Editorial
Front Page - Friday, June 25, 2010
What'll they dream up next?
Slap Chop
Misty S. Brown
The Slap Chop is a manual chopping device that will make you smile while using it when you remember TV pitchman Vince Shlomi’s infamous line, “You’re gonna love my nuts!”
- Photo provided
Just the other day I congratulated my 15-year-old cousin on obtaining her first job as a hostess at a restaurant for the summer. Doing so made me reminisce about my first job as a salad girl at a country family restaurant around the same age.
I walked to and from work through a small wooded area and over train tracks to get there each day, rain or shine. (The trek was almost as troublesome as when my parents walked to school uphill both ways, barefoot and in the snow.)
My job required me to maintain an entire salad, dessert, fruit and bread bar by myself several nights a week. I learned how to slice and dice vegetables, make salad dressings and prepare desserts. It was a fun job that of course only paid minimum wage, but at least I did not have to ask my parents for money any more.
My least favorite part of the job was chopping onions, to which I could never acclimate myself. To this day, I tear up if I am even in the same room as an onion being chopped. Because of this, I recently bought the Slap Chop to help with my vegetable-chopping endeavors of late.
What it is
The Slap Chop is a manually-powered food chopping machine made famous by TV product pitchman Vince Shlomi (the ShamWow guy) who exclaims, “You’re gonna love my nuts!”
How it works
Once assembled, the Slap Chop works by holding the body of the unit steady while slapping the plunger to quickly lower the stainless steel W-shaped rotating blades onto vegetables, fruits or nuts within the chamber. Continuous slapping of the plunger will chop the food finer. The Slap Chop can be disassembled and opened to clean the blades.
Pros and cons
One great aspect of the Slap Chop is its relative ease of use. I remember helping my grandmother with desserts when I was a child by chopping the nuts in this small chopping device that held the contents in a glass jar. Like that device, this one would be easy and a lot less dangerous to get older kids in on the cooking action. But be careful with the little ones because it can be disassembled if not held firmly in place, the blades are sharp and it does take a little force to get the plunger down.
In the commercial for the Slap Chop, Shlomi says, “Life’s hard enough as it is. You don’t want to cry anymore” before he demonstrates how “easy” it is to chop onions. With the Slap Chop, you can keep most of the onion-tears at bay. Unfortunately, you will still have to peel and cut the onion in half or in quarters before using the Slap Chop since it has a hard time with larger-sized vegetables and skins.
I tested my Slap Chop out on tomatoes, bell peppers and mushrooms and found the results to be a bit subpar. The tomatoes ended up looking like a mushy mess, I had to tear the bell peppers apart where the Slap Chop did not quite cut through the skin and the mushrooms became stuck in the blades. I had to reduce the amount of vegetables in the chamber and slap harder and more frequently to get results like those seen in the TV commercial. Overall, the Slap Chop is usable, but might take a little more effort with vegetables that are larger or have a peel.
On the positive side, the Slap Chop is not as bulky as a food processor and does not require electricity to operate. For those who have trouble seeing or are not skilled at using a traditional knife and cutting board, this is a nice, fast solution for their chopping needs.
I am a passive-aggressive person who releases frustration by cleaning or exercising, so the Slap Chop is a fun way to vent my frustrations while also making a good meal. This goes along with Shlomi’s quote from the commercial, “You’re gonna be in a great mood all day because you’re going to be slapping your troubles away with the Slap Chop.” (Too bad he did not use one the day he was arrested earlier this year for punching a prostitute for biting his tongue and not letting go.)
One fun thing about the Slap Chop is that you will always smile when you remember that infamous line, “You’re gonna love my nuts!” while using it.
Perhaps the thing all critics of the Slap Chop can agree with is the fact that the entire unit is easy to clean and is dishwasher safe, unlike some of the more expensive and lavish food choppers. The cover around the blades opens up “like a butterfly” to expose the blades and remove any food left behind.
Where to buy
The Slap Chop is available at Sears, Target and Walgreens for $14.99 plus taxes with a mail-in offer for the Graty Cheese Grater or you can buy one get one free online at www.slapchop.com.
Submissions
Have a gadget you would like me to review? Send the information to me at misty@dailydata.com.
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