Can we talk about chopping veggies?

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

Most of the recipes I make involve chopping a lot of vegetables--onions, at minimum, but usually also carrots, celery, mushrooms, garlic, peppers, etc. And I usually add more of any vegetables that a recipe calls for. The chopping is what ends up taking me so long to cook meals. Oh, plus there's often the shredding of cheese too.

 

I need to find a way to decrease the the time I spend on this. My knife skills are pretty good, but I'm a bit klutzy, and I nearly removed a few fingertips when I got new, super sharp knives recently, so I don't want to just rely on speeding up my chopping.

 

I've also tried using a food processor, but I find that when I drop in, say, all of the onion I need to chop, I end up with part of it turned into a slurry and part of it not chopped small enough. And because I'm usually chopping several things that have to go in in stages, the time I spend pulling the processor out, setting it up, processing each thing, pulling out the blade and removing the jug, trying to scrape all the vegetable bits into the pot, reseating the jug, replacing the blade, processing the next thing, lather rinse repeat, disassembling, washing, reassembling and putting away, and so on...I'm just not sure there's any actual time/effort savings there. Plus, the stupid food processor I have collects water inside in the plastic handle when it goes through the dishwasher, which just grosses me out.

 

Is there something I'm missing here? Is there some better way to do all of this? I used to have one of those slap chopper things, but while the size of the finished product was right, it was definitely not easier overall, especially given the amounts I need to chop.

 

Maybe I need a bigger/better food processor? I have a 7 cup Cuisinart, but it is a lower-end model. I've never used one outside of this one, so maybe that's my problem?

 

I would love to hear any advice you have. I just really need to spend less time in the dang kitchen! Tonight I'm chopping onions, carrots, and celery and shredding a block of cheese. Oh, and cubing potatoes and ham. Not looking forward to it!

Edited November 9, 2016 by ILiveInFlipFlops

[Barb_]

I hear you. I taught my teenagers to chop as soon as possible so I have help. My parents bought me some Wusthof classic knives almost two decades ago as a housewarming gift. You may think you have a sharp knife but these things cut through stuff like butter. They aren't cheap, but you can probably set aside money to buy a chef's knife to start with. The fluted style is super quick with no sticking but won't last through as many sharpenings due to the air pockets. I had to replace my knives recently due to the house fire and I decided to go with the regular chef style again. Cutlery and more is running some really great deals right now. Check out their prices on the cordon bleu version. It's the same as the classic, but sleeker. There's no thumb guard which reduces weight (and fatigue!)

 

ETA If you don't have a santuko style knife, they are really great for cutting potatoes or other types of veggies or cheese that want to stick to the blade. You have to adjust your technique due to the flat blade. I haven't seen cheapish fluted chef's knife which is the best of both worlds

Edited November 9, 2016 by Barb_

[SparklyUnicorn]

When I know I'll have a lot of chopping to do for a meal I do that part first thing in the morning so it's ready later on.  It just feels like less work when I'm not doing everything all at once. 

 

 

[prairiewindmomma]

I have given my children protective gloves and knives and have let them go at it.  I do have a mandolin slicer as well.

[regentrude]

I have never found the food processor worth the effort it takes to assemble and clean if I only need to chop vegetables. A sharp knife and a large cutting board makes this a quick task. I don't mince anything super fine though, except onions. Carrots I just slice, separate broccoli in florets, etc. It's just peeling potatoes I hate, so I mainly use potatoes with skin on.

 

I use the food processor to shred large quantities of cheese. or buy pre shredded if on sale.

Edited November 9, 2016 by regentrude

[Bluegoat]

I feel your pain, I am finding chopping a real chore lately. 

 

And I find a food processor a pain.  Hard to clean, and I am short of storage room and sockets are in short supply in my kitchen.  Plus, I hate the noise.

 

I am asking for a mandolin slicer for Christmas.

[AmandaVT]

One thing that might save time during the week is to chop everything on the weekends. Chop a bag of onions and store in a container in the fridge/freezer, same with carrots, celery, peppers, etc. Then when it comes time to cook, take what you need for the recipe. It would take a little longer the first day, but would save a lot of time as the week goes on.

[Storygirl]

Chopping takes a lot of time for me, too. When I see that a recipe calls for a lot of chopping but supposedly only takes 30 minutes, I roll my eyes.

 

I've started pre-chopping, sauteing, and freezing the vegetables for a few soup recipes that my family loves, in the amounts specified in the recipe, so I can just take the bag out of the freezer, thaw, and add it in.

