Mini choppers are the little siblings of countertop food processors. When kitchen space is at a premium, the mini chopper may be an excellent alternative choice.

Mini choppers can be purchased in sizes that vary from 1 cup capacity to 3 cup capacity. For the most usefulness, purchase a mini chopper with at least a 2 cup capacity. This is big enough to make dips, such as Middle Eastern Hummus, or to chop small vegetables.

• Reverse action spiral blades: This means that the blades will turn two ways, making the food chop smoother, with less need to scrape the sides of the bowl during the process.
• Top loading compartment: This is nice to have, but not necessary. If the chopper has this, you can add ingredients without having to take the entire lid off the bowl.
• Pulse control: Pulse control allows you to add just a bit of chopping action a few seconds at a time.
• Easy to clean: Mini choppers have fewer parts than a full size food processor, so they should clean up more quickly. Some are dishwasher safe.
• Heavy duty cord: This is a safety issue. The heavy duty cords will be less likely to cause problems and will stand up to heavy use.

Mini choppers can range from budget prices to very high priced models. Before buying a top end model, check the value priced models to see if they have some of the same features. The higher priced models may have features that you can live without. My advice here is to shop around. I'm quite pleased with my General Electric Deluxe Mini Chopper, which is at the budget end of the spectrum.

Here are three mini choppers that I recommend if you're shopping for a new one.

Best Features

KitchenAid Chef's Chopper 

FUN Rating: 13

Features: 5. This model has a nicely rounded bowl, reverse actions spiral blades, and a dual top loading compartment.

Usability: 5. The bowl releases quickly, it cleans up simply, and the top loading compartments make adding oils or spices a snap.

Nice or necessity: 3 Mini choppers aren't a basic kitchen necessity, but they are certainly nice to have.

Best Value

Toastmaster 1122 Chopster 

Fun Rating: 11

Usability: 4. The 1 1/2 cup capacity makes it good only for the small jobs.

Nice or Necessity: 3. Mini choppers aren't a basic kitchen necessity, but they are certainly nice to have.

Best Mid-Range Chopper

Proctor Silex Food Chopper

FUN Rating: 12

Features: 4. Pulse control, single action blades, and dishwasher safe.

Usability: 5. High chopping speed gets all the food and chops evenly. 1 1/2 cup capacity is a bit small.

Nice or Necessity: 3 Mini choppers aren't a basic kitchen necessity, but they are certainly nice to have.

Once you have your new chopper, try out this guacamole recipe.

Ingredients:

Chop the avocado into chunks and add all the ingredents to the chopper. Blend until the avocado is smooth. Garnish with cilantro, sliced black olive, and lemon slices. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips.

Suzanne Pitner loves to cook, knit, and teach. She has won several Editor's Choice awards as a feature writer at Suite 101 and she maintains the TeacherWriter blog.