‘I’m by no means dicing an onion once more’

I cook dinner from scratch with my companion virtually day by day, so I’m a reasonably assured chopper. Give me a pointy knife and I’ll fortunately slice and cube my manner by a recipe with out criticism.

But there’s one job I’ll keep away from in any respect prices: chopping onions.

I’ve dry eyes (‘low-quality tears’, in accordance with my optician… impolite), and dicing an onion looks like marinating my eyeballs in scorching acid. It’s the one job I outsource to my different half, who was born with the tear ducts of a god, apparently.

All that is to say that when a £30 gadget tells me it could possibly do the job in seconds, I’m . And after deciding that no, a grown girl should not must get assist or put on goggles to make a spag bol, I lastly caved and acquired one in every of Ninja’s most underrated home equipment: the Ninja mini chopper. Here’s my verdict.

The Ninja Professional Stackable Chopper in a nutshell

This mini chopper is the reply to my eyeballs’ prayers. It’s a easy, reasonably priced little gadget that operates by way of a press-down mechanism. The stack of 4 super-sharp blades can chop, mince or purée meals (relying on how lengthy you mix for), and it comes with two stackable cups and lids so you may retailer meals straight within the mixing bowl.

Design and first impressions

So a lot better than jar pesto

First up, I really like how easy this mini chopper is. You don’t must line up totally different components or click on issues collectively – simply put the blade in, add the lid (preserve the little flap open), then pop the mixing unit on high. Pulse the large button on high to cut and maintain it down for longer to mix.

The two stackable cups are an actual standout characteristic. You can chop in a single whereas storing one thing else within the different, and the lids imply you may pop them straight within the fridge. A intelligent contact that actually provides to the day-to-day usability.

It’s pleasingly compact, too. Whereas a full-size meals processor calls for a lot of cabinet area, washing up and monetary funding, this gadget requires a lot much less dedication in each sense.

Onion chopping expertise

This actually took 5 seconds

I began by outsourcing my least favorite job. I roughly quartered two medium-sized onions, slung them within the mixing bowl (they match simply, even with the 4 blades) and popped the lid and mixing unit on. After simply 4 pulses of the button, the onions had been completely diced – and never a streaming eye in sight. Huge win.

Often, these kinds of devices will depart massive chunks on the high, whereas the underside will get blended to mush. Thanks to the Ninja’s stack of 4 blades, there was none of that – only a exact, even cube all through. It’s surprisingly quiet, too.

Everyday use

I’m snug with a knife, and from-scratch prep (onions apart) isn’t actually a difficulty for me. So, I’ve been stunned by how a lot use I get from this mini chopper. Hands-free garlic mincing (no smelly fingertips!), dicing a soffrito base, making curry pastes, hummus, pesto, chopped salads… the checklist goes on.

What’s actually made this stick, although, is the 2 lidded cups. I can blitz one thing, seal the lid and put it straight within the fridge with out decanting, which saves on washing up and feels disproportionately satisfying. And after all, they stack.

Cleaning and upkeep

The massive brilliant warning I didn’t heed, plus the small filth lure within the mixing unit

Cleaning this gadget is simple – the mixing cups, lids and blade are straightforward to scrub by hand, or they will all go within the dishwasher. Just deal with the blades with warning, as they’re tremendous sharp – regardless of the copious warnings on the packaging, I nonetheless managed to nick myself the primary time I washed them.

I additionally found that it’s finest to keep away from getting meals on the highest of the blade axle while you’re including elements. This is as a result of there is a filth lure within the mixing unit the place the blades are inserted. But for probably the most half, the lids preserve the mixing unit away from any meals.

Final verdict

I purchased the Ninja mini chopper purely to keep away from dicing onions, and in that sense, it’s already paid for itself. My long-suffering companion has been relieved of his function as chief allium chopper, and dinner prep is so much faster.

What I didn’t anticipate was how usually I’d find yourself utilizing it for the whole lot else – garlic, nuts, fast sauces – all as a result of it is simply so quick and efficient at what it does. For £30, it’s a low-cost gadget I’d genuinely suggest – and sure, I haven’t chopped an onion since. No extra tears at teatime.

The Good Housekeeping Institute verdict

Score: 96/100

The Good Housekeeping Institute gave this mini chopper a near-perfect rating. In our exams, which contain chopping nuts, contemporary herbs, onion and breadcrumbs, in addition to making salsa, houmous and mayonnaise, the Ninja shone throughout the board. The non-slip base, stackable lidded mixing cups and detailed instruction guide all earnt it additional brownie factors and it’s well-priced besides.

You can purchase the Ninja Professional Stackable Chopper for £30 from Amazon, Argos or Ninja.