I have a Cuisinart which I like alot.

I don't, but I'm going to watch this carefully because I think Amanda would like one for chopping things like onions.

Thanks for the question, it'll help me a lot.

Annie

I, too, have a Cuisinart mini that I love and use frequently. It was about $20 four or five years ago. I still use my trusty chef's knife for most chopping though, even though the Cuisinart is sitting on the counter.

Sherry

I have loved the two I have already gone thru, now have a Cuisinart and love it too. I sometimes use mine several times a day.

Beverly

I had the Cuisinart and it was good. I gave it away though when I bought my FP since that has a smaller bowl too to use. But the Cuisinart worked well.

Beverly, what do you use yours for besides onions and maybe nuts? Mushrooms, or will they just mush up? And are the small ones sturdy enough to chop something like carrots?

Annie

I used to have a 2-cup Black and Decker one, until I dropped it and broke both the lid and the container. I replaced it with a 3-cup sized GE one called a Deluxe Chopper. I don't remember the price but I'm sure it was under $25. It has a low and a high speed.

I use it much more often than my food processor. Annie, you can chop mushrooms on low speed. I just sort of pulse them. No problem with carrots if you whack them into chunks first. Yesterday, I put in a stalk of celery, half an onion, a carrot and some parsley and chopped them to add to a small batch of split pea soup I was making.

I also use mine for chopping a bunch of parsley or garlic, grinding up leftover ham, chopping up strips of orange or lemon peel and other small jobs.

Thanks, Ruthanna, I was wondering if they would grind veggies to mush like my big one does, LOL.

Amanda's knife skills are somewhere between atrocious and non-existent. (Much like her penmanship, LOL) I get scared just watching her chop an onion, I think she'd like one of those little choppers.

Annie

I had a Black and Decker for quite a few years and when that died I bought a Cuisinart a couple of years ago. I love the "idea" of a mini food chopper, but neither of these has really impressed me. It seems that the blades are placed too high. Food on the bottom of the chopper does not get chopped/incorporated into the rest. The Cuisinart does not have speed settings, but it has a setting for chop and a setting for grind. I can't really tell the difference. And I don't think it does a good job unless the bowl is at least half full. Small amounts just get tossed around.

I have a 15 year old mini Cuisinart and don't use it often, but it does work. I've never used a real FP so I don't know what it SHOULD be able to do. It does nuts well. Bigger things don't really fit. More than half the times that I have pulled it out to use it wasn't up to the task--maybe that's why I don't usually think of it.

I have a Black & Decker and use it maybe once a month, mostly for chopping spice mixes (great for peppercorns with fresh rosemary and garlic, my fav rub for pork) and it is sturdy enough for carrots, etc. I have not tried mushrooms, but I think it might smoosh them since I don't think the blade is as sharp as my full sized FP. Maybe I just need to get the blades sharpened or replaced?

Alexa

I have a Kitchen Aid Mini-chop DH bought me several years ago. (He actually bought it for himself and justified it by saying it was for me.) He paid $20 for it at Lowes. I've been very happy with it.

Since you said 'mini', I thought I would let you know which one I use. I use Oskar, Jr. Chopper Plus, made by Sunbeam. It is about a 1+ cup capacity. It does a great job on onions; veggies, etc and other things that don't require liquid, in which case I use my regular blender (like salsa as an example). It only comes with one speed, but believe me, that is more than enough. I can't recall what I paid for it, but sometimes appliances that are labeled mini or small, usually cost more than full size because of the demand for smaller kitchen appliances that do not take up space. Mine has worked great for the many years I have owned it and I have never had it break down.

Annie, sorry it took me so long to get back. I've been gone all day. In addition to onions and nuts, I use it if I need to chop/mince several cloves of garlic, mince shredded salad carrots, eggs for egg salad, parmesan cheese, celery, and things I can't even remember right now. I don't like large pieces of canned tomato in soups so I put a can of tomatoes in it to crush. I have used it to mince mushrooms and also pickles to go in deviled eggs or potato salad. Also, I have chopped a handful of herbs in it and couple of times.

I doubt I would try it to do carrots except for the slivered you buy in a package for salads. I think it would probably do them if you cut them in chunks and held it down, but would soon ruin it.

If you want a non-electric one I use the Quick Chop. I am in control as to how much I want the food chopped, fine or coarse. I use it mainly for onions or to chop things up for dips. It is great for guacamole or fresh salsa. I use a knife for everything else. You can sometimes find them at Big Lots for really cheap, around $10.
Clare

Here is a link that might be useful: quick chop

Oh Annie, I thought of something else I use it for - bread crumbs.

Beverly

I use mine for everything Beverly listed, plus making hummus and chopping herbs. It isn't going to make precisely sized pieces, but I've never wanted everything to look so precisely-sized anyway. If all it did was onions, though, I'd be happy. I have good knives and know how to use them, but I absolutely detest chopping onions.

I have a Cuisinart mini, and I adore it! I use it for rough chopping vegetables to put in stock, for fine chopping herbs for herbal butters, for processing onions, bell peppers, etc. for freezing. My husband ordered it from Amazon and it was about $30, but worth every penny! I wouldn't have spent that much, but he is generous and really surprised me with it. Now if the house catches on fire I'll grab the cat and my mini-chopper and run!

I have 2 electric Mini Choppers
A 16 year old Hamilton Beach that I got for a wedding present, still works like a champ. It is good for 1/2 cup amounts.
Last year with a xmas certificate I bought the Cuisinart 2 Speed Mini Chopper and use that more often. It holds 1 Cup and the low/high speed is great. You can also switch the blade from sharp to dull.
If I had to choose, it would be the Cuisinart, well worth the 29.95

Thanks everyone for the input. I'm going with the Kitchen Aide model. I'm getting a good deal on it from Amazon along with a rebate.

I have a Braun -- actually, it's my stick blender (THANK YOU, Jessyf) that came with a whisk attachment and a mini-processor attachment. Unfortunately, I don't think it's available anymore, because it is GREAT -- best thing I've ever found for chopping herbs, a bit of garlic, etc., etc. -- and takes up so little space in the dw. I also have the Cuisinart SmartPower Duet, which is a small FP with a blender too. Excellent gift for a student or new apartment.

My big KA FP also has a mini blade and bowl, but truthfully, I don't like it as well as the other two. I still have to clean the big cover, and most often, stuff slops over the side and I have to clean the big bowl.