Edited November 9, 2016 by Storygirl

[TXBeth]

I'll just speak to the cheese. I never buy cheese in blocks anymore. It's the same price per pound to get it pre-shredded, and it saves me a lot of time and effort.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[AMJ]

I'll just speak to the cheese. I never buy cheese in blocks anymore. It's the same price per pound to get it pre-shredded, and it saves me a lot of time and effort.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

 

I love pre-shredded cheese, but I found that it doesn't work well in certain dishes because the shreds are often coated with some sort of starch to keep them from sticking together.  When I made my Mom's homemade mac & cheese my cheese sauce broke due to this added starch.

 

I buy pre-shredded cheese for most applications, but when I need to make a sauce I'll shred it myself, either by hand or in the food processor (if I'm doing enough to make cleaning up afterwards worthwhile).

 

 

When I was working a computer-intensive job I used the food processor for quite a lot of stuff because cleaning it aggravated my tendonitis less than chopping things by hand did.

[kiana]

I gave up and bought chopped frozen vegetables. Life's too short and the extra expense is worth it to make them actually get eaten instead of mildew sadly in the crisper. 

[Ellie]

I cannot bring myself to buy pre-grated cheese. The cheese is tossed with cellulose--wood--to keep the little pieces from clumping. I.just.can't.

 

So I buy cheese and grate it myself, using my food processor. Unless Mr. Ellie is home, and then I have him grate the cheese. :-) But really, the food processor is the best thing in the world for grating cheese. Takes only a couple of minutes.

[SamanthaCarter]

I'm with you on the food processor. I do use it when I have a bunch of stuff were it doesn't really matter too much about size or uniformity, and when I have several things to chop where it doesn't really need to be washed in between those foods. I have a nice food processor, but I don't think the quality is going to make a whole lot of difference in usefulness from a veggie-chopping perspective. 

 

Washing and chopping really is the most time(labor) consuming part of cooking. I wish I had an answer. I hope that as my kids get older, I will be able to employ them in washing, chopping and packing foods on grocery day. I'm only minimally successful in doing that on my own. 

 

About cheese, I have a question for those who shred ahead of time. How you you store it so that it doesn't end up a hard-to-separate blob of shredded cheese? 

 

 

[kathkath]

My vegetarian neighbor introduced us to this. 2 thumbs up and kids can help too! BBB has.

http://www.asseenontvwebstore.com/mobile/product.aspx?ProductCode=vidalia%2Dchop&404;http://www.asseenontvwebstore.com:80/Vidalia-Chop-p/vidalia-chop.htm?gclid=CNaNqprJnNACFQiOaQodkyANMw

[prairiewindmomma]

I forgot to link. Here's my mandolin slicer: https://www.amazon.com/Swissmar-Borner-V-1001-V-Slicer-Mandoline/dp/B0000632QE/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1478729231&sr=8-15&keywords=mandoline+slicer

 

The gloves on the same page under "frequently purchased together" are the ones we use.  The Mandolin slicer is wicked sharp, so I do recommend the gloves.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I hate the food processor.  It's particularly good for certain things (like ricing cauliflower), but for the most part I hate having to clean it and lug it out.  Although if you rinse it immediately and throw it in the dishwasher it's not too too bad.  It isn't so great for basic chopping though.

 

I bet onions freeze ok.  Probably peppers.  You might save a bit of trouble prepping a bunch of that ahead and freezing it.  Some stuff I think changes texture too much when you freeze it. 

[Baseball mom]

My vegetarian neighbor introduced us to this. 2 thumbs up and kids can help too! BBB has.

http://www.asseenontvwebstore.com/mobile/product.aspx?ProductCode=vidalia%2Dchop&404;http://www.asseenontvwebstore.com:80/Vidalia-Chop-p/vidalia-chop.htm?gclid=CNaNqprJnNACFQiOaQodkyANMw

 

Good to know! I was just fixing to ask if anyone had ever tried one of those

[TravelingChris]

I am going to prepare a dish tomorrow that will use grated Gruyere.  I couldn't buy it pre-shredded so I will use a food processor.

[Farrar]

I'll go a different direction and say that while the chopping is the longest part of cooking a lot of the time, I find that timing things right works best to minimize the total time spent on the recipe. So if you don't need something right off the bat, then don't chop it. Like, if I'm making a stir fry, I put the meat on then pull out the veggies and start chopping. I tend the meat in between. By the time the meat is done and ready to be removed, I have the veggies done. It doesn't always work this way - some recipes need lots of veggies at the very start... though not usually everything. There are usually the hardier veggies and the daintier ones with different cooking times.

