A large barrier of entry into the world of cooking is just how time-consuming it can be, especially if you have a lot of ingredients that need specific preparation. While not a one-stop shop, in preparation, you can save some energy and time with the help of a good food chopper.
The best food chopper is the KitchenAid 3.5-Cup Food Chopper. This is the best food chopper available on the market, though it does come at a high cost. The reverse spiral action blade is razor sharp and guarantees a uniform chop amongst almost all foods.
You might think that food choppers and processors are the same machines, but there are some key differences. Food choppers are designed specifically for chopping, while food processors include multiple styles of food preparation. Food processors are also larger, making them both harder to store and to clean.
There are two methods of powering a food chopper: by hand (manual) and electrically.
Manual: Manual food choppers chop food via the downward push of a button or pulling a cord. They’re perfect for small kitchens and small foods, great for cooking on the go and are cheaper and more energy-efficient. They do require a bit of strength to use, especially for harder foods, and they frequently have less space than electric food choppers.
Electric: Electric food choppers are more similar to food processors than their manual counterparts. They’re quick and easy to use, plus they’re powerful enough to puree softer foods. However, they are much less portable and usually cost more than a manual chopper.
The capacity of a food chopper can vary far greater than you might think. Some manual food choppers hold as little as a few tablespoons worth of chopped food, while certain electrical food choppers can hold as much as 3.5 cups. Try to think about how many servings of a meal you tend to make at once, and purchase a food processor with a large enough capacity to achieve those serving sizes.
Speed settings are exclusively for electric food choppers. Most electrical food processors will have a high and a low setting, with high settings generally meant for pureeing or finely dicing and the lower settings being used to achieve a standard chop.
Every food chopper is a little easier or harder to clean than the others, but it’s difficult to know based on the appearance and description. If ease of cleaning is important to you, make sure to read user reviews to find this information before you go through with your purchase.
Food choppers are very affordable devices before you consider how much time and effort they can save you, let alone after factoring in the bump in quality of life after purchase. Even the highest costing, best available brands rarely exceed the $30-$50 range, and if all you need is something basic for use here and there, you can find a manual food chopper for as little as $15.
A. Technically no, but you can chop such a wide variety of foods that it may as well be yes. They can even grind coffee for chef’s sake. Just keep in mind that softer foods will be more pulverized than chopped, and the better your food chopper, the wider the range of choppable foods you’ll have.
A. Most food choppers can be cleaned in the dishwasher, but be very careful. Check your owner’s manual to see if there are certain parts of your food chopper that aren’t dishwasher safe. Keep in mind that manual food choppers are more likely to be dishwasher safe than their electrical counterparts.
A. Aside from saving a tremendous amount of time and effort, using a food chopper makes it much less likely for you to cut yourself, can provide a more even chop especially if you are new to cooking and make it easier to cook healthier meals.
KitchenAid 3.5-Cup Food Chopper
What you need to know: Simply put, this KitchenAid food chopper is the best food chopper that money can buy.
What you’ll love: It’s easy to ensure a uniform chop of most foods thanks to the reverse spiral action blade.
What you should consider: It’s quite loud when in use, more so than many other food choppers.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon and Kohl’s
Chef’n VeggiChop Hand-Powered Food Chopper
What you need to know: While manually powered instead of electric, this food chopper still performs its task incredibly well.
What you’ll love: Despite being manual, the operation is quite easy and reliable. It’s also portable, as it needs no electricity.
What you should consider: It can be a little unnerving to clean thanks to its sharp blades and small chopping space.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon and Bed Bath & Beyond
What you need to know: This is a very low-priced option.
What you’ll love: Buyers should beware as the blade can be sharper, and the cleanup could be easier. Despite the issues, this food chopper still chops food fairly evenly.
What you should consider: Cleaning is difficult should you want to avoid taking apart the entire food chopper.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon, Kohl’s and Bed Bath & Beyond
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Jordan C. Woika writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
