Fullstar offers a complete package of products in one purchase. The Fullstar Mandoline Slicer includes a push block cutter, with a large collection bin, and a mandoline accessory with a handguard, as well as an adjustable spiralizer. This lets you do just about anything from cut your French fries, to making curly fries, slicing up your own zucchini noodles, or just dice up an onion for some pico de gallo.
The plastic components are all BPA-free, and the heavy-duty, razor-sharp cutting blades are made from stainless steel. The collection bin is large, however, it doesn’t fully seal. So, if you want to bring a salad with you to work or on a picnic, you’ll have to put it in a separate Tupperware container.
The trade-off here is that it has a removable tray. It is handy for times when you want to work in large batches, or you simply need to switch from one type of vegetable to another without having to open the top.
The spiralizer included in the purchase is also very handy as it lets you cut attractive vegetable noodle strands, and on its largest setting, you could even make some small curly fries.
The Original Vidalia Chop Wizard
- Chopper and dicer blade assemblies
- The container has measurements on it for specific recipes
- Stainless steel blades and dishwasher safe plastic
Chop Wizard was one of the first vegetable choppers to rise to popularity. It’s long-term staying power is none-the-less a testament to its overall quality and simplicity. There are only two stainless steel cutting blade assemblies. One for chopping and the other for dicing. All the components are dishwasher safe, though you should put them on the top shelf.
It uses a hinged push plate to manually drive the fruit or vegetables through the blade assembly. The durable plastic container underneath also has volumetric measuring lines. This lets you know just how much of your chopped or diced material you have for a specific recipe. Though you make need to jostle it at little to get chopped pieces to level out.
For some people, a traditional mandoline slicer seems a little bit dangerous. This is because many of them have awkward handguards that tempt people into using them improperly. To answer this very real concern Dash designed their DSM100GBAQ04 Mandoline
for safety while adding functionality and versatility.
It uses a special type of push block that is designed to securely holds the food, without letting your fingers get anywhere near the razor-sharp, stainless steel cutting blades. By engineering it to stand up gravity helps feed the food being sliced with minimal risk of it shifting. This also makes it easier to control the force being applied.
When you aren’t using it the Dash DSM100GBAQ04 can collapse down small enough to fit in most kitchen drawers. So, it’s also a great space saver!
WHAT WE HAVE ON THIS PAGE
How We Picked
Vegetable choppers originally started as very simple devices that you could slap, slam, or slide to break vegetables down into convenient pieces. Chances are good if you watched a little late-night TV you probably saw a few on infomercials. They’re especially handy devices for people who want to break down onions, peppers, and other common vegetables without having to put their fingers near a knife blade.
Of course, their early, and impressive popularity inspired a wide spectrum of manufacturers to try their hand at offering models in stores as well as online. Some are very much a manual version of an electric food processor, while others simply replicate what you could do with a knife and impressive manual dexterity.
While reviewing this diverse field, we tried to look for units that had features that helped them stand out a little from their nearest competitors. This starts with the way the manual force is applied.
Pull Cord Vegetable Choppers
A pull cord vegetable chopper is arguably as close to a traditional food process as you can get without actually plugging a device into an electric socket. This type of device usually has a recoil cord that’s a little bit reminiscent of the pull cord on your lawnmower, only smaller.
When you pull on it, the internal blades on the cylinder spin, which drives the cutting blades through the food being cut. The more time you pull the more the food is broken down. With some of these vegetable choppers, the blade itself is enough to essentially mix the food. Though some have mixing attachments, which is handy if you want to make sauces like pico de gallo or guacamole where the vegetables might be different textures.
With these, we looked for quality materials and engineering principles to keep the moving parts from breaking down or jamming. We also tried to keep an eye out for a model that just used blades as well as one with a mixer or other accessories.
Push Plate Vegetable Choppers
They sometimes seem a little simplistic, as all you do is push down on a hinged lid or plate that drives the vegetable through your preferred blade assembly. As you can imagine there’s a little bit of extra elbow grease necessary to cut very hard vegetables. Still, if you are willing to put in the extra effort, a deeper unit might allow you to make fresh-cut French fries.
