We could all benefit from eating more fresh fruits and vegetables, and while we know just how good they are for us it’s a whole different matter putting it into practice. For many families across America, it’s easiest to just order take out or snack on unhealthy junk food options, and so we spend less time preparing wholesome and nutritious meals.
Seeing a need for an increase in good foods like fruit and vegetables with a reduction in spare time to cook, the vegetable chopper was invented, designed as a way to reduce your meal preparation time so that you could enjoy the better things in life.
These handy little devices are intended to take the hard work out of cutting, grating, slicing, and dicing, so you can prepare fresh fruits and vegetables for meal times without putting in countless hours each week.
Vegetable choppers can usually be found in some form or another in the average American home, but the latest range of these products are now more efficient and easy to use than ever. Just one vegetable chopper can do the job of many utensils, so not only are they handy but they can save on space too.
There are plenty of variations of vegetable chopper now available, so you have a better chance of finding something that suits your family’s needs exactly. Whether you want an electric chopper, a manual mandolin slicer, or something in between, there’s no doubt you’ll find what you’re looking for in the modern range of vegetable choppers.
In this article you will find out...
The Benefits Of Owning A Vegetable Chopper
Many people think that owning a vegetable chopper is just a great time saver, however, there are plenty of other benefits to be had as well. Here are just a few reasons why you might want to consider adding one to your kitchen toolkit, and what benefits it can give you and your family.
Improved Health
According to the Center for Disease Control, only one in 10 Americans gets enough fruit and vegetables in their day, with many falling short of the recommended amount. Using something like a vegetable chopper makes it easier to add vegetables to your meals and means you’re less likely to reach for unhealthy options.
Money Saving
When you use a vegetable chopper, you’re relying less on buying expensive take-out and snack foods and more on preparing meals at home. You’re able to cook and buy in bulk so you can freeze portions for later, saving your family hundreds on your grocery bill.
Improve Cooking Skills
With a quality vegetable chopper, you’ll have skills you never thought possible before with the ability to create spirals, julienne potatoes, and finely slice through vegetables to create meals that taste and look great too.
Saves Time
By far the biggest benefit to owning a vegetable chopper is the time it saves you, with some promising to reduce the time you spend preparing meals by 50%. This means you have more time to spend with family or relax, and you don’t miss out on any of the important nutrition.
The Different Types Of Vegetable Chopper
Although there are countless different designs of the vegetable chopper, the two main categories are manual and electric. There are quite a few things to consider before choosing either one, as each has their own pros and cons to the user.
Ultimately, it really depends on what types of meals you’ll be preparing and how often you’ll be using your vegetable chopper to decide on what’s best for you.
Manual vegetable choppers include many different varieties such as mandolin slicers which allow you to change through a number of blades and attachments to find something that suits your needs. They do require more effort to use than an electric vegetable chopper, with the upside being you have far greater control over how your vegetables and fruits turn out.
For those wanting something a little easier to use, you might consider an electric vegetable chopper. These usually feature a bowl or container where the ingredients are placed and blades that automatically do the chopping for you.
Although far easier to use and less hassle to clean, they automatic function means they can slice and dice quite finely so might not be ideal for jobs such as julienning potatoes.
Within each of these styles, there are again more factors to consider such as the attachments and blades within, how easy they are to clean and maintain, and the capacity of ingredients they can work with.
The main goal of a vegetable chopper is to reduce your work and motivate you to cook with fresh ingredients, so you should always shop for a style that is going to give you exactly that.
Materials Used In Vegetable Choppers
Most vegetable choppers are made from either plastic or stainless steel, with each of these having their own benefits. You’ll find that most kinds today use a blend of both stainless steel for the blades and plastic for the other parts, however, it’s not uncommon to even see glass utilized in some way as well.
The advantage of this is that you’re not tainting the food with any flavors or harmful materials, and so some may prefer it.
If you decide to shop for a plastic vegetable chopper, you need to be sure that it’s free from BPA or any other possible harmful materials as this will be coming into contact with your food and served to yourself and others.
According to WebMD, the risks associated with BPA can be particularly worrisome with young children, and so it’s essential to find one that is 100% free from BPA.
Stainless steel vegetable choppers are good, but you always need to shop for a quality type. Looking for something such as surgical stainless steel which can withstand a lot of abrasions and will last for many years, and preferably with blades that don’t require sharpening and maintenance.
