What to Purchase As an alternative 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 after 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. Typically you simply need to press a button and out pops a superbly diced or sliced vegetable. 

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

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

As an alternative of throwing your cash away on a doodad that’ll battle to cube a tomato, listed here are six different meals choppers that really work properly and that perhaps, simply perhaps, will make meals prep extra pleasant.

The Greatest Meals Choppers

A Meals Processor for Dicing, Slicing, and Chopping 

Once I was a prep cook dinner, the most effective elements 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 lower rounds of cuke in a jiffy.

Meals processors are the closest factor you may get to a handbook chopper besides, hey, they do all of the onerous give you the results you want. They will pulse, grind, blitz, slice, and chop, and all it’s a must 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 exams, 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 rapidly pulse an onion into shards or whip up a dab of basil pesto. General, 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 Chopping 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 would possibly seem to be a nasty concept, seize an inexpensive 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! Should you 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 may really eat the outcomes. I exploit our winner from OXO every day—it’s acquired grippy, comfortable silicone handles and squeezes out bits of garlic with minimal effort. 

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

A superb, 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’ price of produce. (I do know as a result of I’ve performed it.) Who wants a uninteresting, crosshatched handbook chopper when you may personal a knife equivalent to this? The reply is no person. 

Should you don’t need to spend that a lot on a chef’s knife, don’t fear, we acquired 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 barely $14.

FAQs

What’s a handbook chopper?

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

What’s the finest machine for chopping greens?

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

Why We’re the Specialists 

• 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.