With these, we tried looking for blade assemblies that were robust enough to handle firm vegetables. Just in case you wanted to cut fresh French fries. Ones with multiple blade assemblies and accessories tended to rise on our list.
Mandolines and Slicers
Mandoline slicers and other horizontal blade slicers can be a little trick, at least when it comes to safety. To keep your fingers safe from a potentially severe cut, you should always use the protective handguard. Of course, the biggest complaint with most mandoline-type slicers is that the handguard is usually a little awkward, which tempts people to take risks with their soft fingers.
With these units, we tried to look for crucial safety features, as well as a thoughtful handguard that encourages proper use. Along the way, we also tried to prioritize units that had some versatile options built-in.
Push Handle Vegetable Choppers
Chances are you’ve seen one of two of these units on late-night television where you slap or slap on a push handle. The more times you press the plunger the finer it chops the food. With these, you’re typically working with small amounts like cloves of garlic or half of an onion. You usually put them on a cutting board rather than depositing the chopped vegetables in a receptacle container.
With these push-handle choppers, a lot of force is delivered to the blade edges and other internal components. While reviewing these, we looked for manufacturers with a reputation for quality materials and engineering, or that backed their product with a confident warranty.
Container Size and Characteristics
A lot of vegetable choppers come with some type of container or receptacle. Right off the bat, you might think that these containers are simple. Yet there are a lot of interesting twists in this diverse field.
Size and volume capacity are important. You want the container to hold what you need to cut, slice, or process in a single session. Some containers have special features built into them like a pull out drawer or a divider. There are some that seal tightly, which lets you transport what you cut for a picnic or those times when you want to bring a salad with you to work. A few even do their best to keep you from crying when you cut onions.
Chef’n VeggiChop Arugula Model
Specs:
- Dual rotating blades
- Pull cord operated
- 3.8 cup storage bin
- Dishwasher safe
The Chef’n “Arugula Model” of the VeggieChop is essentially a manual food processor. It has two stainless steel blades that are securely connected to a central rotating column, which is founded into the lid.
To rotate the blades you simply pull back on a pull cord with a built-in recoil. The more you pulse the blades the finer it chops the food inside. One pull might be all you need to process walnuts into small pieces.
On the other end of the spectrum, you could add ingredients in small loads for four or five pulls to blend up some homemade guacamole. While it is primarily used for vegetables you can potentially use it to cut soft, boneless meats.
The collection bowl will hold up to 3.8 cups of processed food. The components are rated to be dishwasher safe. However, the manufacturer recommends putting them on the top rack. This is balanced by the fact that it’s pretty hard to hand clean. Especially the very sharp dual cutting blades.
What We Liked
The dual stainless steel blades and the ability to process vegetables as well as soft meats to the consistency adds to this vegetable chopper’s overall versatility. The fact that you can clean it in the dishwasher is also very handy.
Overall
This is a very versatile, high-value vegetable cutter that lets you process a wide range of nuts, fruits, vegetables, and even boneless cuts of meat. Just make sure you have a dishwasher to properly clean the Chef’n VeggiChop Arugula.
Chef’n VeggiChop Arugula Model
- Dual cutting blades connected to a pull cord
- Dishwasher safe on the top rack
- Versatile for custom chopping and processing food
ONSON Food Chopper And Vegetable Slicer
Specs:
- Manual press chopper
- Multiple accessories included in the purchase
- Comes with a peeler
- Includes a safety glove
- Cleaning tools included
- Made from BPA-free plastics
- Stainless steel cutting blades
A manual chopper and slicer like the ONSON Food Chopper And Vegetable Slicer will require a little more active force from you, the user. The trade-off here is that there aren’t any complicated internal structures of pull cords that could fail. So long as you are using it responsibly the hinges on the cutting push plate will hold up for a long time.
