens. There’s one thing therapeutic about grabbing my knife and dicing an onion or slicing delicate scallion slivers. However I get it—not everybody digs it. And once I was a prep cook dinner and needed to chop literal buckets of bell peppers and onions, I admit it wasn’t precisely a day on the spa. Generally you simply wish to press a button and out pops a superbly diced or sliced vegetable. 

Many a product has been peddled to do that process for you, with a current TikTok development shilling handbook meals choppers that resemble the sort hawked in infomercials within the late aughts (did anybody truly purchase and love a Slap Chop?). 

However, sorry to wreck it for you—most handbook meals choppers haven’t improved with time. They have a tendency to interrupt simply and the blades wedge into produce moderately than cleanly slicing by means of it. Plus, as an alternative of reducing neat cubes, oftentimes you get rectangles.

As a substitute of throwing your cash away on a doodad that’ll battle to cube a tomato, listed below are six various meals choppers that truly work properly and that possibly, simply possibly, will make meals prep extra fulfilling.

The Finest Meals Choppers

A Meals Processor for Dicing, Slicing, and Chopping 

Once I was a prep cook dinner, probably the greatest components of my day was slicing cucumbers for pickles. I’d lug out a ginormous Robotic Coupe food processor, slot within the slicing attachment, and get cracking: It whizzed out gallons of completely reduce rounds of cuke in a jiffy.

Meals processors are the closest factor you will get to a handbook chopper besides, hey, they do all of the onerous be just right for you. They will pulse, grind, blitz, slice, and chop, and all it’s important to do is press a tab or a button. Our favourite meals processors are from Cuisinart and Magimix and each sailed by means of our checks, simply pulverizing almonds and shredding carrots. Additionally they kneaded a supple and stretchy pizza dough—what handbook chopper can do this?

We’ve additionally reviewed mini food processors, that are nice if you wish to shortly pulse an onion into shards or whip up a dab of basil pesto. General, a very good meals processor (be it mini or full-sized) is a strong machine that’ll final for much longer (and do a greater job) than that plastic handbook chopper. 

A Mandoline for Paper-Skinny Slicing (and for Slicing Unbelievable French Fries) 

Wanna create fancy, elegant dishes that emulate these of your favourite froufrou restaurant? Get a mandoline. This contraption enables you to slice close to see-through items of produce: feathers of fennel, wisps of onion, and paper-thin items of potato. Mandolins are additionally nice for making good matchstick or crinkle-cut fries. You’ll impress your folks. You’ll impress your self. 

Since sliding your hand towards a blade may seem to be a nasty thought, seize an affordable pair of cut-resistant gloves or take a look at this safety mandoline that retains your hand removed from something sharp. 

A Garlic Press for Mincing Cloves 

Earlier than you roll your eyes, hear me out! For those who love this tiny potent allium as a lot as I do, a garlic press makes it simple so as to add clove after clove to any recipe. Simply pop the garlic in, give the handles a squeeze, and out pops some pungent bits of allium. It’s like these Play-Doh extruders of yore, however you possibly can truly eat the outcomes. I exploit our winner from OXO every day—it’s received grippy, mushy silicone handles and squeezes out bits of garlic with minimal effort. 

A Sharp Chef’s Knife—and a Paring Knife for Tiny Duties 

, sharp chef’s knife will make you a veritable meals prep grasp—onions, potatoes, and carrots will tremble in your wake. We’ve extensively reviewed every kind of blades, however one Severe Eats workers favourite is the Misono UX10. This knife arrives sharp and stays sharp even after reducing months’ value of produce. (I do know as a result of I’ve completed it.) Who wants a uninteresting, crosshatched handbook chopper when you possibly can personal a knife similar to this? The reply is no person. 

For those who don’t wish to spend that a lot on a chef’s knife, don’t fear, we received you. This knife from Mercer has lengthy been our budget-friendly choose for years. It’s sturdy, sharp, and properly balanced.  

A paring knife is one other helpful blade to have on the prepared. Its petite kind makes it nice for coring strawberries, supreming citrus, and plenty of different tiny prep duties. And one in every of our favorites from Victorinox is simply $14.

FAQs

What’s a handbook chopper?

A handbook meals chopper often includes a crisscrossed set of blades. Once you push down on the plastic high, the blades drive into a chunk of meals and “chop” it into items. 

What’s the greatest machine for chopping greens?

We could also be biased, however you possibly can’t go incorrect with a pointy chef’s knife and a meals processor. Whereas the previous offers you final precision and management, a meals processor pulverizes produce on the contact of a button. 

Why We’re the Consultants 

• Grace Kelly is a commerce editor at Severe Eats, the place she’s been reviewing kitchen gear for over two years.
• She was previously a prep cook dinner and a part of her job included breaking down literal buckets of produce. 
• She’s examined every kind of sharp issues, together with petty knives, and swears by her Cuisinart food processor.