Stainless steel is best for chopping fruits and vegetables, but it can also be dangerously sharp and should come with safety precautions included such as lockable lids and rubber grips on the device.
Which Style Is Best
When you hear of a vegetable chopper, you probably have a certain style pop into mind, and with a few popular choices around this is likely to differ for everyone. Vegetable choppers usually come with one specialized cut on offer or can do a variety of tasks, so it depends on what you need.
These are just a few of the more common styles of vegetable choppers, and what each of them offers:
Mandolin Slicer
The most common manual vegetable chopper, a mandolin slicer comes with many different blades and attachments. These can be changed and adjusted in some cases to provide different cuts, widths, and sizes, and they’re ideal for someone who wants just one device to do it all.
Vegetable Chopper
These are manual devices that usually feature a blade or blades that can be pushed down onto the produce to act as a knife, but with less effort required of the user. You can change the attachments sometimes to cube or slice, depending on what outcome you desire, however they require more work than an electric model.
Vegetable Dicer
A vegetable dicer is usually an electric style chopper which uses a motorized blade to cut through fruits and vegetables. These offer a quick and easy way to chop through large quantities of produce, however, there’s little chance to adjust the blades and attachments if you’re after specific cuts.
Food Processor
Although not technically just for chopping vegetables, food processors offer this as one of their main features. As an added bonus, a food processor can also mix up other things with fresh ingredients such as soups, salsas, dips and even healthy fruit based desserts. If you’re looking for more than just a chopper, this is a worthwhile investment for any kitchen.
How To Enhance Your Cooking With A Vegetable Chopper
For those who have never owned a vegetable chopper, it can be hard to imagine just how effective they are at reducing time in the kitchen.
These marvelous devices are not only great at helping you prepare dinner, but they can be used for any meals of the day and especially for creating healthy and simple snacks. Here are just a few suggestions for how you can use your vegetable chopper to save time and improve your healthy habits.
Salsa
Once you’ve had a try of homemade salsa, you’ll never want to purchase it in the jar again. A food chopper is the easiest way to create this Mexican favorite, and all you need to do is add the ingredients together and chop them finely.
- 1 x onion
- 2 x tomatoes
- 1 x garlic clove
- 1 x hot pepper
- Squeeze of lime juice
- Few leaves of cilantro
- A pinch of cumin, salt, and pepper
Place all of these ingredients into the bowl of your electric vegetable chopper and turn on until it creates a finely minced texture. Serve with corn chips or add to the top of your favorite Mexican dishes.
French Fries
As one of the most loved foods in this country, it’s great to know you don’t have to give up eating French fries when you make a switch to healthy habits. Using your vegetable chopper, you can easily create a healthy version that tastes better and is better for your waistline too.
Using the potato slicer function on your chopper, create fries to your preferred size and lay out baking paper on an oven tray in preparation. Sprinkle them with salt, pepper, and paprika, and cook lightly for a few minutes in a pan with a spray of oil. Once done, place into the oven on 400F and cook for an hour, turning them once.
Zoodles
There’s no reason you have to give up your favorite pasta dishes when you’re trying to eat better, and one of the easiest ways to do so is to swap your regular pasta for zoodles. These are noodles made from zucchini, and when cooked the right way can taste even better than regular ones.
Using the spiralizer of your vegetable chopper, run your zucchini through it, or more than one depending on the serving size. Add a little olive oil to a pan and saute the zoodles over medium heat for around 5 minutes until they become tender. Once done, serve with your favorite sauce and top with a sprinkle of cheese.
Top Makers Of Vegetable Choppers
When you begin your search for the best vegetable chopper, you’ll undoubtedly see a few names that continue to come up. These brands are known for making the top selling vegetable choppers due to their efficiency, practicality, versatility, and durability, which are all important features to look for in these devices.
Hamilton Beach
This American manufacturer prides themselves on making quality products that make life easier around the home. The Hamilton Beach vegetable chopper range includes both electric and manual devices that take the hard work out of preparing meals, and their products are always affordable.
Black And Decker
Although you might confuse Black and Decker for making just power tools and garden tools, this well-known brand actually makes a lot of innovative kitchen products too. A Black and Decker vegetable chopper is an electric style of device, and can quickly chop and dice your fruits and vegetables with a simple push of a button.
Mueller Austria
This beloved kitchen brand has some of the most innovative products on the market, and especially when it comes to vegetable dicers.
