KitchenAid 3-Cup Chef's Chopper, Chrome

I am so pleased with this chopper. It doesn't pulverize foods, it actually chops them. It totally speeds up chopping onions and you can make delicous salsas and chutneys in it. It also does great in the dishwasher. I use it so much I got one for my parents and now they're hooked too. My dad (Texan) makes this delicous salsa (it's so much cheaper, healthier and more delicous than store-bought)...just use the chopper to mince the jalapenos then chop the onions before adding remaining ingredients:

1 (15 oz) can whole peeled tomatoes
1/3 large sweet onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 fresh jalapeno, seeded and diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 lime, juice only
salt and pepper to taste

However, if you are looking to make an investment, I kind of wish I'd gotten the 9 or 12-cup Kitchenaid Food Processor ($150-$200) b/c it comes with a 4-cup sized mini bowl that can do all the same stuff...Read more

When it worked, it worked great. Unfortunately, I've had to replace it twice and finally gave up. Why? The pulse button stops working. On each and every one, it would get harder to get the pulse button to work, and then just impossible. Something under the soft cover of the button is just not holding up. I don't use this for hard stuff like nuts and seeds, just for things like pesto, or grinding up cooked pasta sauces to a finer consistency.

It's really too bad, because the style is great (pretty and compact), and the engine works well. But it just isn't terribly helpful to put in a bunch of stewed meat and veggies to whirr, and then find out the button won't work. Last night, I had to use a potato masher and smooosh the sauce by hand. Today, I bought a different brand food chopper.

I received this as a gift two years ago. It is great for small jobs where you really need items finely chopped. Not great if you want items cut in larger pieces. It will pulverize the stuff pretty quickly if you aren't paying attention. Anyway, it works great for my cooking style. Bought one for my mother-in-law last year. She loves hers too.