Chopping Fresh Vegetables

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Amateur1

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Good Morning,

I buy fresh carrots, tomatoes, onions and spinach. Is there a device I can buy to chop them without having to cook them first? If possible, please could I have an Amazon link?
Secondly, is there something that would work on a fresh butternut squash, or does it need to be peeled first?
 
There are 'mini choppers' which will chop carrots and onions but you need to cut the veg into chunks first to fit in the device. Not sure why you want to chop spinach. It can be cooked as is with whole leaves. Tomatoes are so easy to chop that is probably not worth chopping them in a device.

I'm not particularly recommending this one as I haven't tried it myself but here is a link to the sort of thing:

Nutri-Q by Quest Mini Food Chopper with 0.5L Bowl, 2 Speeds with Turbo Boost, Mini Food Processor for Vegetables, Onion, and Salad - 260W

I used to have a mini chopper but found it wasn't too good at getting chunky pieces - it tended to finely chop them.
 
Last edited:
Amateur1 said:
Good Morning,

I buy fresh carrots, tomatoes, onions and spinach. Is there a device I can buy to chop them without having to cook them first? If possible, please could I have an Amazon link?
Secondly, is there something that would work on a fresh butternut squash, or does it need to be peeled first?
Click to expand...

I use a good sharp Chef's knife for all vegetables, even Carrots.

I don't think that everybody understands their Chef's Knives. A good Chef's Knife has a curve to the blade which allows it to be rocked forward and back as you push the item being cut under it. You can rest part of the blade on the cutting board and rock forward and back as you cut. It works very well and very quickly. Chopping down is a poor way to use these knives.

Of course, large items like big Onions and Potatoes don't apply with this method and must be sliced from the top edge down with the knife held above the cutting board.

Again, keep it sharp.

About the only other kitchen tool I use for cutting vegetables is a Mandoline Slicer which has the advantage of setting a fixed slice width. Mandoline Slicers are good for those larger items like Onions and Potatoes too.
 
I agree with both Morning Glory and flyinglentris. In addition, there are many, many options for chopping fresh vegetables.

I recommend that you search for the various type of choppers on YouTube and watch videos to see how they are implemented and which ones work for your chopping needs. There are SO MANY options available.

For me, in addition to having a food processor or Chef's knife, I use the following...all these are manual choppers.

1. The drawback to this type of tool is you can only get one size cut. It is also difficult to use if you have trouble with hand strength. I find myself having to put both hands on it and using my upper body to push it through. You also have to cut the vegetable(s) before placing them on the chopper.

Image1.png



2. I just found this item on my search. It is the same type as #1 but with different inserts for different cuts. I probably would have bought this one had I known about it before purchasing the other one.

Image3.png


3. This one is manual spinner. You just pull the string and a blade chops the contents. You continue to pull it to get smaller cuts. I've only used this type a few times and didn't really care for it because of my diminishing hand strength.

Image4.png


4. On this one, you press down and blades chop the vegetables. The drawbacks are food can sometimes get stuck in the blades that you have to dig out. This usually comes from not pressing it all the way down (which is hard to know when pressing) but it's a handy tool.

Image5.png


Hope this helps!
 
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mjd said:
I agree with both Morning Glory and flyinglentris. In addition, there are many, many options for chopping fresh vegetables.

I recommend that you search for the various type of choppers on YouTube and watch videos to see how they are implemented and which ones work for your chopping needs. There are SO MANY options available.

For me, in addition to having a food processor or Chef's knife, I use the following...all these are manual choppers.

1. The drawback to this type of tool is you can only get one size cut. It is also difficult to use if you have trouble with hand strength. I find myself having to put both hands on it and using my upper body to push it through. You also have to cut the vegetable(s) before placing them on the chopper.

View attachment 56455


2. I just found this item on my search. It is the same type as #1 but with different inserts for different cuts. I probably would have bought this one had I known about it before purchasing the other one.

View attachment 56456

3. This one is manual spinner. You just pull the string and a blade chops the contents. You continue to pull it to get smaller cuts. I've only used this type a few times and didn't really care for it because of my diminishing hand strength.

View attachment 56457

4. On this one, you press down and blades chop the vegetables. The drawbacks are food can sometimes get stuck in the blades that you have to dig out. This usually comes from not pressing it all the way down (which is hard to know when pressing) but it's a handy tool.

View attachment 56458

Hope this helps!
Click to expand...

Looks like the Slap-Chopper!! :whistling:
 
Amateur1 said:
Secondly, is there something that would work on a fresh butternut squash, or does it need to be peeled first?
Click to expand...

You can cut it in half, clean out the seeds/pulp, and roast it, then scoop out the flesh if you want it soft. If you want cubes, you have to peel. I cut the neck part off to make it easier, then either use a knife to peel or a vegetable peeler.
 
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