The Mueller Austria vegetable chopper range consists of a few different styles, with mandolin slicers being their most popular. This brand even offers the ability to adjust your slicing width giving you more options than most in terms of what you can create.
No matter which brand you choose for your vegetable chopper, always buy one with a solid reputation and good reviews. Often, other customers are the best way to tell whether you’re buying something quality, so opt for a vegetable chopper that’s been utilized the way you plan on using it and you won’t go wrong.
Caring For Your Vegetable Chopper
Just as you do with any beloved kitchen utensil, you should be taking the very best care of your vegetable chopper to ensure it lives a long and productive life in your home. Although every unique vegetable chopper will come with its own instructions for how best to care for it, there are some simple things you can do to keep it maintained and clean.
- Always rinse off your vegetable chopper directly after using, and ensure you keep all of the parts dry. This will prevent any rusting or jamming that can occur.
- Check to see if your vegetable chopper is dishwasher friendly, but be careful to note that not all parts may be. Only even place the attachments in the dishwasher if it’s been specified okay to do so.
- Some harder fruits and vegetables may not be suitable for use with your chopper, so if you feel that it might be too tough and you are applying too much pressure to get it through then you may need to stop trying.
- Although most blades won’t require sharpening or may even have a self-sharpening system, you may still want to sharpen them yourself. Be sure to wear protective gear and thoroughly clean off any filings or materials if you do decide to do so.
- If your chopper comes with a container or bowl, never overfill beyond the recommended capacity. This can cause to be chopped inadequately and can possibly overheat the motor attached to the blades.
- For any electric vegetable chopper, extra caution needs to be taken not to use around water or other liquids. If you find anything leaking from the chopping container, quickly wipe the area and turn the vegetable chopper off completely from the power source.
Although these products are relatively cheap, you’re able to get many more years of service if you just take a little effort to care for them. Keep your vegetable chopper cleaned and dried, and there should be little else you have to do to keep them in good working order.
Choosing The Best Vegetable Chopper
When you’ve decided that you want the efficiency and ease that only a vegetable can offer, you need to consider a few things before you decide on one that’s right for you. Here are a few questions to consider that can help you narrow down the search to find one that will suit your meal preparation needs.
Where Do I Want To Keep It
Although there are some that store away in the cupboard, two other popular types include a countertop mounted vegetable cutter or a wall mounted vegetable cutter. The mounted types are better for stability, however, they can be harder to clean and move around if needed.
What Type Of Cut Do I Need
If you’re after a specialized type of cut from your vegetable chopper you should shop for this, otherwise look for one that is versatile in what it does. This will give you more options for what you can prepare, and the chance to experiment with recipes as well.
What Materials Do I Want
The two most common types of materials used for vegetable choppers are stainless steel and plastic, however, you can also find others such as silicone and glass. Look for something easy to clean and maintain, as this product will be getting a lot of use in your kitchen.
Is Electric Or Manual Better For Me
The main pro with an electric is that it’s less effort and you can place your vegetables in and press a button for results, however, a manual gives you more control over what you’re creating and the type of cut you get. It will depend on the person and types of meals you’re creating as to what’s more convenient for them.
Are There Any Other Features I Need
Some added features you might find include a pulse button, storage containers that allow you to chop directly without making a mess, and adjustable knobs that let you control the width and length of your cuts.
The Must Have Kitchen Accessory
There isn’t one of us who couldn’t benefit from eating more nutritious and healthy fresh meals, but with so many things that rob us of our time, it can be near impossible to do. Inventions like the vegetable chopper were created specifically to solve this problem, and that’s exactly what they do.
With the right vegetable chopper in your kitchen toolkit, you can whip up fresh and nutritious meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, all using the one simple device.
With so many different styles and materials on offer, though, you really need to shop around to find one that suits your needs. Whether you’re cooking for just yourself or many, want an electric or manual device, or want a number of attachments to choose from, there’s bound to be the perfect vegetable chopper to suit your needs.
There’s no reason that we should have to sacrifice on eating a healthy and balanced diet just because we’re time poor, and the sooner we stop relying on takeout and quick fix junk food options the better.
With a vegetable chopper at home, you’re able to reduce the time spent preparing meals by half so that you can get on with enjoying life, and in the process, you’ll be teaching your family about the importance of good nutrition too.