This particular model comes with 8 accessory cutting dies. You can use it as a slicer, fry cutter, julienne, coarse & fine grater, and even a lemon or orange juicer. There are even a vegetable peeler and special cleaning tools included in the purchase.
The collection container is large enough to accommodate a typical salad. The lid also seals tightly, which means you can take it with you for a salad lunch at the office. When not in use you can store the accessories and cutting plates inside, so you know you’ll have them the next time you want to use it.
The bottom of the collection container has small rubber strips to help hold it in place. So, if you have a wet countertop, or you plan on cutting something hard, you might want to put down a tea towel or a rubber mat first. Just to buy yourself a little extra traction.
What We Liked
The multiple accessories make this an incredibly versatile vegetable cutter, and the large collection bin with a sealable lid means you have the storage space to hold as much as you want. The cleaning tools included in the purchase are also a nice touch.
Overall
This is a great push-plate and a manual vegetable chopper that lets you do just about anything you want. Though the accessories can be a little bit fiddly to remove and install.
DASH DSM100GBAQ04 Safe Slice Mandoline
Specs:
- Mandoline slicer
- Designed for safety
- Accessories for 30 different cuts
- Adjustable thickness
- 1-year manufacturer warranty
- Stainless steel blades
Mandoline slicers have a somewhat earned reputation for delivering a nasty cut or two. This is due to many of them having awkward handguards that discourage you from using them as intended. Dash tackles this challenge with gusto, by specifically designing their DSM100GBAQ04 Mandoline for safety, without sacrificing functionality.
It has a special type of push block that securely holds the food, without letting your fingers go anywhere near the stainless steel cutting blades. This mandoline is also designed to stand up which means gravity helps feed the food being cut with less risk of it shifting like you sometimes run into with a horizontal sliding vegetable cutter. It also makes it easier to control the force being applied.
Still, you shouldn’t let the vertical orientation lure you into thinking that this mandoline taking up a lot of space. When you want to store it, the Dash DSM100GBAQ04 can collapse down small enough to fit in most kitchen drawers.
What We Liked
This mandoline was specifically designed for safety and ease of use. You can pull it out of a drawer, and expand it in a matter of seconds. Then the push block and other engineering cues help keep your fingers away from stainless steel cutting blades.
Overall
If you love the versatility of a mandoline, and you don’t necessarily need a storage container, then the Dash DSM100GBAQ04 is one of the best and safest vegetable cutters on the market today.
The Fullstar Mandoline Slicer Spiralizer And Vegetable Slicer
Specs:
- Package of accessories
- 5 interchangeable blades
- Manual push plate
- Stainless steel blades
- BPA-free plastic
- Spiralizer included in the purchase
- Large collection bin
This is a package suite by Fullstar that includes a push block cutter, mandoline accessory, and an adjustable spiralizer. All these features and components mean you can do just about anything from cut your French fries, make your curly fries, slice zucchini noodles, or just plain dice onions or other aromatic vegetables.
All the plastic components are BPA-free. The cutting blades are made from stout stainless steel and are razor sharp. The collection bin itself is large, but there isn’t a sealable lid for it. This means you can’t necessarily do something like process a salad and take it with you for lunch.
Though it does include a removable tray, which is handy for times when you want to work in large batches, or you simply need to switch from one type of vegetable to the next without having to open the top.
When you attach the mandoline slicer accessory, there’s also a small handguard. It’s also worth noting that the rubber feet are a little on the small side. So, you might want to put down a tea towel or a rubber mat to hold it in place. Especially if the countertop you are using it a little wet.
The spiralizer is handy in that it lets you cut attractive vegetable noodle strands, and on its largest setting, you could even make some small curly fries. If the potato you are working with is excessively hard, you could microwave it for 30 to 60 seconds to soften it.
What We Liked
The sheer number of accessories and adjustment features is staggering. It helps boost your culinary creativity, when you think about all the different things you can do.
The removable tray in the large collection bin is also convenient. You can work in batches, or switch between different types of vegetables, without having to open the top or mess with the cutting blades.
