If you choose a vegetable chopper which is manually operated, it will require you to physically operate it. This assumes you are fit and have the ability to use one. I've got this which is brilliant… I also have a food processor with three different sized bowls but tend to use the manual ones for chopping onions and carrots as it is so much easier.” (Tried and tested by Mumsnet user EmmaGrundyForPM) It’s a one litre bowl with a 500ml capacity for food, so you can chop up everything you need for a family dinner. With it being made of glass it is heavier than a lot of the other mini food choppers out there, but it also feels a lot more sturdy. There are a few different types of vegetable choppers available. Some are like mini food processors, with blades that spin around to cut your veg up. Others are a lot more simple and work by manually pushing the food through a grid of blades. What can you do with a food chopper?

With the simplest models you can chop most fruits and vegetables either into uniform cubes or into different sized pieces depending on how long you run the machine for. It’s a compact and powerful little machine that comes with two speeds so that you’ve got more control over the chopping process. Manual Vegetable Choppers: A manual vegetable chopper requires you to manually rotate the cutting wheel, so it takes a bit more time and effort to use. That said, the process is still much easier than chopping with a knife, while you usually get a nice range of cutting attachments. It is also the cheaper of the two types.

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They may not be fancy, but vegetable choppers help to speed up food preparation and take the strain out of the process, too. If, like us, you dread having to chop carrots and onions, a food chopper should definitely be high up on your kitchen wish-list. Manual choppers use one of two main functions: push or pull. Push choppers use a plunging mechanism or a hinge to push a blade onto vegetables to sever them. Pull choppers use a string to rotate blades within the bowl to slice and cut.

Capacity - You need to make sure the chopper you buy has a decent bowl capacity so you don’t have to chop things in loads of batches. Most mini choppers have a bowl capacity of at least 500ml which is enough for most users. This size is also perfect for making sauces and dips.

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If you have any issues with strength or dexterity, but still want a manual food chopper, then this pull-handle option from Zyliss is the one for you.

Ease of use: we wanted to see mini choppers that were easy to assemble, with an unfussy control panel Manual choppers take a bit more effort to work but still get great results. You can get simple models that just cut everything to a uniform size, or models that work more like the electric food processor style models that chop to whatever size you like. All vegetable choppers are relatively easy to clean, but you might wish to choose a model that is dishwasher friendly. Chopping Functions If all you need is something to chop your vegetables for you then this is a winner. You simply put your food on top of the grid of blades and press the top down to push it through. The lovely uniform pieces of food then fall through to the container underneath, so it’s really clean and tidy to use. There’s even an opening at one end of the container so you can tip the prepared food out without needing to take the top off; perfect if you’re using it to chop a few different vegetables. ProsManual or Electric: Manual and electric vegetable choppers are available, each offering its own benefits. Manual choppers are cheaper and often come with a better variety for cutting heads, while electronic choppers are more efficient but also costlier and likely to have fewer cutting attachments. You do need to take the time to read the user manual and follow the instructions carefully to assemble it properly and make sure you don’t overfill it, especially with liquids. Pros Obviously, the blade is the main part of any vegetable chopper and when the chopper is supplied the blade will be extremely sharp. Over time the edge will dull and you will find the vegetables are less well chopped than they originally were. They should last a relatively long time but if you notice the blade isn’t as sharp as it should be, it’s probably time to replace it. Many companies offer replacement parts. It might work out financially better to replace a part rather than buy a whole new appliance. Capacity As well as cutting up your veg, you can use the Ninja Professional Chopper to chop up herbs and spices and blend up sauces, dips, and dressings.

The Kenwood Mini Chopper is one of the most food processor-type choppers on our list, and it is basically a mini version of their standard processor. This compact electric food chopper makes light work of chopping vegetables thanks to its four super-sharp blades. Electric Vegetable Choppers: This vegetable chopper features a small motor that powers the cutting blade. You feed the vegetables through and press a button to chop, making the process much faster than with a manual device. While more efficient, they are costlier and more difficult to clean. They also tend to have fewer cutting blades, although more expensive models often come with multiple types. Vegetable choppers are far safer than using a knife to chop vegetables, however, some models are safer than others. Plus, as with all electrical appliances which include a sharp blade, it’s very important to follow any safety instructions included in the operating manual. Vegetable Chopper Price A great all-rounder in the kitchen, the VonShef Mini Chopper makes preparing dinner for the family so much easier.Once you get used to using a vegetable chopper, whether it’s an electric model or a hand operated model, you will find it is so easy to use, you’ll wonder how you ever got by without one.