Want to chop food fast and easy? Use Pampered Chef's Food Chopper
Written: Jul 16 '02 (Updated Sep 19 '02)
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Pros: Chops veggies, nuts, fruits, meats efficiently, cleans up easily
Cons: Only can do small amount at a time
The Bottom Line: Chop, Chop! Get yourself a Food Chopper today!
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| ariel10575's Full Review: Pampered Chef Cutting Edge Food Chopper 2585 |
I attended my first Pampered Chef party in July 1999. I had been hearing about this Pampered Chef stuff for the previous 9 months and I was excited to go, even though I was 2 months pregnant and in full morning sickness throws 24/7. I got to the party, sat in the comfy chair, and treated well.
I was so excited by the demonstration that I nearly forgot I felt sick, until I moved of course! I decided to take the plunge and book a party so I could get more items. In the meantime, I ordered myself the Corn Butterer and a Food Chopper!
I got it home a few weeks later, and enjoyed chopping things up with it, but it was hurting my hand and was cutting worse and worse. I stopped using it for a while, and when my party rolled around, I concentrated on other items and neglected telling the Consultant about my problems with it.
Zoom ahead to September 2001. My good friend and I decided to have a party where I was the host and she was the consultant. I wanted to see the new products, and earn some more free stuff. When I saw her use her Food Chopper at the party I was in shock! That was NOT my Food Chopper!!
What happened to my Food Chopper? Well, I did not realize that mine was made by Zyliss and that Pampered Chef was selling it until they had one designed and produced only for them. I came to also find out that my mom had purchased a Food Chopper at my previous party, and then never took it out of the box! And it was the new one! Gosh, I could have been chopping in glee for over a year and did not know it!
My mom was kind enough to buy me my own Food Chopper a few months ago, since she wanted hers back when she saw me using it so often, and now I am a proud chopper again!
Haven't I seen this on TV? or was it the mall? No, wait - Tupperware!
You have seen a knock off on TV. The Quick Chop is not the same. I have held one, checked it out, and taken it apart as far as it can go, and it is not the same, just very similar as knock offs can be. I can not comment on how well it works or holds up or whatever warranty it has, as I have not chopped with it, nor read up on it beyond other reviews here on Epinions.
As for the mall, that would be Zyliss. The cart at our mall here was actually kicked out due in part to a Pampered Chef Director here because they were claiming false facts and showing Pampered Chef catalogues and claiming that we still sold their models. Oops! My understanding is that Zyliss had 3 models of choppers, and the top of the line is what we sold. I'm afraid to see what the lower models were like!
A friend of mine used to sell Tupperware, and she showed me that they were making choppers in designer colors. We never got a hold of one to try, but we did notice that there was only a 30 day warranty on it.
So what makes this worth spending $28.50 on it?
Gosh, I think everything about it makes it worth spending the money! Let's go over the features, and you decide:
(The features list is information Pampered Chef from materials they provided to me in hard copy, not online. All commentary is my own.)
Stainless Steel Cutting Blades: This is good because it is durable and most importantly will not rust!
Self-Rotating, Seven-Angle Cutting Blades: When you need something chopped fast, and easily, it would make sense to attack at different angles. Well, with seven being covered at once, and then rotating each time you chop, you will cover more surfaces faster and efficiently! Can you imagine chopping with seven knives at once? The food would be flying for sure!!
Plastic Covered Plunger with Soft Rubber Top: Heck, this thing is worth it for the Soft Rubber Top! My hand no longer hurts when I use this chopper because of it! Also, unlike my first Chopper, the plunger itself is covered in plastic. My first one was not and exposed the spring that was part of the plunger.
Flexible Cap: What? You think this cap is just for setting it on? Oh no! This cap is also a cutting surface! If you have limited room, you can use this cap instead of a cutting board. Or better yet, if you want, you can drop the food into it the cap, chop it up, and then use the cap to move the food to a bowl!
Versatile: While it can only chop, it can chop lots of different things! You can do nuts, veggies, fresh herbs, cookies, candy, meat, fruit, ice, etc. Lots of different things for all sorts of different purposes!
Dishwasher-Safe: This whole thing can go into the dishwasher! Just take the cap off, and then twist the clear barrel off. Then you can remove the cap over the blade, and then open up the top of it above the blade like a butterfly. It is recommended to give the blade a rinse before you put it into the dishwasher, so any large pieces of food will come off. Then stick it all in the top shelf of the dishwasher, and turn it on!
