Whether it’s for a fresh summer salad or a hot minestrone in winter, you must find a practical and quick way to cut a large quantity of vegetables in a short time. Unfortunately, this is not always possible with a cutting board and knife, and this is why today we want to list the main characteristics of a handy tool in the kitchen, the vegetable cutter.
In addition to describing its operation, listing the details and specifications of the various models on the market, and answering some of the most frequently asked questions regarding this object, we also want to list some of the best selling products online in this category.
Table of Contents
How to buy a good vegetable cutter
A vegetable cutter is an essential object in the kitchen, and as we have seen, the market offers a great variety of it in terms of features and cost. So let’s see the aspects to consider when buying such an article.
Manual or Electric
The first aspect to underline at the time of purchase is certainly the difference between a manual and an electric object. The costs, in this sense, may vary, and you must orient yourself toward a purchase that falls within your budget.
With a manual vegetable cutter, the working time is longer, and special attention is required when the volume of the food is reduced, and your hands get closer to the blades.
The space occupied in the kitchen is certainly small, and this is an advantage if you have small spaces and little availability on your work surface. However, electric vegetable cutters are generally quite bulky and require disassembling and reassembling every time or having their own space.
The processing will be less tiring and shorter, and the result will certainly be more homogeneous. Evaluate this aspect at the time of purchase to choose that best meets your time and space needs.
Accessories
Another category that we want to address here concerns the quantity and quality of the accessories that the company delivers, which are precisely present in the box you will receive. Let’s talk about all those objects that appear of little importance, which can help prepare a dish.
In addition to the need for cutting, you could opt for a package containing a paring knife, a container, or numerous types of blades that will serve to vary the result as much as possible.
The cost of these kits is generally higher than a simple vegetable cutter. In essence, a paring knife with a stainless steel blade, for example, will be much more effective than similar items on the market.
Instead, a freshness-saving container may have the ideal dimensions to collect the cut vegetables or have a closure suitable for maintaining the fragrance and taste of what you have chopped.
Variety
Still talking about kits and not just vegetable cutters, we want to spend two words on the variety of products you can get depending on the purchase you intend to make.
The basic models usually provide the greater function or the most refined julienne. However, the modern shapes of blades and the various cuts available allow you to obtain decorative elements appreciated by those who want to give a different touch to their simple salad.
The idea that users like most is, for example, making spaghetti and spirals from the vegetable itself. Some blades shape the vegetables to form long filaments or nice festoons, perfect for seasoning like pasta or as decorative elements in dishes.
This additional factor is not fundamental for realizing a dish but usually adds value to your buying item.
Materials
Like any self-respecting appliance, even the vegetable cutter requires components with high-quality materials preserved over time and accompanying you in preparing numerous dishes.
For electric models, the base can be made of plastic or steel: in the first case, it will probably be lighter but certainly less stable than a steel one, much more resistant and firm during processing.
As for the blades, the choice is only one: stainless steel. Try to point to a model created this way; it is one of the most resistant materials on the market and most suitable to last over time. Furthermore, it will not modify the components of the substances present in food in any way and not fear rust.
Stability and practicality
Connected with what has just been said, there is the stability factor: a steel object will certainly be more stable than a plastic one; it will not move, even on the smoothest surfaces, and will not be affected by the typical vibrations during ignition.
There are usually rubber suction cups on the bottom to guarantee maximum grip. Finally, evaluate the electric vegetable cutter’s operation, observing if it requires a key to be pressed during the entire cutting phase. As a result, the output product tends to spread more than necessary or requires particular attention when inserting pieces of fruit or vegetables.
How to use a vegetable cutter
We conclude this guide with some rules to make the kitchen important and useful tools. So let’s see what steps to follow and how to make well-cut vegetables safely.
Preparation
First, it is important to choose which dishes you want to cut: not all vegetable cutters manage to chop every food type. It is important that you carefully read the instructions’ contents not to force the blades excessively.
Once this is ascertained, cutting the various vegetables into coarse pieces will probably be necessary. In essence, this is only important if the chopper’s input channel has specific dimensions, which do not always coincide with those of a potato or a whole pepper.
If, on the other hand, you have opted for the manual model, this step is not important because the larger the piece you will be holding, the more confident you will be in cutting. However, if the model you have at home is electric, you must be able to place it on a stable surface with enough space and on which the plastic feet have a sufficient grip because the engine’s vibrations could lead to a slight movement.
Cut
At this point, you are ready to carry out the cutting process: with the electric model, you only have to place the cut vegetables a little at a time so that the food does not accumulate in the channel and does not go to block the blades.
Many models have a safety system designed to avoid contact of the hands with the blades: if your appliance is not equipped with this further specification, you must pay close attention to this phase.
Food could get stuck in the discs, and you may be tempted to remove it with your hands. Instead, opt for the function that best suits your preparation, choosing from the cubes, julienne, or simple flakes, evaluating your dish’s needs, and preparing quantities.
Instead, with the manual model, you must continuously move from top to bottom so the blade does its job. Be careful not to force the blades if you hold them too hard.
Food collection
A final phase, which simultaneously occurs as the cutting phase, is collecting machine waste. Usually, a container is placed under the outlet channel, but it is not excluded that the flakes excessive speed lead to dirtying the work surface more than necessary.
For this reason, we recommend bowls with a high edge, which almost coincides with the mouth of the canal: in this way, the food will settle directly into the container without spilling out.
The Best Vegetable Cutters for your Kitchen
Below is the list of recommended vegetable cutters with relative technical data and prices.
Product prices and availability are subject to change. Therefore, any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to purchasing any products.