Veg chopper recommendations?

[lookitsjonno]

Our new years Resolution was to cook more food from fresh. Naturally, I've found myself spending copious hours slicing, chopping and dicing fresh veg.

Theres quite a few appliances on the market but most of them seem like the time you spend chopping will be attributed to washing. Ideally after something I can just rinse and chuck in the dishwasher after using.

Any recommendations?

 

[Glaucus]

decent wood chopping board and more importantly a decent very sharp knife. Go try them at friends/shop first see if handle fits your hand.

I wouldn't waste your time on these choppers.
A food processor is worth it when you need large amounts of slices, grating or just totally diced up.

But learn pinch grip and some basic knife skills plenty of videos on YouTube.

These gadgets always end up in the back of the cupboard, both personal experience and every one else's.

 

[Randomface74]

Get a good chopping board and knife set, take care of them.

 

[FrenchTart]

Agreed with the above. High quality food processors (read: expensive) can also do a decent job of chopping and often have cleaning cycles but it's a big investment for what it does. Also, even if you go that route you should still invest in learning to sharpen and hone your knives and some decent knife skills. You don't need expensive knives or chopping boards though - cheaper ones will just require sharpening more frequently. Also, only ever use wooden chopping boards.

 

[jpaul]

A mandoline (mind the fingers) might be excepted from the above argument ?,
friends do quite a bit of braised red cabbage and I can see its benefit.
I did purchase one speculatively when I started making marmalade, but took it back when I found a knife+chop-board was easy.

 

[FrenchTart]

I do like my mandoline when making dauphinoise though. It's not completely without use.

 

[Freddie1980]

For cutting, dicing and slicking vegetables and potatoes you should consider getting one these, Robert Welch Signature Cook Knife. It's not cheap but it's well balanced, cuts beautifully and comfortable to hold, just make sure you keep it sharp. It's also works well when you want to remove joints form meet such as the legs from a whole roast chicken or the ribs from a loin of pork, the blade is the right lengh that it doesn't make those jobs unwieldy say if you tried to do it with a full lentgh carving knife (I have RW carving knife as well but I don't use anywhere near as often as the cooks knife).
https://www.robertwelch.com/kitchen/kitchen_knives/signature_knives/signature_cooks_knife_14cm.htm

 

[Glaucus]

I do like my mandoline when making dauphinoise though. It's not completely without use.

Yep if you need very thin things then it's great, but cabbage i at least don't cut or want it that thin. Do buy an anti cut glove though. Got a scar on my finger due to one of them, and sometimes the edge opens back up despite it being over a decade old.

 

[FrenchTart]

Yep if you need very thin things then it's great, but cabbage inat least don't cut or want it that thin. Do buy an anti cut glove though. Got a scar on my finger due to one of them, and sometimes the edge opens back up despite it being over a decade old.

Yeah..I have managed to take quite a chunk out of my finger too :/ I use the holder thing religiously now but I should get one of those gloves definitely.

 

[medievaltw]

Can't fault the old ways - get a good Knife set and a solid wooden chopping board/block.

Failing that, if you don't fancy the hard work, borrow (if you don't already have one) a Teenager - They seem pretty handy with knives according to the press!!!

 

[Scam]

Theres quite a few appliances on the market but most of them seem like the time you spend chopping will be attributed to washing.

I think you've got it here, really.

I'll just echo what everyone else has said. Get a decent knife (or at least, sharpen a bad one) and get to work. The more you use it the quicker you'll get. Just don't try to go too fast to start with

I can't imagine anyone cooking for 2-4 people would really have issues chopping/preparing from scratch

On another note, I find it all quite relaxing. Get home from work, stick some choons on and don't think about anything. Learn to enjoy it; if you keep thinking of it as a chore you'll never continue your resolution.

 

[D.P.]

A decent knife makeas all the diffeence. Much easier and quicker to slice and dice, safer, no finger strain etc.

 

[tom_nieto]

If you head to any decent cookware shop or even a John Lewis they’ll let you hold the knives. As it happens I preferred the Anolon chef’s knife to many that were almost ten times the price as it fit my hand well and was well balanced. I keep it sharp with a regular knife sharpening device rather than a steel because I’m a pleb, keep it out of the dishwasher and only cut on a wooden board. Seems to work well!

I’d highly recommend the oxo grater below as a basic mandoline and grating device in addition to a good knife.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/OXO-Good-Grips-Complete-Grate/dp/B00HEZ8A

We do use our kenwood food processor for occasional grating or slicing but it’s such a pain to clean that I have to be doing a massive batch to make it worthwhile.

 

[krooton]

We have a mandoline (not idea on the make) and I use it every 3 weeks to make sauerkraut. SO much quicker than a knife.

I echo the comments about being careful though, sliced my fingers twice the first time I used it

 

[arknor]

hours cutting vegetables lol wut.

only thing I find a pain is carrot sticks when I make a thai curry

 

[Efour]

If you are doing a lot of veg and want very equal pieces, even with knife skills it's a good amount of skill required.

I have something similar to a "nicer dicer" for when it's taco night
They are very cheap and a one or two trick pony but a think an invaluable tool in every kitchen.

I bought a good processor with cube function and you spend more time cleaning than cutting.