Hamilton Beach 72610 Fresh Chop 3-Cup Food Chopper

This is incredibly handy, compact, and powerful. I've found that it's great for baking preparation, chopping nuts, mincing vegetables, and blending thicker sauces (My peanut sauce came out great!).

However, there are a few problems I can't overlook:

1.) Do not fill the processor more than half way (This reduces the capacity to about 2 cups) -- especially if you are making beverages or thin sauces. When you remove the canister to pour the contents out, the contents sometimes spill through the center of the canister (all over your kitchen counter), even if you have left in the blade attachment.

2.) Ice is a no-go. I almost burnt out the motor trying to make margaritas. (I was on vacation and accidentally left my blender at home.)

If you need a mini chopper select projects (e.g. baking, salad making), this is a good investment. However, if you need more flexibility and power, I would suggest buying a larger model.

I was so excited at the prospect of having a 3-cup mini chopper. I thought it would be ideal for hummus, which I hate to scrape out of my blender. However, it was very disappointing. On either speed, it just seems to chop what is in the center, so the stuff on the inside stays on the inside and the outside stuff stays on the outside--unchopped. If I wanted to take the lid off every two seconds and move everything around, I'd use the blender, no? I nearly pureed some red pepper, trying to get it all chopped. I have a 2 cup mini chopper (Procter-Silex, I think) that is really much better at consistent chopping. I never had to take the top off of it. Unfortunately, the bowl got warped in the dishwasher (even though it claimed to be dishwasher safe) and the lid does not fit tightly now, making an occasional mess with liquids and crumbs. Still, even warped, I find myself using the old one instead of this new one--it is really that bad!!

This food chopper is my favorite extra appliance in the kitchen. For salsas, the low speed lets me keep the ingredients chunky. For sauces, the higher speed can easily puree most ingredients. My favorite item to use it for is onions and it saves alot of tears. The large bowl not only holds alot, but is also very easy to clean. I highly recommend this food chopper for frequent or casual dicing cook.