While all of us know how important it is to eat the recommended vegetables and fruits, not all of us, children especially, are not happy to eat them. Therefore a home cook has to be creative enough to make innovative dishes out of those ingredients. Here is the moment when food chopper steps into the picture.
A food chopper can help you in chopping large batches of fruits and vegetables in a short period of time and thus help you include these healthy goodies in various dishes. A chopper is certainly much faster copping solution than a knife; so, it saves time and makes preparing healthy breakfasts and meals much easier.
However, there are hundreds of food choppers on the market that, so it can confusing and complicated to choose the right one. Each one has different specifications and features so, comparing apples to apples is virtually impossible. Read more here to get tips to make it easy for you to choose a chopper that can best suit your needs.
1. Capacity
Perhaps the first and foremost thing to consider is the capacity. The standard capacity of food choppers is around 3-4 cups which can be sufficient for a four members family. Although smaller sizes than this can have a number of uses, they can sometimes be limiting.
You can even see a range of capacities including 8 cups, 10-12 cups or even 14-16 cups. These are generally used by bread bakers, professionals, and very large families. Thus, to decide the capacity, you should consider what quantity of food you’ll have to chop at a time in the chopper. Keep in mind that very large capacity is useless when you are looking for grating ingredients like a few garlic cloves, chili peppers or an inch of ginger.
2. Ease of Assembly and Use
This appliance is not very complicated to assemble and use, but it’s always preferred to read the user manual, no matter how tech-savvy the user is. Preferably look for the one with the safety feature of not starting unless being fitted perfectly. This will ensure the safety of hands.
3. Power and Speed
Electric choppers typically function by pulse. They have various speeds and settings for different jobs. The important point you should check is the power and speed needed for the jobs you are intending to do with it. If it doesn’t have enough power for example to shred a block of hard cheese, the engine could burn out and your appliance will be damaged.
4. Blades
Most blades on choppers and processors are stainless steel because it is rust-resistant and it has less risk to corrode over time. This is particularly important when you cut more of the watery foods like cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions. All in all, stainless steel blades need little to no maintenance at all. It’s also highly strong and durable, and it also has less risk of cracking which is important because you don’t want to add dangerous metal shreds to your food. Last but not least, stainless steel is suitable to come in contact with food and doesn’t require any coating at all. It leaks not metallic taste in your food. This keeps your food pure and fresh.
There are other types of blades too which can be used for a particular purpose. For example, blunt blades are designed for kneading the dough. It’s claimed by several manufacturers that their blades are dishwasher-safe. But it’s a good idea to hand wash blades to make sure they don’t dull too soon.
5. Functionality
If you are planning to use your chopper a lot, it’s a good idea to invest in a larger capacity appliance. In that case, you’ll have to consider what the chopper can or cannot do. For example, some electric choppers have a built-in “3-in-1 (or more) function” and they can chop, mix, slice, grind, dry, etc.
You’ll find some models that have many different blades and attachments, which might be appealing at the first glance, but in fact, might not be very useful to you at all; so, you can go for a model that has only the features that you’ll really use. In that case, you can save some money.
6. Manual or Electric
Both have their own advantages; thus, it only depends on what you are going to use the chopper for and where. While manual choppers are excellent for camp trailers (because they don’t need a power grid), their compact size, lightness, and many features can also make them a good addition to small kitchens. Of course, electric choppers are great when you have a busy schedule and still want to maintain healthy eating habits. As mentioned above, the electric chopper is up to ten times faster in cutting and chopping than a traditional knife. Besides saving your time, it also offers precision in chopping and cutting in an innovative way. Electric choppers are also great for people with arthritis or other mobility issues or ones with less strong arms and hands. Electric ones are also very easy to use to the extent that even children can use them and in general.
7. Ease of Cleaning
If you are looking for something that will need low maintenance, you should better go for the food processor with dishwasher-safe parts. This is particularly useful for those with busy schedules. Of course, as mentioned above you’ll be better off washing the blades with hands preferably in order to maintain their sharpness.
So, are you now all set to buy the perfect food chopper for you?
Nina Smith