What to Purchase As a substitute of a Meals Chopper

I really like chopping 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 prepare 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 wonderfully diced or sliced vegetable. 

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

However, sorry to destroy it for you—most guide meals choppers haven’t improved with time. They have an inclination to interrupt simply and the blades wedge into produce moderately than cleanly slicing by way of it. Plus, as an alternative of chopping 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 different meals choppers that really work nicely and that perhaps, simply perhaps, will make meals prep extra pleasurable.

The Finest Meals Choppers

A Meals Processor for Dicing, Slicing, and Chopping 

After I was a prep prepare dinner, among the finest components of my day was slicing cucumbers for pickles. I’d lug out a ginormous Robotic Coupe meals 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 guide chopper besides, hey, they do all of the onerous be just right for you. They will pulse, grind, blitz, slice, and chop, and all you must do is press a tab or a button. Our favourite meals processors are from Cuisinart and Magimix and each sailed by way of our checks, simply pulverizing almonds and shredding carrots. Additionally they kneaded a supple and stretchy pizza dough—what guide chopper can try this?

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

A Mandoline for Paper-Skinny Slicing (and for Slicing Improbable 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 mates. You’ll impress your self. 

Since sliding your hand towards a blade may appear to be a foul concept, seize an affordable pair of cut-resistant gloves or try this security 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 possibly can truly eat the outcomes. I exploit our winner from OXO each day—it’s received grippy, delicate silicone handles and squeezes out bits of garlic with minimal effort. 

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

A great, 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 Critical Eats employees favourite is the Misono UX10. This knife arrives sharp and stays sharp even after chopping months’ price of produce. (I do know as a result of I’ve achieved it.) Who wants a boring, crosshatched guide chopper when you possibly can personal a knife resembling this? The reply is no one. 

Should you 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 lots of different tiny prep duties. And considered one of our favorites from Victorinox is just $14.

FAQs

What’s a guide chopper?

A guide meals chopper normally contains a crisscrossed set of blades. While 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 unsuitable 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 Critical Eats, the place she’s been reviewing kitchen gear for over two years.
• She was previously a prep prepare 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 meals processor.