Slicing, chopping and dicing food in the kitchen can be a tedious and time-consuming task. Most people naturally use knives for this daily chore, but food choppers can make life much easier! The best food chopper is one of those kitchen tools you never knew you needed; it turns what is usually a half-hour job into something you easily get done in just a matter of minutes.
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Food Chopper vs. Food Processor
Food choppers can either be manual or electric. Electric food choppers are pretty similar to food processors; both are prep appliances designed to chop foods. However, food processors have slightly more functionality with the added capabilities to mince, puree, slice, shred and even knead dough.
Therefore, you probably don't need a vegetable chopper if you already have a food processor. That said, food processors tend to be bulkier and more expensive than food choppers. So, if you simply want a tool to largely chops onions, garlic and vegetables, a food chopper is a pocket-friendly option that gets the job done well.
Why You Need a Food Chopper
The best food chopper can be one of those handy tools in your kitchen whose benefits are usually simple yet significant:
- Saves Time - A food chopper can be a huge time saver since it dices, minces and even slices onions and vegetables in seconds or just a few minutes.
- Reduces Mess - It makes chopping less messy since foods are chopped inside a container, thus preventing them from flying off a cutting board.
- Reduces Waste - When you're using a vegetable chopper, you can see how much food you're making, meaning there's less chance of vegetables and fruits going to waste.
- Safety- A food chopper is a safer and easy way to slice and dice with a lower risk of accidental cuts than using a knife. That also means they are safer when you have kids helping in the kitchen.
- Versatility - Using a vegetable chopper with different blades and attachments allows you to chop vegetables in various ways.
What Can You Chop with a Food Chopper?
Plenty! Vegetable choppers, at a minimum, are excellent for chopping up hard veggies, such as onions and potatoes. They can equally chop up hard spices and fresh herbs, as well as pulverize soft produce; for example, you can turn tomatoes into salsa. Some advanced models come with multiple attachments that can dice, spiral, and even julienne, among other uses.
Other than chopping and dicing veggies and fruits, there's still a lot more you can do with a vegetable chopper. You can use it to cut boneless meats into smaller pieces for your recipes. Some models, particularly electric models or choppers with a pull cord, can also grind nuts and make various dips such as pesto, salsa, guacamole, etc.
Some vegetable choppers feature a salad spinner, which allows you to prepare a bowlful of fresh and tasty salad even before you can say knife.
Which is the best food chopper?
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Here are our 10 top picks for the best food choppers:
1. Fullstar Vegetable Chopper
- 4 interchangeable blades let you julienne, chop and slice vegetables with ease. Built-in...
- Rust resistant heavy-duty 420 stainless steel retains razor sharpness for crisp, smooth...
- Soft grip handle with rubberized tpu enhances leverage while the non-skid base ensures...
- BPA Free. This compact chopper measures just 10.63”L x 4.72”H x 4.48”W. It can be...
- Read the manual carefully - Please read the instruction manual provided with the Fullstar...
The Fullstar Vegetable Chopper is an excellent addition to any kitchen. It comes with 4 detachable blades for 7 different functions, meaning you can use it to dice, slice, mice and even juice various fruits and vegetables. It even includes an egg slicer and a peeler.
This versatile chopper comes with a user-friendly chop lid and a large container to meet all your chopping needs. Its heavy-duty 420 stainless steel blades are resistant to corrosion and chip damage. Furthermore, the razor-sharp edges make a breeze of cutting through all vegetables, hard and soft.
It also features a rubberized TPU handle to give you a better grip. In addition, the non-slip base ensures it doesn't move around when you're using it. Just as important, it's made of BPA-free ABS plastic to ensure that your food is safe.
Pros
Cons
2. Hamilton Beach Food Processor & Vegetable Chopper
- Bowl scraper attachment: Special attachment scrapes the sides of the bowl to keep...
- 10 cup capacity: The generous 10 cup bowl can handle large volumes of foods without having...
- Large feed chute: Can fit large foods like a whole block of cheese for quick, easy...
- Versatility of a food processor, food chopper and vegetable chopper: Reversible stainless...
- 2 speeds plus pulse and 450 watts of power: Food processor's low and high speeds plus...
Most manual choppers need some pre-cutting to fit in the container, but this electric vegetable chopper handles various whole vegetables with ease. The 10-cup capacity bowl can chop many large vegetables at the same time. Moreso, it includes a large chute to allow you to add more ingredients as it pulses.
As a food processor and vegetable chopper hybrid, it has two speeds and a pulsing option. It also features two interchangeable stainless steel blades to chop, slice, shred, mince and puree. Additionally, it includes a scraper attachment so that you never have to reach out for that silicone spatula.
