Not to mention celery, garlic, onions, herbs, capsicum, and more. LIM TSIAO HUI puts manual and electric food choppers to the test.
KENWOOD CH180 $49, from major electrical stores
FEATURES The only mini electric chopper of the lot – its small bowl holds about three handfuls of garlic cloves. It takes a while to align the bowl, base and lid, but it’s easy once you get the hang of it. This space-saver runs on a 300-watt motor.
PERFORMANCE Wonderful! It takes just five seconds to chop a handful of garlic or peanuts to perfectly fine bits. The conspicuous power button at the side of the bowl makes it easy to get started; washing up was easy too. Nothing not to like about this model.
VERDICT: 9 Compact and quick; it chops finely and evenly
ZYLISS EASY CHOP $44.95, from Howards Storage World
FEATURES One of the most clever designs. This comes with two bowls, one has a detachable base and the other a lid to store the chopped ingredients; both holds two handfuls of garlic cloves. To store the chopper, push the handle downwards and lock it. To chop, push down on the handle.
PERFORMANCE Takes half a minute to chop a handful of garlic cloves or nuts, slower than the other manual choppers. We had to push down on the handle hard, which was tiring. The suction base kept the bowl from slipping. The double-Z shaped blade turns as it chops, but the ends do not sit as close to the side of the bowl as the Mastrad model.
VERDICT: 7 Practical features and an easy-to-wash blade
TEFAL LA MOULINETTE $92.20, from major electrical stores
FEATURES Simple to operate – it was a cinch to assemble and take apart as the parts stack one on top of another. There are symbols in the bowl to help you align it to the base. Press the cover to start chopping, and release to stop. Thanks to the large bowl and powerful 1000-watt motor, you can even use this to chop meat and vegetables.
PERFORMANCE Great if you have a lot of chopping to do. It chops up to six handfuls of garlic finely and even works with two handfuls. But it was less effective with a small quantity of nuts – we tried two handfuls, some turned out very fine while the rest were chunky.
VERDICT: 8 Good for heavy-duty use, like prepping batches of ingredients
PHOTOGRAPHY DARREN CHANG ART DIRECTION KATHLEEN CHAN
