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Aerows

(39,961 posts)
Fri May 2, 2014, 11:00 PM May 2014

Anyone know about these hand plunger choppers? For Onions and Garlic, specifically

Anyone have a hand powered chopper recommendation for onions and garlic? I have no problem dicing my onion into quarters, but I saw something somewhere about a plunger you could put over the food and dice it that way. It looks like it would be very useful for garlic. Oh and maybe herbs and onions, too.

Anyone know what I'm talking about? Thanks!

27 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Anyone know about these hand plunger choppers? For Onions and Garlic, specifically (Original Post) Aerows May 2014 OP
They are notoriously hard to clean Major Nikon May 2014 #1
I could see that Aerows May 2014 #2
I use one. OnyxCollie May 2014 #3
I use the garlic in a jar, and a chopper, too. JayhawkSD May 2014 #4
Have you ever tried freezing the ginger, OnyxCollie May 2014 #13
I do that too grasswire May 2014 #20
You can make your own... Phentex May 2014 #23
I had one. laundry_queen May 2014 #5
I've used one a few timed that belonged to a friend. Arkansas Granny May 2014 #6
I got a pair of these as a present Fortinbras Armstrong May 2014 #7
Had one and used it for a while skepticscott May 2014 #8
I had one, didn't like it. threw it away. littlewolf May 2014 #9
I had one long ago spinbaby May 2014 #10
LOL Aerows May 2014 #11
Practice your chopping skills, much faster and easier dem in texas May 2014 #12
I'm great with onions Aerows May 2014 #16
put your clove on your cutting board grasswire May 2014 #21
Neat! Aerows May 2014 #26
Well, that's great until you get Parkinson's Disease JayhawkSD May 2014 #18
Now that's a VALID argument in their favor! nt MADem May 2014 #19
I tried one Warpy May 2014 #14
That's why I asked Aerows May 2014 #15
This message was self-deleted by its author Aerows May 2014 #17
some people hate the taste of jarred garlic... grasswire May 2014 #22
I have gotten used to Aerows May 2014 #25
I got one years ago as a gift and I like it. SalviaBlue May 2014 #24
I actually use it to chop up hardboiled eggs when I make potato salad. madinmaryland May 2014 #27

Major Nikon

(36,814 posts)
1. They are notoriously hard to clean
Fri May 2, 2014, 11:13 PM
May 2014

and it's just one more gadget to store. I can do it faster and easier with a sharp knife. Garlic is even easier. Just bang it once with the flat of the blade, remove skin, bang it again to smash, then chop with a rocking motion.

 

Aerows

(39,961 posts)
2. I could see that
Fri May 2, 2014, 11:15 PM
May 2014

I just saw someone on a cooking site raving about one, and I'm always skeptical. If you listened to everything they said on a cooking show, you would wonder how mankind managed to feed itself for thousands of years considering how many gadgets they seem to think you need!

 

OnyxCollie

(9,958 posts)
3. I use one.
Sat May 3, 2014, 12:18 AM
May 2014

Mainly for hot peppers like habaneros, but sometimes I use it for onions if I want to dice them into tiny pieces.

As for garlic, I used the minced stuff in a jar. (I hate cutting garlic.)

As long as you rinse the chopper off as soon as you're finished, it's not difficult to clean.

 

JayhawkSD

(3,163 posts)
4. I use the garlic in a jar, and a chopper, too.
Sat May 3, 2014, 01:55 AM
May 2014

I started to read a article about "Ten reasons not to use chopped garlic in a jar" and only got as far as the first reason. It said that the garlic is "peeled with a blast of air that can blow the flavor away." I read no farther and resolved to continue using the chopped garlic in a jar. If I'm making something which really features the garlic, such as Scampi, I will use fresh.

I use this chopper with nice results. As you say, rinse right after use and it cleans easily. It is absolutely invaluable for mincing ginger root.

 

OnyxCollie

(9,958 posts)
13. Have you ever tried freezing the ginger,
Sat May 3, 2014, 05:47 PM
May 2014

and then grating it with a cheese grater?

Peel the ginger before freezing. (Or not. I don't bother to peel it, but I'm just lazy.)

grasswire

(50,130 posts)
20. I do that too
Sun May 4, 2014, 11:51 PM
May 2014

Exactly that. I keep frozen ginger root and grate it into whatever I'm making. If it must be peeled, the easiest implement to use is a table spoon. Scrape the peel away -- it just takes a moment.

Phentex

(16,330 posts)
23. You can make your own...
Mon May 5, 2014, 10:55 AM
May 2014

I like the convenience of garlic already chopped and ready to go. You can peel a bunch of cloves all at once, chop it, put it in a jar and then cover it with some olive oil. It will keep nicely in your fridge or freezer until you need it. Sometimes I make some even finer and use it like garlic oil. No flavor loss there!

laundry_queen

(8,646 posts)
5. I had one.
Sat May 3, 2014, 02:20 AM
May 2014

My dad bought it for me. I no longer have it. Basically, I found it didn't do the job to my satisfaction. Often, if the onions were a bit on the soft side, especially the outer layer, the chopping mechanism would just squish it instead of chopping it. Also, I tend to use a LOT of onion and I found that I could only chop a small bit at a time or it didn't chop efficiently. I'm quick enough with a sharp knife that it ended up being a waste for me to use it (I had to cut up the onion, then put a small piece in, then chop, then empty, put the next piece in, chop, empty etc...easier for me to quickly dice up the onion with a knife). For garlic, I love my garlic press (don't even need to peel the cloves) so there was no point in spending time peeling just so I could chop up the garlic. The chopper I had would've been useless on herbs since they were too soft. I think if you got a higher quality one with really sharp blades and a large container to chop in, it might be worth it. Put it this way, I'm glad mine was a gift so I didn't waste any money on it, LOL. If I want very finely minced onion, I just put it through my food processor, but I hardly ever need it that fine because I can cut it pretty small anyway.

