cheap charming Chopper chews

My oldest daughter is in college, and loves to cook in her tiny apartment. She told me that even though I have a beloved blender and Mouli grater, I must get one of these for chopping. She had just gotten hers at WalMart and advised me to get one there as soon as possible.


Her reasons were:

1. It’s easy to clean
2. The fineness of the food texture is easy to see and control
3. It’s quieter than my beloved blender
4. Its price is ridiculously low
5. It’s small enough to fit in a tight place (7”X5”X6” high)

I have been wanting to get something that chops nuts, dried beans and flax seeds well and quietly. I tried using a coffee grinder, a pepper mill, several nut grinders, and my blender but this machine usually does the trick.

However, she advised me to continue to “pulse” the hard or oily ingredients, just like I do with my blender; not to run this machine continuously. The button can be held down continuously, but I know how hot cutting blades and motors can get, and turning the machine on and off every few seconds makes a big difference.

She especially recommended it for cutting up fresh vegetables for sautéing and using in the crock pot and salads, and chopping nuts and other firm ingredients. I found the same and that it is also great for mincing fresh homegrown garlic and mixing it with a little olive oil for freezing. This machine requires much less oil to be mixed with the garlic than the blender, and is quicker and easier than a garlic squeezer. However, it does not work on the tiny little flax seeds. I still need to use the noisy blender to grind them.

My daughter cleans hers by hand, but I throw it in the dishwasher’s top rack. The manual and box confirm that it is dishwasher safe.


The machine consists of four parts:

1. The white plastic electric base with blue button on top to hold down for as long as you want to grind
2. The clear plastic container for the food
3. The metal cutting blade with plastic shaft
4. The clear plastic lid


The machine is ready to use when

1. The container is placed on the base and turned clockwise
2. The blade is lined up with the shaft in the base
3. Food is placed in the container
4. And the blue dot on the lid is turned clockwise to line up with the blue dot on the base and clicked into place

This is all so simple.

Update 11/19/2008:
The key word is "chopper". This small appliance does not grind. I tried to grind seeds and dried garlic into powder but this tool would not do it. I use my coffee grinder for a few seeds, and my blender for larger quantities of seeds, nuts and dried garlic.

It is holding up remarkably well for its price. The dishwasher has had no ill effect on the container, blade and lid. The motor continues to run reliably.

I am still delighted with it.