Using a vegetable chopper will save you time as you just place the vegetables in the chopper and the vegetable chopper cuts the vegetables in seconds.

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. Capacity: If you have limited storage space — or generally prep only small amounts of veggies — a chopper with a small bowl is a good option. Larger-capacity choppers clearly require more space to store, but the spacious bowls allow you to prep a lot at once or at least to empty less frequently as you chop in batches. 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. ProsThe big names of kitchen equipment have all got great vegetable choppers in their ranges. Models from Ninja, Magimix, Russell Hobbs, and Kenwood are all worth considering. With it being a manual device you’re in control of how much you spin the blades, so you can chop the veg as finely as you want in it. No one wants another piece of kitchen equipment that they use once and then never take it out of the cupboard again because it didn’t live up to expectations. Variable settings - Some choppers have different settings that let you control the speed of the blades. This is really useful if you want to use it for more than just cutting up your veg. Think about how much control you need to have over the process and choose a model that gives you what you need. 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.

These tend to be the mini food processor style choppers. They’re really efficient, chopping things up in seconds, and definitely speed up the dinner prep process. They can be noisy though and are sometimes a bit fiddly to put together. Manual food choppers 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. CapacityYou simply pop your food in the bowl, put the top on, and then pull the handle to spin the blades and chop the food. I'm disabled with one ‘good’ hand. I have a Zyliss Easy Pull which is brilliant. It has different blades, from fine to coarse, then you literally just pull the handle. Easy to clean and durable.” (Recommended by Mumsnet user Uncomfortablydumb53)

The price of a vegetable chopper can vary significantly from brand to brand. As a rough guide we have found that: Ninja has become a pretty big name in the kitchen appliance world over the last few years and, with products like this, it’s not hard to see why. A lot of the more versatile electric choppers can be used in pretty much the same way as a food processor, just on a smaller scale. 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.

7. Best purse-friendly versatile mini chopper: Lakeland Mini Chopper Plus

This compact electric food chopper makes light work of chopping vegetables thanks to its four super-sharp blades. You will find that using a vegetable chopper allows you to use more of the vegetable. This means you waste less food by using more. 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? Extra features - If you want your food chopper to do more than just chop your vegetables up then you might want to choose one that has dripper holes in the top for pouring oil in to make sauces, or one that comes with pots and lids to store your food once it’s prepped.

I use a Zyliss chopper. It's excellent for chopping veg for soups, etc.” (Vetted by Mumsnet user NanTheWiser) 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 This depends on what you want to use the food chopper for, but these are the key things to look out for: We weighed up the pros and cons of each model we found to decide which vegetable choppers offered the most value for money and would be the most useful to busy families. Why you should trust us Although many vegetable choppers have the appearance of a food processor, some have far more limited functions compared to actual food processors.

Can a chopper be used as a food processor?

Some vegetable cutters have a minimum required size for pieces of vegetables. This means you’ll still have to cut the vegetables before you can put them in the chopper. It comes with a set of two stainless steel blades that you can use for chopping both coarsely and finely, as well as puréeing and liquidising. And it also comes with a blending tool that’s perfect for making your own mayonnaise and for mixing 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.