Arkansas Granny

(31,484 posts)
6. I've used one a few timed that belonged to a friend.
Sat May 3, 2014, 03:33 AM
May 2014

By the time I got the thing out, prepped the veg, chopped it and cleaned up, I could have chopped it by hand in a lot less time.

Fortinbras Armstrong

(4,473 posts)
7. I got a pair of these as a present
Sat May 3, 2014, 08:01 AM
May 2014


One for chopping onions, the other for garlic. They are absolute bastards to clean.
 

skepticscott

(13,029 posts)
8. Had one and used it for a while
Sat May 3, 2014, 09:19 AM
May 2014

but never fell in love with it. As others here have noted, not easy to clean and doesn't accommodate a lot at once, and the chopping is not fabulous. I still prefer a sharp knife for onions and a press for garlic.

littlewolf

(3,813 posts)
9. I had one, didn't like it. threw it away.
Sat May 3, 2014, 09:36 AM
May 2014

I can do better with a knife.
BTW I love jarred garlic.

that press looked familiar but I have a mandolin that is like that.
(I had to go look ) I like that mandolin ....


spinbaby

(15,073 posts)
10. I had one long ago
Sat May 3, 2014, 11:08 AM
May 2014

Didn't use it because it was a pain to clean and the one I had actually rusted if you tried to put it into the dishwasher. A knife is much easier all around. If I have a lot of onions to chop fine, I use a food processor, although you need to be really careful not to accidentally make onion puree.

 

Aerows

(39,961 posts)
11. LOL
Sat May 3, 2014, 11:57 AM
May 2014

I did that one time with an onion which is why I don't put it in the food processor. Onion puree isn't very helpful in my chicken pasta dish (I sautee diced onion with lemon then add in the chicken), and it was the only onion I had! Never again.

dem in texas

(2,672 posts)
12. Practice your chopping skills, much faster and easier
Sat May 3, 2014, 02:34 PM
May 2014

These things are just more gadgets to clean up and don't do as good a job as the old chopping board and good sharp knife. When you hand chop, you are in total control; big dice, little dice, long strips, short strips, whatever is needed.

Here is my favorite way to work up garlic. Peel and give the cloves and little chop, then put a little salt on them and mash the garlic and salt together. The grains of the salt breakdown the garlic and the mashing with the fork releases that great garlic flavor.

 

Aerows

(39,961 posts)
16. I'm great with onions
Sat May 3, 2014, 09:25 PM
May 2014

but garlic is such a pain to peel. I read an article about shaking it together in a pan, and maybe that will help.

Shelling garlic is the most time consuming task for me, and the lest pleasant, but it must be done.

If anyone has an idea how to shell it more efficiently, I'd appreciate it.

grasswire

(50,130 posts)
21. put your clove on your cutting board
Sun May 4, 2014, 11:56 PM
May 2014

Lay the flat side of your wide knife on it. Then smack the flat of the knife hard with the heel of your other hand. This smashes the clove, and releases the garlic from the papery peel.

Repeat with other cloves, as necessary.

If you watch the food network for a while, you will see the chefs do just this.

It's perfect.

 

JayhawkSD

(3,163 posts)
18. Well, that's great until you get Parkinson's Disease
Sun May 4, 2014, 01:49 AM
May 2014

Then you kind of appreciate the chopper.

Not to mention that I have strokes and take an anti-coagulant, so the combination of a hand tremor and a sharp knife scares the shit out of me.

Warpy

(110,917 posts)
14. I tried one
Sat May 3, 2014, 08:22 PM
May 2014

and the thrift shop got it. Not only are they a pain in the ass to clean, they also require quite a bit of strength to depress the plunger. I ended up with a mezza luna chopper and a curved bowl to contain what it chopped. I use it mostly for nuts.

For onions and garlic, I just use knife skills.

http://www.wimp.com/choponion/

 

Aerows

(39,961 posts)
15. That's why I asked
Sat May 3, 2014, 09:21 PM
May 2014

They look like a pain in the gluteus maximus to clean. I'll just put my energy to using proper chopping techniques. Thanks for the input, and confirming that I'm not "missing out" by forgoing a certain kitchen gadget.

Response to Aerows (Original post)

grasswire

(50,130 posts)
22. some people hate the taste of jarred garlic...
Sun May 4, 2014, 11:59 PM
May 2014

...and I am one of them. And I hate garlic salt/powder even more.

Just a general comment.

 

Aerows

(39,961 posts)
25. I have gotten used to
Mon May 5, 2014, 05:39 PM
May 2014

Litehouse Freeze dried garlic, and it is pretty awesome, but nothing beats fresh!

SalviaBlue

(2,911 posts)
24. I got one years ago as a gift and I like it.
Mon May 5, 2014, 05:37 PM
May 2014

I don't always use it for garlic. If I need just one or two cloves, its easier to use my knife. But I often find myself needing lots of garlic and it is more convenient for that.

I hate peeling garlic too. If you put the cloves under the chopper whole and give it a couple of whacks you can often peel the skins easily before you chop them the rest of the way.

If I am making salsa, its useful for the peppers.

I don't normally use it for onions, although if you need them minced it works well.

It is really great for mushrooms, if you need them minced.

As far as cleaning is concerned, I always rinse it immediately, otherwise it is very hard to clean.

madinmaryland

(64,921 posts)
27. I actually use it to chop up hardboiled eggs when I make potato salad.
Mon May 5, 2014, 06:52 PM
May 2014

I just rinse it off and throw it in the dish washer. I tried onion, but i mostly sautee them and it is easier just to chop them and throw them on the skillet.

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