We love staying up to date on the latest and greatest in kitchen tools and equipment, but we never want to forget about our reliable favorites. Here is one of mine: the KitchenAid Chef Series 3-Cup Chopper. I have had this for years, and I thought I lost it this weekend!
I bought this 3-cup chopper years ago. I have had it for at least 5 years, but I think it has actually been much longer than that. (7 years? 8? My memory has a gap here!) It was my first real small appliance purchase. I couldn't afford a full-size food processor, and I had no room for one anyway. But I was making curries and spice pastes, and I wanted a food chopper to help grind ingredients finer than I could get them with my mortar and pestle.
This chopper was less than $40, and it has been worth every penny. It's extremely simple and basic: One chopping blade, and one speed. You have to hold the Pulse button down to make the chopper blend; there's no hands-free action.
I have made everything in this: Hummus and other dips, salsa, pie dough. I have ground nuts, spices, and bread crumbs. I have blended small batches of soup, and made the infamous one-ingredient banana ice cream (pictured above and below).
Recently I have been tempted to upgrade to a large food processor. It's difficult to do a full batch of pasta or pie crust in this 3-cup bowl, and I'd love to be able to shred vegetables in a food processor. But every time I think about it I pull back. This little chopper is just so light, so small, and so reliable. Yes, it has its limitations, but it works so well for so many things. It's a true multitasking gadget. It's genuinely useful, and it has hung in there for years and years.
I did think that I had lost it this weekend, though! I made a batch of pasta in it, and pushed it just a little too hard. I thought I had a puff of flour hanging in the air — but it was smoke! The motor was literally burning. I thought for sure I had sent it to the Great Small Electrics Heaven in the Sky, but lo and behold, when I plugged it in the next day, it still ran. It sounded a little weary, but still kicking. Thank goodness. I don't know what I'd do without it!
Overall, this chopper does a great job on all the things you'd want a small chopper to do. It has its limitations: The small size, and the one speed. It is easy to clean, but the lid's locking mechanism tends to get grimy inside, and it's impossible to clean it out. The chopper also gets a little stuck on big chunks of bread or cheese, and if the bowl is relatively empty, as with a spice paste, sometimes it just doesn't work well.
Having said all that, it's a fabulous tool and obviously highly reliable. Two thumbs up. It's a keeper, in my kitchen. I hope it sticks around a while longer.
• Find it: KitchenAid Chef Series Food Chopper, $38.20 at Amazon
More on Food Processors:
• Top Ten Ways to Use Your Food Processor
• Do You Have Any Tips for Storing Food Processor Blades?
• Product Review: Cuisinart Elite Die-Cast Food Processor
• Is Cuisinart the Best Food Processor?
• Good Question: What Size Food Processor Should I Buy?
• Video: Manual Food Processor from Chef'n
Apartment Therapy Media makes every effort to test and review products fairly and transparently. The views expressed in this review are the personal views of the reviewer and this particular product review was not sponsored or paid for in any way by the manufacturer or an agent working on their behalf.
(Images: Faith Durand)
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I love my little 3-cup too. I have turned many a blender-enthusiast over to the mini-chop side. It does everything a blender does, just better and with easier cleanup! Takes up less space in the cupboard too- a plus for my tiny studio apartment kitchen.
Just made whipped cream in it this weekend for strawberry-blueberry shortcakes...
In the past week I've pulled it out for margaritas, pasta dough, pie dough, chopping walnuts and a breakfast smoothie.
I love mine too, fits so nicely on the counter. When blending with liquids in the bowl, it helps to initially cover the top with a towel or your hands, as it often splashes out the top opening a little with the first pulse.
I just bought a big food processor about a year ago, but this little guy is still the one that I reach for the most. It is so perfect for doing hummus, pesto, sauces and almost everything. I pull out the big one only for epic amounts of pasta dough or shredding.
I love posts like these, the simple things in kitchens can often bring the most pleasure to the avid cook. As a newly married person, I am building up my collection of kitchen items, my eye has been on a cuisinart or kitchenaid processor but I'm stuck on what size to purchase. Too big and it will be a pain to use/store, too small and I'll have to do my processing in batches... I'm going on Amazon now to see what the deals are at the moment... Happy food blending/processing/chopping to you all...
My 3-cup Cuisinart was the very first gift I received when I got engaged and I think I have used it every single day since then. It's just the perfect size for small jobs and so much easier to clean than the big one!
I LOVED my 3-cup one (the bowl cracked recently, and I miss it dearly). I have a normal/large one as well, but I used my small one more often b/c it's easier to wash, easier to move around the kitchen, and the right size for two person meals. For years, I only had the small one, and I made everything in it, from pie crust to pesto.
huh. i have the exact same one and i kind of hate it! i used to have access to an enormous one at a group house, and now i long for a larger one.
I loved mine! I gave it away to a friend when I got a 10-cup Cuisinart. The little 3-cup wonder is apparently still going strong, however. I do miss having something small, as dragging the big one out seems like such a production, and I use it often. I've been thinking about buying a Magic Bullet for smaller jobs.
Does anybody know if it is BPA free or not? I sometimes use it for processing hot cooked food such as spinach etc.
I am a little worried about that factor.
Such a lovely coincidence. My partner and I were just considering purchasing this exact fo-pro. Really nice to know it's worthwhile over the big guns! We were having a hard time deciding whether to spend the $40 or just save up for a bigger version.
Thanks!
I think a better value may be to look for the duet model that has a blender and a 3-cup processor. The processor also has a couple different blades, and a feed tube, similar to a large sized processor. Personally, i've had one for 5 years, and am only now finding just how great a tool it can be. Unfortunately, the more you know, the more you want, so i'm hankering for a 7 or 12-cup model. I usually only cook for two, but my recipes would easily serve 4 or 5, so for a lot of tasks i'd be looking at a couple batches at least. I'm also leery of using it for doughs etc, due to the less powerful motor. But in light of this post i'll have to give it a try. Since it's also a blender, it should stand up to a good bit of work, shouldn't it? I certainly hope so. Thanks for the inspiration.
I have the same one, and I love it to death. You really can use it for just about everything under the sun....though I've always thought it would be too small for pie crust. I'll have to finally give it a try for that and see how it works!
I have a large and this small one, and the small one is so much better. It just seems like so much trouble to haul out the big guy that sometimes I grab my trusty little guy even when it means I'll have to chop or blend in multiple batches.
i've seen models that come with 2 size cups so you get the best of both worlds and nesting bowls save a little space.
I have this exact kitchenaid 3 cup chopper! I love it! I had in the past a lesser model with the motor on the side and it kicked the bucket rather quickly I have had this one for 5 years! And use it nearly everyday.
This and an immersion blender are all I have. They have both served me very well. As has good old fashioned muscle :)
I used to have one, but it died a few months ago and I had to break down and use the Euro Pro Ninja that my boyfriend won at the office holiday party. I won't go back, the Ninja is so much nicer, no more liquids running out of the top or down into the motor because it seals properly and it has 2 blades so it works better.
I'm so glad I ran across this post. I have a tiny Toastmaster that I am going to break soon. (Warm marzipan was too much for it.) And with all the other things I have to budget for, a $200 full-size food processor just never comes up as a top priority. But $40 I can swing with Funny Money, and swing it I shall!