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3. CuisinArt Mini-Prep Plus Food Processor
- SUPERIOR FUNCTION: The Cuisinart 250-watt mini prep plus food processor quickly chops and...
- CONTROL: Push-button control panel with durable yet lightweight plastic body -...
- EASY CLEAN UP: Dishwasher-safe bowl and lid for easy clean up, wipe the motor base clean...
- INCLUDED: Comes with a 24-ounce work bowl with handle, stainless steel blade with sharp...
- LIMITED 18-MONTH WARRANTY: Refer to user manual for troubleshooting steps and questions...
This vegetable chopper and mini food processor won't pull up trees like a full-size food processor, but it makes a breeze of chopping everything from nuts to apples to zucchini. It can emulsify salad dressing or blend smaller amounts of food into purees. That means you even use it to make smooth peanut butter.
The bowl has a 3-cup capacity, enough to hold onions or a batch of salsa. It comes with two buttons for its two main functions; chopping, where the blade spins to cut through food with the sharp edge and grinding, where the blade batters food with the flat edge.
The package also includes a small spatula. Just as key, the blade, bowl and lid are dishwasher safe to make cleaning easier.
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4. KitchenAid 3.5 Cup Food Chopper
- Quickly chop, mix and puree, every day
- Two speeds and Pulse
- Simple, one-touch operation
- 3.5 cup BPA-free work bowl with pour spout, handle and locking blade
- Drizzle basin
This 3.5-cup vegetable chopper will do the job when you have serious food prep. It works by pressing the top down at the handle, meaning it's easy to pulse or run it continuously. It has two operating speeds, allowing it to perform well when chopping most vegetables, making tomato puree and peanut butter, but it might not do well with green peppers.
It features a nifty pouring spout for letting liquids out and a drizzle hole in the lid for slowly adding liquids to purees or making emulsified sauces. It also comes with a whipping blade that can be detached and stored in the mixer bowl.
All parts that come into contact with food are dishwasher safe to make cleaning easy. Like most KitchenAid appliances, this chopper comes in different colors to help you find an option that matches your kitchen decor or preference.
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5. Brieftons Express Food Chopper
- ✅ THE ANSWER TO BORING, TEDIOUS CHOPPING JOBS: Are you spending too much time chopping...
- ✅ POWERFUL & BUILT TO LAST: Unlike other choppers that are prone to breakage and...
- ✅ MORE CONVENIENT, QUIETER & LESS MESSY: Electric food choppers are powerful however...
- ✅ LARGE CAPACITY & SAFE TO USE: 6.8-Cup Capacity. Features a sharp stainless steel...
- ✅ A PERFECT GIFT FOR ALL OCCASIONS: What else can make a better gift for your loved ones...
This vegetable chopper is built to last and withstand heavy-duty use. Its manual operation allows you to chop and mix your food with great precision, so you can always find the perfect texture. It also includes a plastic mixer attachment to mix batter, beat eggs or whip cream.
The 6.8-cup capacity means you can prep a decent amount of food at a time. Furthermore, it doesn't produce too much notice when in operation. On top of that, it's fairly easy to take apart and clean, plus it's dishwasher safe.
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6. Kuhn Rikon Pull Chopper
- Save time spent on preparation and chopping - cut a wide variety of foods in seconds with...
- Pull the cord approx. 5 times for coarse cuts, approx. 10 times for fine cuts and approx....
- Ideal for fruit, vegetables, garlic, herbs, boiled eggs, breadcrumbs etc - it’s even...
- 2-cup capacity container (diameter = 5”; height = 4.5”) stays in place via a non-slip...
- Container is both microwave and dishwasher safe (wash the lid by hand). A blade protector...
The Kuhn Rikon Pull Chopper goes against the grain and employs a pulling action that turns the blade, just like the pull-start action on a lawnmower. It features a non-skid ring on the base of the bowl to prevent it from slipping. Therefore, one hand can rest on top while the other pulls the handle.
This chopper holds about 2 cups, a decent capacity for prepping onions or making a bowl of salsa. The lid is easy to lift off, meaning you can empty and reload it fairly easily. It also comes with a plastic part on top of the blade assembly to protect your hands from the very sharp blades.
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7. OXO Good Grips Chopper
- Wave-pattern blades rotate evenly, chopping onions, nuts and other ingredients with...