5 Year Guarantee: You read that right! This baby has got a 5 year guarantee that covers product repair or replacement. If anything breaks or fails, call the consultant you bought it from, and more than likely you will get a new one! Or she may be able to fix it for you. I've been learning tips and tricks how to fix common problems with various products and make them just like new! Always ask questions, no matter how silly, about a product - too many people are afraid to say they have a problem, and just stick it on the top shelf to forget about a fixable problem.
Dimensions: This baby stand 9 1/2" High.
Informative Packaging: As with all other Pampered Chef products, it comes with instructions on how to care for it, use it, and comes with 6 different recipes!
Exclusive - Patented: Yes, as I mentioned above, this Food Chopper was designed and produced just for Pampered Chef! It is made in Germany.
Any tips on using it?
Sure! First, wash it before you use it. Either pop it through a dishwasher cycle, or you can wash it carefully by hand in warm, soapy water. Be VERY careful when cleaning the blade - it is sharp!
If you are going to be chopping citrus fruit, cinnamon candies, carrots, maraschino cherries, or red peppers, be sure to wash the chopper up as soon as you can when you are done. These foods, and any others of their type, can leave stains on the blade cap, cap, or the clear collar of the Food Chopper.
Try not to push too hard also on the plunger. If you hit too hard, you may find that the blade could stick into your cutting board! I know that my husband sure can hit hard, but he doesn't realize that he is using so much force.
Also, when chopping, I suggest that you plunge in sets of 5 to figure out how many times you need to chop. It is possible to hit it too many times and go from chopping to mincing to purée! That is ok if you are making baby food, but not when you are making pizza toppings!
If you are going to chop nuts, I have a great tip I figured out first hand. My mom bought a big bag of walnuts. The pieces of walnut were large - uncut. I unscrewed the clear collar, leaving the cap on, and then dropped some walnuts into the cap. I twisted the collar back onto the Food Chopper, and chopped until I got the size my mom wanted. Again, I twisted the collar off, and used the collar and cap as a cup and dumped the chopped nuts into the zip lock bag my mom wanted to store them in! No mess on the cutting board, and I lost no nuts in transport!
When you do chop, especially meats, it does appear to get some of it stuck in the blade cap. I've found that if I just tap the Food Chopper onto the cutting board, that most, if not all of that food will fall onto the cutting board.
One of my favorite things to tell guests during my kitchen shows is that if they have a stressful day at work, or wherever, that they should come home and chop something. It can sure help to work out aggression and stress! Take that, you piece of celery!! You too, Mr. Onion!!
Be Safe if you own this!
The blade is very sharp! I know that my kids love to help me in the kitchen, and I do let them help me with the Food Chopper. But they are not allowed to pick it up, only use the plunger. Be sure to keep this product and all other cutting devices out of children's reach.
Be sure that you also read all the use and care instructions before you use it! And please! If you can, wash the Food Chopper in the dishwasher so that you will not be trying to clean the blade yourself! It is a big blade, and is very sharp! One slip and OUCH!!
My Recommendation
I love this product! When I was not able to afford a food processor, I bought this. Now, I think I'll stick with it, even though I think I could afford a food processor. It is simple, easy, and quick! I will be using this a lot whenever I have to make baby food again, if I want to make chicken salad for sandwiches, if I need crushed ice, or well, for anything and everything!
So whenever you go to your next Pampered Chef Party, take the consultant's Food Chopper for a spin around some food, and see just how easy it is!!
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Note: Yes, I am a Pampered Chef Kitchen Consultant. I am writing this review as a way to reinforce my own knowledge about a product that I own and love a lot.
For more information about this product, how to purchase it, find a consultant in your hometown, recipes, or to just contact the manufacturer, please click through the manufacturer's link on the bottom of the product page. To get there, go to the top of this page, and click the part I have left in italics that says:
Home » Home & Garden » Cooking » Bakeware » Pampered Chef Cutting Edge Food Chopper 2585
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): gift
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Epinions.com ID: ariel10575
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Member: Rebecca Murphy
Location: Granada Hills, Ca, USA
Reviews written: 117
Trusted by: 62 members
About Me: I'm back, and getting ready to write again. :)
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