[happi duck]

I like the chopping part!

 

Besides what others have shared I find that working on a big cutting board helps.

 

Also, I have a garbage/compost bowl that I use to quickly get scraps out of the way.

[Alessandra]

I agree about not using a food processor, too time consuming to clean.

 

I save time by using the right size of knife. I have a 12" Wusthof Classic for mincing parsley, etc. But for most things, I find myself pulling out a Kyocera ceramic Santoku knife, effortless to use.

 

For me, it really helps to set up my work area so that the pile of whole vegetables, the cutting board (large), and the pile of chopped vegetables are located efficiently. Also, a flexible cutting board can speed up getting the veggies off it quickly. A bench scraper is useful with a non-flexible board. For me, the time waster tends to be moving stuff around more than actual chopping.

 

I also like a mandolins for slicing things like cucumber super thin. Special protective gloves can be useful with a mandolins. (And dd uses gloves for regular cutting.)

 

Oh, on more thing. If I am slicing something that rolls about, like a potato, I often cut it in half first, so that it does not move about, makes cutting faster, IMO.

[Barb_]

I'll go a different direction and say that while the chopping is the longest part of cooking a lot of the time, I find that timing things right works best to minimize the total time spent on the recipe. So if you don't need something right off the bat, then don't chop it. Like, if I'm making a stir fry, I put the meat on then pull out the veggies and start chopping. I tend the meat in between. By the time the meat is done and ready to be removed, I have the veggies done. It doesn't always work this way - some recipes need lots of veggies at the very start... though not usually everything. There are usually the hardier veggies and the daintier ones with different cooking times.

This is why cooking takes me forever. I canNOT do this. I will overcome everything to mush. Or set it on fire. I'm 47 with decades of experience and if my eyeballs aren't on the stove, I will have no recollection of putting food there. I know this about myself 😋

 

ETA: if you're one of the elusive creatures who can chop and use heat simultaneously, I bow to you

Edited November 10, 2016 by Barb_

[Farrar]

This is why cooking takes me forever. I canNOT do this. I will overcome everything to mush. Or set it on fire. I'm 47 with decades of experience and if my eyeballs aren't on the stove, I will have no recollection of putting food there. I know this about myself 😋

 

ETA: if you're one of the elusive creatures who can chop and use heat simultaneously, I bow to you

 

Sometimes I set a timer, even if I know it's not going to be "done" - just for when I need to be sure and stir again in two or three minutes. I especially do it for anything roasting in the broiler or anything that's simmering and covered but needs to be checked - because out of sight, out of mind.

 

It definitely takes practice. But if I'm pan searing some meat or something, I'll just do the chopping right next to the stove. I can't forget it and burn it. Also, it's loud.

 

I get bored if I'm in there just waiting for things to cook.

[Barb_]

Sometimes I set a timer, even if I know it's not going to be "done" - just for when I need to be sure and stir again in two or three minutes. I especially do it for anything roasting in the broiler or anything that's simmering and covered but needs to be checked - because out of sight, out of mind.

 

It definitely takes practice. But if I'm pan searing some meat or something, I'll just do the chopping right next to the stove. I can't forget it and burn it. Also, it's loud.

 

I get bored if I'm in there just waiting for things to cook.

Now I need the fistbump emoji. You should come to my house and demonstrate your wizardry

[Amy in NH]

I love my alligator chopper - fruits or veges in large or small dice all the same size in a matter of seconds.

 

A mandolin is also a kitchen must have for a lot of slicing.

[Tanaqui]

Mastering timing, as Farrar said, is key - but if you can't manage that, then I suggest bulk chopping.

 

You know what you're cooking for the week. Chop all your vegetables in one fell swoop (hopefully with family hep - many hands make light work) and get it over with. It does go faster if you do it all at once, if only because you're saving time washing the cutting board.

 

I assume, also, that you know to chop things in stacks? Like, if you're chopping two stalks of celery you know to put them together and cut them in half, then put the halves together and cut them in half again, then bundle your 8 quarter-stalks and chop them all up at once.

 

I gave up and bought chopped frozen vegetables. Life's too short and the extra expense is worth it to make them actually get eaten instead of mildew sadly in the crisper.

 

Frozen vegetables are often fresher than "fresh" vegetables anyway.