- Non-slip knob makes chopping safe and easy
- Scoop out chopped ingredients with included spoon, or snap lid on for a quick container
- Blade cartridge unscrews for speedy cleanup
- Symmetrical blade makes reassembly simple, knob locks down for smart storage
If you're looking for a compact vegetable chopper, this 1-cup option from OXO Good Grips is an excellent choice. It's mostly best for prepping ahead since the cup comes with a cover for proper storage. It also has a little spatula hanging on the inside to help you scoop out a little of your chopped food or scrape it out.
The blades are designed in a wave pattern and rotate to produce even chopping. The non-skid base ensures the chopper doesn't move around the counter while in use. It's also easy to disassemble is also dishwasher safe.
For those who do a lot of prepping ahead, you can buy additional bowls with covers separately.
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8. Kwit-Kut Cutlery Serrated Food Chopper
- Kwik Kut serrated food chopper for mincing and chopping nuts, fruits and vegetables,...
- Proudly made in America; stainless steel chopping ring measures 2. 875-Inch x. 75-Inch,...
- Simply Use up-and-down motion until desired texture is achieved; tenderize meat and blend...
- Chop fruit, nuts, vegetables, salads, tuna, hard boiled eggs, onions, coleslaw, potatoes...
- Sturdy, durable, easy to use and clean; will never rust; much easier to clean than size A...
This retro-style one-piece chopper is incredibly popular for its simplicity; it doesn't have moving parts or even a jar. It's most effective when used on a flat-bottom bowl. You simply just push it down to chop your foods.
The chopper is made entirely of stainless steel, but it should be strictly hand-washed. It's best used for softer foods, like mushrooms, rather than hard vegetables. It should come in quite handy for making an egg or tuna salad in a shallow bowl or chopping avocado for salsa.
There's an upscale version that comes with a longer handle that can chop veggies in a pot. There's also a non-serrated version that is best for cutting cookies and biscuits.
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9. Zyliss Zick Food Chopper
- High quality stainless steel blade rotates with each chop for consistent, even chopping....
- The Zickzick is great for vegetables like Onion, Peppers, Garlic, Carrots, and additional...
- Handle locks down for safe and compact storage in kitchen drawer or cabinet
- Includes lid and storage cup to keep food fresh after chopping
- Blade cover protects fingers while in use and easily removes to clean in dishwasher
The Zyliss Zick Vegetable Choppers comes with a zig-zag blade as opposed to the typical X-blade, thus achieving more cuts per push. The blade also spins with each push to chop your food more evenly. It also features wipers to scrape food off the blade with every cut to prevent large pieces of food from getting stuck on the blade.
The cup is made up of two parts- an inner cup to hold food and an outer shroud. The inner cup has a cover that comes in handy when you want to store your prepped food. You can still use the chopper without the inner cup; instead, you can place the outer shroud on a cutting board. The unit is easy to take apart for cleaning and is dishwasher safe.
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10. MOSAIC Food Chopper
- POWERFUL AND DUABLE - 400W powerful motor and 4 Titanium Coating Blades, make it possible...
- MULTI-FUNCTIONAL PROCESSOR - More than just a meat grinder, the machine can be used for...
- Efficient Garlic Peeler - The food processor come with a rubber blade, can peel garlic...
- EASY TO USE AND STORAGE - Build with a safety function make it safer and user-friendly,...
- EASY TO CLEAN - Easy to assemble, all removable parts clean up dishwasher safe or easily...
If you're looking for a cordless electric chopper, it's harder to find a better option than the MOSAIC food chopper. It has a battery that can chop up to 40 onions on a single full charge. It takes about two hours to charge fully, although a 10-minute charge at low battery is enough to chop up up to 11 more onions.
This 5-cup capacity has two speeds to chop, mix, puree and even whip cream. The unit also comes with a versatile stainless steel blade for chopping and blending, including a whisking accessory. All parts can be stored inside the chopper, and it even includes a case for easy storage.
Pros
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Factors to Consider in the Best Food Chopper
1. Manual vs. Electric Food Chopper
The main consideration when looking for the best food chopper essentially boils down to whether you want a manual chopper or an electric one. Each one has its pros and cons:
a). Manual Choppers
Manual choppers are the most common type and are usually cheaper and easier to use. They typically operate using a cutting grid and a container to hold the chopped food. Manual vegetable choppers are excellent for cutting vegetables such as onions, carrots, celery, peppers and mushrooms. For bigger food items, one needs to cut them down to smaller sizes that can fit in the chopper.
