Black & Decker HandyChopper Plus 1.5 Cups Food Processor Review

Food preparation and gourmet cooking are not the types of activities you are likely to find me engaged in. I love great food and I love the fine beverages that often accompany it. But my admiration for great eats is primary from the tasting side, not the preparation side. However there are times when even a kitchen klutz like me breaks down and exercises his culinary skills. And one of the food preparation tools I often turn to for assistance is the Black & Decker Handy Chopper Plus, a small device for chopping food.

Small Appliance Commentary:

Black & Decker Handy Chopper Plus is a simple yet effective device for chopping food. I have been using this appliance for a couple of years and it has easily proven itself worthy of the small cash outlay I paid to buy it.

This device is small and because it is so compact, it has its share of advantages and disadvantages. On the positive end, the small size means it takes up very little space on the counter; is easy to store; and is easy to clean. But this small size also means it isn't very practical for larger cooking excursions. There just isn't enough space inside the bowl to make it very useful if you have a large amount of chopping to do.

One "problem" I discovered with this unit one day is that it won't operate at all unless each piece has been properly assembled together and snapped/screwed precisely into place. I learned this the hard way one day when I was trying to get this to work and it wouldn't respond at all- not even with a small amount of noise. I thought I had gotten a lemon, and I was going to call the company to get my money back or get a replacement. Then, I discovered that the reason it wasn't working was because I didn't have everything snugly in place. Once I reassembled and tried again, it worked fine and has worked ever since.

Since the bowl on this unit is small, you will find that you often have to stop the chopping operation and shake the food around a little bit for more even chopping. Depending on what you are cutting up, the food can get stuck inside the bowl, lodged in such a way that large pieces are not getting chopped. With most foods, this is not a problem, but it will happen with others. Also, keep in mind that you shouldn't press the power button and hold it down for very long. Black & Decker recommends holding it for no more than about 10 seconds at a time. If the food is still in need of chopping, then you can shake it around and press for another 10 seconds. Holding for too long can shorten the life of the motor.

Bottom Line Viewpoint:

Overall, the Black & Decker Handy Chopper is a simple yet handy device for small kitchen chopping jobs. It comes with a one- year warranty and it makes a good gift for someone who doesn't partake in any big- league cooking projects but who needs an appliance to help with that occasional chopping chore.