 

[Arcadia]

onions - I buy diced, no one likes to chop onions in my house

carrots, celery, mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes - my kids chop/slice them using a steak knife when they are bored. I just bag the extras in a freezer safe ziplock

Garlic - we don't chop as I would just put the whole clove in the soup. I buy diced/minced garlic when I need to as local garlic isn't expensive

 

I have a food processor but I find that a hassle to wash. My kids end up using our blender if they want to make guacamole.

[scoutingmom]

I'll just speak to the cheese. I never buy cheese in blocks anymore. It's the same price per pound to get it pre-shredded, and it saves me a lot of time and effort.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Here it is about twice the price...

 

Sent from my SM-T530NU using Tapatalk

[Farrar]

If you want to get faster at the timing aspect, one book that helped me was the America's Test Kitchen 30 Minute Recipe book:

https://www.amazon.com/Best-30-Minute-Recipe-Cooks-Illustrated/dp/0936184981/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1478756443&sr=8-1&keywords=best+30+minute+recipe

 

It's not perfect, but in many recipes, it tells you how to maximize the time at the start or it tells you when to do the chopping in the text of the recipe. Like, while the pasta cooks, chop the tomatoes...

Edited November 10, 2016 by Farrar

[Ellie]

 

About cheese, I have a question for those who shred ahead of time. How you you store it so that it doesn't end up a hard-to-separate blob of shredded cheese? 

 

After I grate the cheese, I spread it out on a paper towel-covered cookie sheet and put it in the freezer. When it's all nice and frozen, I put it in a big zip-lok bag and keep it in the freezer. I can take out just what I need, and it will  melt nicely because all the little cheese pieces are individually frozen. :-)

[SparklyUnicorn]

Sometimes I set a timer, even if I know it's not going to be "done" - just for when I need to be sure and stir again in two or three minutes. I especially do it for anything roasting in the broiler or anything that's simmering and covered but needs to be checked - because out of sight, out of mind.

 

It definitely takes practice. But if I'm pan searing some meat or something, I'll just do the chopping right next to the stove. I can't forget it and burn it. Also, it's loud.

 

I get bored if I'm in there just waiting for things to cook.

 

This or if I think it's just going to take quite a bit longer for me to chop I turn the heat very low on the stuff I'm starting with.  Or I turn the heat off if I'm going along and it I'm not ready for the next part.

 

Hopefully I'm explaining that right.  Makes sense to me!

 

I get bored too.  Seriously I get so bored that sometimes I set the timer for 5 minutes so I can come back and check on something because I don't want to stand there looking at it.  LOL 

[kiana]

I started using timers for everything after I got tired of eating charred food. I started a couple of fires too because I'd get bored and wander off. 

[Farrar]

I get bored too.  Seriously I get so bored that sometimes I set the timer for 5 minutes so I can come back and check on something because I don't want to stand there looking at it.  LOL 

 

I have many a time looked around the kitchen, realized the dishes were done and I didn't feel like scrubbing anything serious but the food needed longer and set a timer for a couple of minutes and then stood there playing Two Dots or doing Sudoku on my phone until it dings. I know, it's like the shallows in my brain now. But whatever.

[TeachingTwins]

My vegetarian neighbor introduced us to this. 2 thumbs up and kids can help too! BBB has.

http://www.asseenontvwebstore.com/mobile/product.aspx?ProductCode=vidalia-chop&404;http://www.asseenontvwebstore.com:80/Vidalia-Chop-p/vidalia-chop.htm?gclid=CNaNqprJnNACFQiOaQodkyANMw

I have this, and use it a lot. I like it, but you have to slam it down pretty hard to chop vegetables like carrots.

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

Thanks everyone, lots of good ideas here. I made my soup last night, and even with me trying to be uber efficient, it still took me an hour and a half *sigh* I did use the food processor for the onions/carrots, and I meant to use it for the ham and cheese, but I forgot and put it in the sink, where it got covered with yuck before I realized I'd what I'd done. That might have saved me some time. I love the look of that alligator chopper though! Maybe I could use something like that to save me time on the softer veggies and still cut the harder ones (mainly carrots) by hand. 

 

I did pre-chop a huge onion and laid it flat in a zipper bag to freeze, so that should save some time in the future! I'm kind of wary of pre-chopping too much because I know there's some nutrient loss when things are cut and then sit--probably not enough to matter, so I should really get over that. I'll work on that too :lol: And I do think a bigger food processor would help, because there's not a lot of space at the bottom for things to bounce around, so stuff just keeps getting pureed around the blades. Maybe I'll throw that on my Christmas list :D

 

Anyway, hopefully I can put together a better repertoire of techniques and tricks and shave off at least a little time. 