Overall
If you want an all-inclusive vegetable cutter at a sweet price point, this package from Fullstar is definitely worth the money. Just don’t overestimate the stability of the small rubber feet.
Brieftons Manual Hand Held Vegetable Chopper
Specs:
- Dual stainless steel blades
- Manual pull cord
- Mixer attachment
- 4-cup container
- BPA-free plastic
- Anti-skid base
This four cup vegetable chopper from Brieftons is a step up from their very popular 2-cup version. It uses a retracting pull cord to power two internal stainless steel blades.
The more pulls you give it the more it processes the food. If you want to break down almonds into slices and pieces, you might only need one or two pulls. If you wanted an almond meal, you might want to try five or six pulls. This same methodology plays out with other things like slicing onions, mincing garlic, and dicing peppers.
One way that this manual vegetable chopper separates itself from many of its closest competitors is that it comes with an internal mixer attachment. It allows you to mix in your own ingredients for making things like guacamole or pico de gallo.
The bottom of the 4-cup receptacle has a robust anti-skid treatment. This is important in a unit like this as it gives you the traction you need to let the pull cord do its work.
What We Liked
The mixing attachment is a nice touch that you don’t always see in the competitors. It spares you having to chop your vegetables and then stir them together with a spoon, which can sometimes be inconsistent for things like guacamole.
Overall
If you are looking for a compact vegetable chopper with a pull cord that won’t slip around the countertop on you then this unit by Brieftons might just be the best value for the money.
Zalik Vegetable Chopper Pro Mandoline Slicer, Dicer, Cutter & Grater
Specs:
- 430 stainless steel blades
- 11 accessories
- Reinforced plastic
- Dishwasher safe
The Zalik Vegetable Chopper Pro was designed to be very versatile. It comes with 11 accessory inserts which let you processed vegetables and even soft meats in just about any way you can imagine. It even includes a small mandoline blade for slicing.
All the metal components are made from 430 stainless steel. The plastic components are reinforced to handle the necessary force to cut through things like sweet potatoes, firm onions, and russets. There are small rubber feet underneath to help anchor it on the countertop. Still, you might want to put down a rubber mat or a tea towel for extra traction.
The container is large, which lets you process a high volume of vegetables without having to worry about opening it up. Unfortunately, there isn’t a fully sealable lid for doing things like making a salad with you to work.
What We Liked
The 11 different cutting blades make the Zalik Vegetable Chopper Pro one of the most versatile options on the market.
Overall
For the money, you can enjoy the versatility of the Zalik Vegetable Chopper Pro. Just double-check that you have the traction you need on the countertop when working with hard foods. If you want to make a salad or a chopped condiment like pico de gallo with you, then you might want to also invest in some inexpensive Tupperware.
The Original Vidalia Chop Wizard
Specs:
- Chopper and dicer blades
- Manual press operation
- Stainless steel blades
- Container has measurements
- Dishwasher safe
The Chop Wizard was one of the first vegetable chopper devices to rise to popularity on late-night infomercials. To this day it remains a popular option for people who don’t want to play around with knives just to chop an onion or dice an apple.
You could argue that it’s a little bit on the basic side. There are just two blade assemblies, one for chopping and one for dicing. You then manually move the hinge-mounted push plate to drive the fruit or vegetables through the stainless steel blades.
The container underneath holds two cups of food. There’s even a measurement scale on the side to read it you simply turn the Chop Wizard sideways. If you’ve been working with hard, rough-cut vegetables like bell peppers, you might want to give it a gentle shake to let everything settle accurately.
What We Liked
The dishwasher safe materials and the measurements on the side of the container make the Chop Wizard very convenient. For what it’s worth the way the push plate closes down also spares you a lot of the tearing up that typically comes with chopping onions.
Overall
The Chop Wizard doesn’t have a lot of bells and whistles. Still, it has a tried and true reputation as being a very affordable way to spare you having to fiddle around with traditional kitchen knives.