While a manual food chopper still needs a bit of effort to chop down veggies, it's still much easier and faster to use than doing it by hand. Plus, they are quite compact, meaning they don't take up too much storage space.
b). Electric Choppers
Electric choppers are practically mini food processors. They're designed for rough chopping, like manual choppers, as well as making small amounts of purees. Electric food choppers are easier and faster to use than their manual counterparts since they operate at the press of a button, making them a great way to shorten prep time.
Electric vegetable choppers also take up very little counter space, but they also require access to a power outlet. However, some cordless models run on batteries. Due to the smaller sizer than full-size food processors, electric choppers usually come with one blade. That means they're great for making salad dressing, emulsified sauces and mayonnaise but might not be the best for making doughs, purees and harder sauces.
2. Size/Capacity
Food choppers usually hold between 1 and 6 cups of food, with a 3-cup processor being the most common size. What works best for you depends on how many people you're cooking for and how many veggies you need to prep.
The bigger the meals, the bigger the capacity you need to avoid working in batches to prepare all the vegetables. Conversely, if you're only prepping for one or two people, a smaller 1-cup holder should suffice.
Smaller vegetable choppers are ideal for prepping smaller veggies such as garlic, ginger, nuts and herbs. Larger choppers are better for bigger items, such as onions, peppers, carrots and celery.
3. Ease of Use
Ease of use narrows down to whether it is manual or electric. While both are pretty effective at the task, an electric vegetable chopper certainly cuts down more labor out of the process. As much as electric choppers are more expensive, operating them is as straightforward as pushing a button.
For manual vegetable choppers, you'll probably need to cut the food into smaller pieces to fit. This definitely adds a few minutes to prep time, but a manual chopper is still a massive time saver than chopping vegetables by hand.
4. Blade Type
Most food choppers come with stainless steel blades due to their resistance to rust and corrosion. This is critical because the blades will come into contact with a lot of moisture-heavy foods such as tomatoes and onions. Furthermore, stainless steel is extremely durable and pretty easy to maintain.
This durability also ensures that shards of stainless steel don't end up in your food, and the blade lasts a long time. If your chopper doesn't come with a stainless steel blade, it would be best to care for it differently and replace it regularly. The instruction manual should walk you through how to clean and maintain it properly.
5. Maintenance
Most vegetable choppers, including parts like bowls, lids and blades are usually dishwasher-safe. Nevertheless, if you want to maintain the integrity and sharpness of the blade, it would be best to wash it by hand.
Unfortunately, chopper blades cannot be sharpened, meaning it's essential to give them the best possible care. While the blade might last a long while, you might notice it dulling over time, at which point it's worth replacing it. Fortunately, some brands come with replacements to ease the hassle of looking for a new one.
You should also consider soaking the parts in hot soapy water to remove residue. You can use a bottle brush or toothbrush to get into the nooks and crannies inside the chopper, around the blade and the tube.
Remember, for electric food processors, ensure the appliance is unplugged and cooled down if you're wiping the base with a hot, damp cloth. More so, never dip the electronic base in water.
6. Safety Features
The best vegetable choppers come with additional safety features to avoid accidents in the kitchen as much as possible. For instance, you can look for a non-skid base to prevent the chopper from moving around on the surface. A locking lid can be just as important to secure the blade so that it doesn't come loose during operation.
If you're fairly clumsy, a chopper with a protective finger guard can help you avoid cutting yourself when handling your food. Others also come with protective loves that protect your entire hand from the blade.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Food Choppers
1. Can you double a food chopper as a mini food processor?
Yes, a mini chopper can double as a food processor. In fact, it's a decent alternative for most people who want to save on storage space and money. That said, it also depends on how intensively you usually use a food processor. A good number of the choppers featured on our list can easily blend, mince and pulverize, just like a typical food processor.
2. Can a food chopper chop cooked meat?
It depends on two things; the chopper and the meat. Ham makes for easy chopping with either a manual or electric food chopper, thanks to its tender texture. Most choppers can easily handle chopping cooked chicken breast too. However, a medium-rare steak can be harder to chop for most food choppers.
3. Can a food chopper make peanut butter?
Electric food choppers that can double as mini food processors can be used to make purees, including peanut butter. In principle, you can also use a manual chopper to do the same thing, but it would take a lot more time and effort to make any practical sense.
4. Can a food chopper make smoothies?
It normally depends on the type of vegetable chopper you're using. An electric food chopper or a model with a pull cord can make smoothies. However, it's worth noting it might be a bit harder to get the perfect texture for your smoothies with some choppers.
5. What is the difference between chopped and diced?
Chopped usually refers to larger pieces of vegetables, say onions. On the other hand, diced refers to smaller and finer veggies.
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