 

Thanks all!

Edited November 11, 2016 by ILiveInFlipFlops

[Liz CA]

Did someone suggest the chopper by Pampered Chef. Non-electric, doesn't pulverize or liquefy things.

 

There are surely similar products by other manufacturers as well.

Here is the one I have:

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/332018987292?lpid=82&chn=ps&ul_noapp=true

[regentrude]

 I made my soup last night, and even with me trying to be uber efficient, it still took me an hour and a half *sigh*

 

Oh my goodness- how much soup did you make???

I usually chop while I cook. While the oil is heating, I chop the onion. While the onion is sauteeing, I chop celery and carrots. While those sautee, I chop the rest of the veggies that go in later, right next to the stove, while stirring occasionally.

One and a half hour of chopping stuff? Are you cooking for a giant family? 

Edited November 11, 2016 by regentrude

[Guest]

Unless I am cooking for more than 25, I'm faster with my knives than with any appliance or gadget.

 

Get a good chopping knife and learn to use it. You'll be happier soon and forever.

[Nan in Mass]

I have a half circle knife and a wooden bowl. If I have a lot of vegetables to chop, I do it in that. The piece size varies a lot but it is very fast and cleans up easily. If it is not a lot, I cut it with a paring knife against my thumb straight into the pot, which is fast and safe. If I have a medium amount to chop, I do it with the knife my son brought back from Japan on a cutting board with the compost bowl next to me. It has micro serrations, cuts through hard things really easily, and things don't stick to it. It lives on the kitchen windowsill where I can grab it easily and woe betide anyone else who touches it.

 

Nan

[FaithManor]

Here is my secret, the Mennonite bulk food store near me sells containers of diced, dehudrated stew vegetables. Leeks, carrots, red pepper, celery, and onion. I buy it in large amounts and add to whatever I am making. Scoop, dump. The end. So convenient and makes me happy to have the short cut. I keep frozen green beans and frozen peas on hand, and I buy a big bag of cubed, frozen potatoes.

 

I keep dried beans as well as canned pintos on hand so a lot of meals are dump and cook, hardly any prep.

[idnib]

I have seen pre-chopped mirepoix at TJ's but I'm not sure if it's any good. I do but pre-sliced mushrooms. They're the same price here.

 

I forgot to link. Here's my mandolin slicer: https://www.amazon.com/Swissmar-Borner-V-1001-V-Slicer-Mandoline/dp/B0000632QE/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1478729231&sr=8-15&keywords=mandoline+slicer

 

The gloves on the same page under "frequently purchased together" are the ones we use.  The Mandolin slicer is wicked sharp, so I do recommend the gloves.

 

I have the same mandolin, along with a glove with a large cut in it. It saved my hand though so I agree with the recommendation!

[Katy]

Egg slicers make perfect slices of mushroom.

 

Walmart has frozen seasoning mixtures of every sort of vegetable that I often get so for cooked foods I can dump without thinking.  In some cases they cost a little more upfront, but since I switched to this system I throw out 80% less rotten produce, so I think it costs less overall.  It also makes cooking many things quick and easy.

 

If you're worried about nutrient loss, you can always prep/chop veggies and freeze the rest for later in the week.  At least when it's something that will be cooked so there won't be a texture issue.

[SamanthaCarter]

 

I did pre-chop a huge onion and laid it flat in a zipper bag to freeze, so that should save some time in the future! I'm kind of wary of pre-chopping too much because I know there's some nutrient loss when things are cut and then sit--probably not enough to matter, so I should really get over that. I'll work on that too :lol:

 

If it helps you to add more veggies into your diet, you'll still come out ahead. I had to come to that point with salad dressing. Ideally I could make my own dressing, which would be better for me. But I found I eat salad way more often if I just buy the dressing and don't have to make it. Same could be said for pre-chopping vegetables. It might not be perfect, but you are eating more of a good thing. 

[kiana]

I did pre-chop a huge onion and laid it flat in a zipper bag to freeze, so that should save some time in the future! I'm kind of wary of pre-chopping too much because I know there's some nutrient loss when things are cut and then sit--probably not enough to matter, so I should really get over that. I'll work on that too :lol:

 

Which gets you more nutrients -- prechopped frozen veggies, or uneaten veggies in the crisper/unbought veggies in the grocery? 

 

Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. 

 

:)