The Original Vidalia Chop Wizard
- Chopper and dicer blade assemblies
- The container has measurements on it for specific recipes
- Stainless steel blades and dishwasher safe plastic
Cuisinart CTG-00-SCHP Stainless Steel Chopper
Specs:
- Stainless steel blades
- Press handle operation
- Dishwasher safe
- Limited lifetime warranty
Cuisinart is one of the strongest names in the home kitchen appliance industry. So, it’s no surprise that they also offer a well-designed manual vegetable chopper like the CTG-00-SCHP.
It borrows the engineering concept from other advertised brands that let you slap or press down on the handle. The force is then directed down into the vegetables below, which are chopped by the stainless steel blades.
The more you press the lever the finer it chops, dices, or minces the vegetables. The cutting chamber underneath is arguable small. It’s meant more for garlic, small onions and nuts like almonds or walnuts. Ideally, you want to use it over top of a wood or food-grade plastic cutting board.
Cuisinart backs this vegetable chopper with a limited lifetime warranty. It’s also dishwasher safe, so cleanup is easy.
What We Liked
The limited lifetime warranty speaks to Cuisinart’s dedication to quality materials and engineering.
Overall
If you just need to quickly process a small volume of vegetables, fruits, or nuts, then there’s a lot of quality and value in the Cuisinart CTG-00-SCHP.
Buyers Guide
Some people can saw through vegetables like a celebrity chef on a cooking show. Yet there are those of us who simply don’t have that gene, or simply don’t want to play around with an ungainly chef’s knife. Not to mention there are some recipes and salads that just take up too much of your precious time to chop all the vegetables.
Fortunately, there is a wide range of vegetable choppers and kitchen devices that rise to answer these needs. Some are innovative and well designed, while others look like they just fell out of an infomercial.
Weeding through this thick field of options can feel daunting. More than one person has simply pulled the trigger on a cheap device only to be let down a week or two later with a nasty case of buyer’s remorse.
When shopping for the best vegetable chopper for your needs there are a few basic features and characteristics to be mindful of.
Material Quality
Right off the bat, you want to only consider vegetable choppers that are made from “Food Grade” materials. BPA free plastics, commercial-grade stainless steel, and ideally materials that have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration should always be on your radar.
These materials also tend to last longer than their slightly less expensive counterparts. Which is particularly handy for making sure you are getting a full return on your investment and then some.
Ease Of Use
The last thing you want to do is fiddle around with hard to change blade assemblies or safety features that just get in the way. Sometimes it can be hard to tell from just looking at a few pictures on an online retailer’s site. Still, there are sometimes special cues you can tap into, like “Quick Disassembly” or “Push-Button Release.”
Safety
Safety features tend to dovetail into ease of use. Ideally, the best vegetable choppers are going to put something between your hand and the actual cutting blades. Beyond that you also want to keep an eye out for other features like non-skid feet, suction cup mounts or other things that will ensure the vegetable chopper stays where you want it to. Especially if you plan on cutting a lot of hard vegetables.
Ease To Clean
With some vegetable cutters, there can be a lot of small corners and crevices. Especially in multi-blade units or cutting dies that mince or finely chop vegetables. The last thing you want is for there to be some residual material leftover that can turn into a breeding grounds for bacteria when it’s not being used.
Ideally, the best vegetable chopper should come apart easily and most of the parts should be rated as dishwasher safe. This gives you the confidence to know that it’s always properly clean before putting it away in the cupboard.
The Size Of The Collection Container
A lot of vegetable choppers deposit the processed vegetable pieces in some time of container or collection bowl. It might help to take a minute to think about how you are more likely to use your vegetable chopper. If you want to be able to quickly assemble a garden salad, then you might want to prioritize a unit with a large collection bowl. One with a sealing lid would also be helpful for times when you might want to toss the salad before plating and dressing it.
Even if you don’t want a connected collection container, or you are planning on using the vegetable chopper for processing small batches of vegetables, you might still want to lean toward one that can secure over a mixing bowl.
