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+1
BSD please put up a small review.

Folks,

Any hand blender or standalone chopper recommendations? How long do the blades last, etc? We need it for chopping onions/tomatoes/cabbage mostly. Any sub-2k models which have a decent sized chopping jar?

The problem with handblenders is the moment you overload it(unknowingly), the motor burns.

I would suggest a standard mixie like Morphy Richards etc (would cost apprx 3.5-4k) and use the small wet/dry grinding jar.

Interesting. I have a philips JMG. Let me use that jar tonight and report back :D

I use nova brand chopper. It is easy to use and clean. It comes with 3 blades for chopping, slicing and grating.
Cost me 1.6k after discount.

Much as I like gadgets, I am afraid that nothing is as good at chopping as a sharp knife.

Sharp is what counts. I used to think that I kept my knives sharp, using a steel (like butchers use). A few months ago, I got a Spyderco Triangle Sharpmaker from America, and, after some long hard work getting back to proper edges, discovered that my knives had never been properly sharp since the day I bought them!

If you are chopping mountains of stuff it makes sense. I usually use a large sharp knife (12 inch blade) and a thick cutting board (2 inch, 10 x 10 teak wood piece) for chopping, and once you get the knack of it it is really fast. If you are adventurous you can try Nigella Style for chopping with a curved chopper. Additionally you do not have to spend time and effort on cleaning five to ten pieces of equipment! I have tried them all and nothing beats the knife.

For a lot of shredding, for example when wife makes Gajjar ka Halwa, or I make tomato juice, I use the shredding/cutter disk on my Singer Food Processor and go through 5 kg in ten minutes, the cleaning process takes another ten.

For sharpening I use a grinding stone used by most carpenters (2 x 1 x 6 inches), it has fine grit on one side an coarse grit on the other, bought it forty years ago, and it is still going strong.

Shredding, a machine can do nicely. Chopping, though, never seems to come out even, without some being wasted as slush. Pass me the knife!

This is what I now sharpen with: Triangle Sharp Maker. The stones are hard enough to sharpen almost anything, but, compared to a carpenter's stone, they might be called very fine and very, very fine. The fancy-looking base just utilises the fact that it is easier to keep a knife vertical than it is to maintain a constant angle on a flat stone. It even includes an angle for sharpening scissors

Thanks everyone for the ideas.
Umm, it completely fails. I got a nice puree :-)

Thanks pallavi - will look it up in nearby shops

Oh I agree. I'm not looking for perfection. Laziness is God, and quick/not-so-dirty is all I wish :-)

Exactomundo. This is the only aspect of a food processor we miss - ergo the search for a chopper. We already have a cutting board etc, but this is to shred/chop large bits of cabbage/tomatoes/onions etc for a quick salad at odd hours with perfection nowhere on the horizon :D

Well, I'd still go for a knife for those things. For a salad, you don't want your ingredients bruised and pulverised. I wouldn't expect any machine to do a good job of chopping tomatoes.

You can chop in a mixie: just you need one that you can give short bursts and/or slow speed. There always seems to be an amount of puree, though, and the cleaning up of the gadget afterwards really makes the words quick-and-dirty literally true.

Important thing is finding the tool and the knack that works for you.

Tyr this, works well, but buy only the original ND otherwise the blades loose their sharpness within few months.

YouTube - Nicer Dicer

... so, that'll be "every single piece, perfectly diced," then? ;)

It's an impressive gadget, but I think I'd find myself going back to knives.

@Thad:
OT: Knowing your predilection and practise for knives, now I think we all better be nice to you on the forum ;-)

@Dadu: Interesting but no one in Gurgaon has it! :(
only found Buy Original Nicer Dicer|Genius Nicer Dicer|NicerDicer Dice,chop fruit,Vegetable in Muinute As View On TV and Telebrands India - Home

which is the real thing?

This is just a more expensive version of what I have been seeing in every "Better Living" exhibitions for the last thirty years. At that time I got one, but soon stopped using it as it was a big pain cleaning those blades, and a knife does the job faster if you take the total time required - unpack - wash - peal - chop - clean - pack. You will require a good brush to clean those blades.

:OTFor myself I have collected a couple of 12 inch knives and got a 12 inch meat chopper from the local butcher. When my inlaws extended their house I got a 2 x 12 x 12 inch teak piece for chopping board. My dream was always to get one of those tree trunks the butchers use, and the search is still on.

Blade cleaning is not a problem, cleaning is very simple in this. Although you cannot subsitute a knife for some jobs, but what will take an expert 3-4 min to cut is done in a flick here, french fries come out amazingly well.

Ebay.in costing some 400 odd rupees are fake (I bought one and sharpness was lost in 2-3 months for the smaller blade). I believe telebrand should be original. You can also check at Homeshop18.