Food Chopper and its Importance in Our Kitchen

Debarshi is always looking for kitchen appliances. They don't have to be super expensive but they should be easy to use, store and clean. Not to mention, these appliances are really helpful in my day to day cooking. I have a basic electric food chopper of Ninja. It's a small appliance perfect for rented apartments where the kitchen counter space is usually limited. We love to cook food and as you know preparing a home cooked meal means starting from scratch - wash, cut, chop, mince, repeat, hence a lot of time is spent in the prepping. With a chopper in hand I can easily do all the prepping within minutes. This gives me plenty of time for everything else like blogging my favorite recipes or trying new dishes.

If you notice, we usually chop something for every dish; onions, ginger, garlic, tomato etc. are chopped for making soups, pasta and curries and its just so much fun to get them chopped within 10 seconds! Using this chopper is really easy, I just cut the vegetables roughly and put them in the chopper and it chops them evenly. There is no mush while chopping soft veggies like tomatoes. I also chop herbs in it like cilantro and mint, which are widely used in many curries and dishes. Adding Parsley or Basil to a salad or pasta has now become so easy. I just wash them and put them in the chopper directly. 

There are many dishes, which can be prepared within seconds using this amazing appliance, and they include not only American dishes like Cold Pasta Salad but also Indian dishes like Matar. This helps me to add a side dish without fussing about it. I just boil the Pasta or Matar and add chopped vegetables in it. Want to have an omelet? Chop the vegetables, add the egg, give it a whirl and pour it on the pan. Ready within two minutes. You can also make Dips, Salad Dressings and Salsa in it. Remember that yummy Cream Cheese Dip I made on Debarshi’s birthday? Yes, I used the chopper to prepare it. I also use it to mince the vegetables to make savory crepes (Cheela) or to cut the big chunks of eggplant while making Baigan ka Bharta. 

We have an Indian desert called Gajar ka Halwa and it requires finely grated carrots. I remember when I was a kid and wanted to assist mummum (my grandma) to prepare this Halwa, she would always ask me to grate the carrots and I used to spend an entire afternoon grating carrots manually. Now I can prepare this Halwa in just 15 minutes by chopping the carrots in the chopper. I also chop dried fruits (like almonds, cashews or dates) for the desserts or curries with the chopper. Yes, the blade is quite sharp so whenever you are not using it, make sure to keep it somewhere locked, out of the reach of children. 

This food chopper is excellent for eat out trips. We went on a log cabin trip along with our friends and the plan was to eat good food and enjoy. We took the chopper with us. It’s dishwasher safe and light to carry on such trips. We minced garlic and cheese for the Pasta and chopped onions and vegetables for the Kababs and curries. So, you see, a food chopper is a simple, time saving and inexpensive appliance and I think all these reasons make it a must have in our kitchen.

Recommended Reading:

• Creamy Cream Cheese Dip
• Baingan ka Bharta (Punjabi recipe: Eggplant with Onion and Garlic)
• Cheela (Savory Indian Crepes)
• Alur Bora (Mamma’s Potato with Garlic fritters)
• Shil Nora – stone spice grinder
• Butter Chicken (Indian Recipe: Chicken pieces in a creamy buttery gravy)
• Kabiraji
• Pecan Cake with Rum Frosting
• Nutri Bullet – now cook gourmet foods whenever you want
• Doi Mach (Bengali Recipe: Succulent Fried Fish in Yogurt Gravy)
• Savory Crispy French Toasts (Indian Recipe)
• One Pot Chicken Tikka Masala
• Chicken Nutrela Kabab
• Debarshi’s Alu ka Paratha (Fried Bread stuffed with Potatoes)
• Chicken Alu Cutlets (Crispy Chicken and Potato Patties)
• Palak Paneer (Fresh Cheese in Spinach gravy)
• Masala Oatmeal (Oatmeal with Indian spices)
• Mutton Gravy
• Awadhi Mutton Biryani
• Guacamole with Goat Cheese and Bacon
• Dhaba Wala Saag Chicken (Chicken in Spinach Curry Rustic Indian Style)
• Butter Paneer (Indian Recipe: Fresh Cheese in a creamy buttery gravy)
• Amritsari Chole (Delicious Chick Pea gravy with Fresh Cheese)
• Mutton Rezala (Bengali recipe: Tender Meat in Cashew Poppy Seed sauce)
• Martha Stewart's Rugelach
• Yummy Guacamole
• Chingri Alur Dalna (Shrimp and Potatoes Gravy)
• Jhinge Alu Posto (Ridge Gourd and Potatoes With Poppy Seeds)
• Paneer Bhurji (Crumbled Fresh Cheese with sautéed Onions)
• 15 minutes Butter Crackers
• Baked Cumin / Nigella Seeds Namkeens
• Kathal ki Sabji (Enchor/Jackfruit in a Tomato Curry)
• Chapli Kabab with Lachha Paratha
• Fresh Homemade Salsa