Accessory Blades
Chopping, mincing, dicing, and julienne are all special terms that relate to the final size and shape of the vegetable being cut. Many of the best vegetable choppers have multiple blades for these different functions. A few even give you the ability to cut fancy or visually interesting shapes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I Cut Seeds And Nuts?
A: With some vegetable choppers, you can cut soft nuts like walnuts, almonds, and even peanuts. This tends to be the case with rotary blade choppers and push handle vegetable choppers. When it comes to vegetable choppers with push plates the idea of pressing nuts through the blade assembly becomes a little bit more of a concern.
Especially if you are trying to cut firm-fleshed nuts like Brazil nuts. You might be able to get away with it a handful of times, but chances are each time you try to cut firm nuts you risk dulling or denting the blades. In some cases, you might even end up damaging the mounting points that hold the blades in place.
You run into a similar problem with hard seeds like chia seeds or coffee. With these, the pressure of trying to process it can chip or ding the blades. So, it is best to turn to something like an electric coffee or spice grinder.
Q: How Often Should I Clean My Vegetable Chopper?
A: Just like how you wouldn’t put a dirty knife back in the butcher block, you shouldn’t put away a vegetable chopper when dirty. If you are working with similar vegetables you might not need to clean the blade assembly when switching from one to the next. An example would be cutting onions, celery, and carrots for vegetable soup.
If you are going to make a dramatic change and you are worried about the flavor of onions from one batch transferring to the apple you need to chop for your child’s snack, you can always rinse the blades under warm water. Most blades are made from stainless steel which does a good job of releasing material when rinsed.
Q: Can I Put A Dishwasher Safe Vegetable Chopper On The Lower Rack?
A: Most vegetable choppers that are rated to be dishwasher safe still require you to put it on the upper rack. This is to keep the heat of the drying cycle from deforming any of the plastic components. It also helps to keep the relatively lightweight device from moving around under the typically higher force of the lower spray bars. The last thing you want is an accidental ding in a blade from a nearby fork.
Q: Can I Sharpen Dull Cutting Blades?
A: The thinness of the blades and the nature of stainless steel make it pretty difficult if not impossible to sharpen a vegetable chopper or mandoline blade. Even if you use a fine-toothed mill file rod, chances are you will leave jagged edges that could potentially leave tiny metallic shards in the food you cut. It’s best to take good care of your blades and wash them after every use.
Q: Do I Need Special Hand Protection?
A: Well-designed vegetable choppers are engineered to keep your hands out of the way of any sharp cutting surface. Though mandolines are especially risky. Especially those with minimal or awkward feeling handguards.
If you are worried about safety, you could always invest in a protective glove. Not only do they help when using a mandoline, but you can use them for other tasks like filleting fish or cutting a roast. A lot of professional restaurants will give these to “The New Guy” when they prep vegetables. You can check these gloves ChefsGrade, ARCLIBER Cut Resistant Gloves and TONSUN Stainless Steel Mesh Metal Wire Gloves.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are a lot of options in the vegetable cutter marketplace. Asking yourself a few key questions in advance will help you narrow down the list to find the best vegetable chopper for you.
If you are just looking for a way to make quick work of onions and the occasional apple, then a relatively basic push-plate model with two or three cutting dies will likely get you by. If you love salads and want to make them quickly then you might want to prioritize one that has a large container. You can then load the lettuce in it, then chop onions, peppers, carrots, and cabbage into it. One with a sealable lid is also handy for tossing the salad afterward and taking it with you.
Now if you want to be a little more creative you could look for a vegetable chopper with French fry cutting assemblies, and other special die types. This lets you make all sizes of fries, vegetable noodles, spiralized cuts for curly fries, and more.
A mandoline vegetable slicer isn’t so much geared to chop as a slice. Yet some high-quality models have adjustable thicknesses which very much replicate chopping. A few can even be set up to do things like making waffle-cut French fries of zucchini noodles.
However you intend to use it, chances are good that the best vegetable chopper for you is somewhere on this list.
Product Boxes: Last updated on 2021-03-20 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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