Product Reviewed: OXO Good Grips Vegetable Chopper with Easy-Pour Opening
Preparing plant-based meals can be a lot of work, especially if you choose to cook with fresh produce that needs washing and chopping before it even makes its way into your pot or pan. I’m a big fan of pre-chopped frozen fruits and vegetables for their ease, but for many dishes, you just can’t beat the texture of fresh. With its promise to make chopping fresh vegetables quicker and easier, I was eager to give the OXO chopper a try. Could it be a way to simplify my food prep?
The OXO Good Grips Vegetable Chopper with Easy-Pour Opening is a hand-operated device that allows you to chop fruits and vegetables in one smooth motion. Start by cutting your produce in half, then place it flat side down on the blades. Simply push down on the lid and voila! Your chopped produce falls into the attached container below and can be poured into your pot or pan through a convenient opening in the back.
When removing the chopper from the box for the first time, I took note of how it was assembled before taking it apart to clean. I was thrilled to learn that all four pieces of the chopper are top-rack dishwasher safe! When I received this chopper, Thanksgiving was right around the corner, and I knew that I could put it to good use. Onions, peppers, mushrooms, celery, eggplant, zucchini, apples and pears were smoothly cut in seconds. The removable grid between the teeth of the chopper was helpful for removing small pieces of produce that did not make it into the holding container below. Did I mention that this vegetable chopper appeals to multiple generations of cooks? During my Thanksgiving travels, I had my mother, who is not too fond of cooking, try it out. She was so impressed by its ease of use — and the fact that she, for once, did not cry when chopping onions — that she planned to get one for herself.
While this works for most fruits and vegetables, there are a few exceptions. Juicy items, such as tomatoes, should not be used in this chopper unless you want a splatter of juice and seeds all over your counter (yes, this really happened). The chopper also was unable to cut through sliced sweet potatoes. For these reasons, I recommend continuing to cut very juicy or very firm vegetables by hand and saving the chopper for the produce that it cuts best.
If you’re looking to include more fresh vegetables and fruits in your meals but are in a time-crunch, this appliance may be just what you’ve been looking for! 
Its ease of assembly, use and cleaning make it practical for home cooks of all ages and abilities.
