These days mundane kitchen tasks like peeling and slicing with a knife or grinding with mortar and pestle have been automated. Kitchen equipment such as food processors and food choppers are bladed machines that help you prepare food without the stress. 

Food processors and food choppers are seemingly similar in function to the inexperienced, but the truth is, they are quite different due to the tasks that they are specialized for.

Read on and you’ll discover what a food processor is, what a food chopper is, their differences, and the different tasks they can perform. So, the next time you’re presented with the question of the difference between the two machines, you know exactly which option to choose. 

What is a Food Processor?

Food Processors are electrical equipment that makes use of spinning blades to cut food into smaller bits. They’re safe to use, because at no point during use does your hand come in contact with the very sharp blades. All the user is required to do is load up the processor with food materials through a chute and let it handle the rest. 

Food processors are great for not just dicing, chopping, and grating vegetables, they can also mix bread though, blend hummus and emulsify dressings. 

Types of Food Processors 

In order to know the difference between a food processor and a food chopper, you need to know about the different types of food processors. 

Batch Bowl Food Processors

This machine has two main components: a batch bowl or container and the slicing blade inside it. This type of food processor stops immediately after it’s done processing the ingredients. It’s limited in that its capacity can only allow a certain amount of food material at one time. 

Continuous Feed Food Processor

This is a heavy-duty type of food processor built to process large quantities of food materials. The distinct feature of this machine is that you don’t need to stop and empty like that of the batch bowl processor.

All you need are separate bowls to collect the processed food coming out of the chute. This type is suitable for a commercial kitchen that needs to process large quantities of ingredients processed daily. 

Multi-Functional Food Processor 

This multi-purpose food processor is designed to save space on your tabletop. It has similar features to the batch bowl cutter and the continuous feed feature with an attached chute combined into one. 

It is the best option for a user who needs a large amount of food processed every now and then. 

What is a Food Chopper 

Food choppers are structured in such a way that allows a user to place a single food item such as tomato or onion on the chopper, and force the food item through the cutting blades by pulling or pushing the handle. The processed food is collected in a bowl or container placed beneath the vegetable cutter. 

Be careful when pushing the produce through and practice proper food chopping safety. 

Food choppers are consistent in that the result of their processed food will have the same sizes, regardless of if it is tomato slices or lemon wedges. Choppers cannot be used to liquify or puree like food processors but they offer more control when it comes to the quantity and size of chopped food ingredients. 

Types of Food Choppers

Like with the food processors, you need to know the different types of food choppers to know the difference between the two machines.

Wedgers, Slicers, and Dicers

These types of food choppers come with razor-sharp blades that are capable of creating so many cuts of fries. Most choppers are designed to accommodate different-sized blade assemblies. With interchangeable blades, you can achieve chopped ingredients in a variety of sizes and shapes. 

Fry Cutters 

This type of food cutter is best suited for restaurants where a lot of French fries will be processed. Fry cutters chop potatoes into curly fries, straight-cut fries, wedges, or ribbon fries.  

Specialized Choppers 

These fall under the category of choppers that are designed with a particular type of fruit or vegetable in mind. Examples of these include: vegetable choppers, pineapple cutters, and tomato slicers. 

Electric Food Chopper 

An electric food chopper is more powerful than a regular chopper and is quite similar to a food processor. This is why an electric food chopper is sometimes compared to mini food processors.

But when compared to a food processor, an electric food chopper has smaller bowl capacities with blades that are limited in terms of the variety of ingredients they can handle.  

Food Chopper Vs Food Processor: Comparison 

Functions 

A food processor is more versatile when compared to a food chopper. A food processor can be used to process your veggies or to whip up the batter for cookie or cake baking. 

On the other hand, the mode of operation of a food chopper doesn’t support whipping or kneading. Though they are more suited for slicing food into a desired size and shape. 

In terms of function, food processors are more versatile. 

Weight and Size 

A food chopper’s small size is convenient, can be easily stored, and allows more space on your countertop. A food processor claims more counter space,and it cannot be easily stored or moved around with ease. 

A chopper is designed to process food in small batches which makes it lightweight when compared to a food processor. Alternatively, a food processor has a powerful motor that’s heavy and permits it to process substantial batches of food at a time.  A processor can process up to 12 cups of food at a time while a chopper can process 4 cups of food at a time. 

Ease of Cleaning 

Food choppers and food processors are both easy to clean. Though food choppers, due to their simpler structure, are easier to clean than food processors. They are both easy to maintain because they are dishwasher safe. 

Conclusion 

There’s no real winner when you compare food chopper vs food processor, it’s all subjective and dependent on your needs as a cook. You might prefer a food processor if you’re looking for versatility. 

You could also opt for a food chopper if you have limited space and prefer more control and specificity in the resulting shape and size of your processed food. 

Also, remember to consider your budget before making your final decision. This is because, for all its versatility, a food processor tends to be more expensive than a food chopper. 

We hope this article has been helpful!