Best Vegetable Choppers for Saving Time

Buying Guide

It’s probably no surprise that the more time you spend on food prep, the healthier you are. If you’re spending less than an hour a day on food preparation, convenience is likely top priority. You might be grabbing takeout on the run or relying on processed, packaged foods.

But the biggest reason more food prep equals better health is that vegetables take time. You’ll need to chop and peel them, season them and cook them. Unless you’re eating raw vegetables without dicing them up at all, you’re probably pulling the cutting board out at least a few times a week.

Technology has a solution for that, though. The right vegetable chopper can speed up the process, turning a time-consuming chore into something you can do in a few steps. The best thing about making vegetable chopping more convenient, though, is that it might encourage you to incorporate healthy ingredients into your meals more often, making for a better diet overall.

But not all food choppers are equal. A sharp blade doesn’t just make the cuts more efficient. With vegetables and other moisture-prone foods, a sharp blade can maintain its cut. That means instead of squashing the ingredients and making a mess, they’ll slice right through each item, dry or wet.

The blade is only one element of a good food chopper. You’ll want a nonskid base so that the chopper will remain stable while you’re chopping. The material of the exterior should be food-grade, and the mechanism that provides the chopping should be ergonomically designed to avoid hand fatigue while you’re working.

The biggest decision, though, is whether to go manual or electric. An electric food chopper reduces work on your part, but you’ll need to be concerned about the power source. Electric choppers can also be more expensive, so it’s important to determine whether a manual food chopper might be a better option for you.

• Look at the cleanup time of any chopper you choose. Some can be disassembled and tossed in the dishwasher, while others will have to be hand washed. If you choose a chopper that’s high maintenance, you might find yourself chopping vegetables by hand because you don’t want the work that comes after using your chopper.
• Some vegetables have moisture, which means the blade will get wet while doing its job. It’s important to thoroughly clean and dry your blades after each use to ensure they retain their sharpness.
• Before buying a vegetable chopper, take a look at its capacity. If you regularly chop large onions, for instance, you’ll want to make sure your chosen tool can handle that.
• Storage space is an important consideration with any new kitchen tool. If you’re slipping it into a cabinet for storage, choose one that will fit into your existing space. For a vegetable chopper you plan to store on the countertop, you’ll probably want to look for one that fits with your décor.
• Look at the functions of any vegetable chopper you’re considering. You’ll probably want one that will chop and dice, but if you want one that can slice, make sure the blades can handle that. Most choppers can’t spiral slice items like cucumbers, so you may need a separate tool for that job.
• The sharpness of the blades is only one consideration. You’ll also want one that can hold up with exposure to moisture without rusting or corroding. Stainless steel is the most popular blade material for that job, but make sure you’re getting top-quality steel. Even with stainless steel, you’ll need to make sure the chopper dries thoroughly before closing it up for storage.
• If your chopper disassembles for convenient, compact storage, take a look at the process to assemble it for use. If it’s too complicated, you’ll run the risk of skipping it in favor of chopping manually, especially for those smaller jobs.