Choosing the Right Food Chopper for Your Commercial Kitchen

One simple way to save on food prep time is using a food processor or chopper. Rather than pay employees for many hours of manual chopping and risk repetitive stress injuries, a food processor can slice, dice, ripple cut, grate, grind, shred, and make many other types of cuts in a fraction of the time as a chef equipped only with a knife. Kitchen operators can use these machines to prepare a wide variety of ingredients for meals, including soup, stir fry, marinades, sauces, and French fries in every conceivable shape.

The correct chopper can increase efficiency in your commercial kitchen and help your team do more with less. But with so many options on the market, how do you select a machine that best suits the needs of your food business? This post will review the types of choppers and the considerations for purchasing one.

Benefits of Food Choppers

A great food processor or veggie slicer can help your kitchen streamline workflows and line cooking. Other advantages include:

• Save time and speed up food prep.
• Batch prepare ingredients.
• Focus on specific ingredients, like a French fry maker, for high-volume products.
• Choose a machine with interchangeable blades for every type of cut.

Also read: The Ultimate Sauce Pan Buying Guide

Choosing the Right Machine

When considering a food chopper, start with the menu. What are the most common ingredients and meals that you prep? Which type of machine will save the most time?

Additionally, you will need to consider cleaning and maintenance. A chopper that is difficult to keep clean can drastically slow your kitchen’s workflow. Training and safety are also key concerns. Finally, invest as much as you can into a food processing device, as it will pay back dividends in saved prep time and, hopefully, last for years to come.

Also read: How to Choose Cutlery for Your Restaurant or Venue

Types of Choppers

There are numerous models of choppers available depending on price point and functionality.

Economy options

Choppers at the entry-level price point are primarily manual and single-purpose. Vollrath makes manual potato cutters to create fries, wedges, and similar cuts. Interchangeable blades add to the versatility of such models. Some models can be mounted to a counter or wall to save space and maximize functionality.

Other high-quality, manual, single-purpose food prep machines are available from Nemco. Devices like the Easy Onion Slicer, the Lettuce Kutter (product name, not a typo), and the Easy Chopper assist line cooks in batch preparations for onion rings, salads, and many other types of meals.

While these machines are technically “single-purpose,” with a bit of creativity and interchangeable blades, your prep cooks can easily repurpose one type of device for multiple preparations (using a fry maker to create veggie sticks or apple slices, for example).

Midrange

The next tier features electric models. Dynamic’s combination food processor and vegetable slicer is a compelling option for the midrange price point. This machine includes the following features:

• A powerful but quiet variable speed motor, with speeds from 350 to 3500 rpm.
• Digital display.
• Dishwasher-safe parts for easy cleaning.
• Multiple hoppers for different sizes of vegetables.
• Magnetic safety features that must be in place to turn on the motor.
• Solid and sustainable components crafted from stainless steel and quality aluminum.
• Manufacturer-guaranteed replacement parts.

This model features two distinct operating modes:

• Food processor mode for chopping, grinding, and blending
• Vegetable slicer mode for slicing, dicing, french fries, and julienne cuts

High end

Professional and industrial choppers are built for high-volume food operations. Brands like Robot Coupe provide tabletop models with various interchangeable attachments for slicing, grating, ripple cuts, and waffle cuts that even feature an attachment for mashing cooked potatoes.

High-quality food choppers from Swiss manufacturer Brunner-Anliker range from tabletop to industrial-grade floor models with up to 40 different blade options allowing you to process all different kinds of ingredients. These models focus on versatility, variety and having little to no food waste.

Also read: Is Restaurant Equipment Financing Right for Your Commercial Kitchen?