In my last article, I talked about if you should go with a manual or an electric vegetable chopper. This article is going to talk about a really important topic: staying clean. Feel free to drop your thoughts on the article down there.
The thing about having a vegetable chopper that really gets you is not the chopping itself. It’s what’s left after everything’s happened. You ever look at one of those sharp steel graters, and just know there are tiny bits of onion or pepper caught in spots you can’t possibly clean?
Most folks mess up in one of two ways right here. They’ll either leave it soaking in the sink, which is super gross, or they’ll try to scrub it down with a sponge. That’s a surefire way to ruin a sponge and risk hurting your fingers.
Keeping things clean is simply about regular upkeep. Look, even something tough like stainless steel will get messed up if you leave acidic stuff like tomato juice or onion sulfur on the blades too long. It’ll just corrode or lose its sharp edge eventually.
The best way to keep your cooking knife super sharp, without getting hurt, is to use this method.
That First Minute Counts
That first minute after you’re done getting ready? That’s when everything counts. It’s really where you win or lose the whole thing.
Vegetable starch is like a glue. When onion juice or potato starch dries on a plastic frame, it becomes a really tough cement that’s super hard to get off.
Okay, so the routine is: once you’ve dumped out the catch bin, grab that blade insert and head straight to the sink with it. Just spray it with hot water right away. Don’t scrub it right now; just get the loose stuff out before it dries. Just doing this one little thing will save you a good ten minutes of scrubbing down the road.
The Essential Toolkit
You really need the right stuff, and that means staying away from your regular kitchen sponge. It’s too squishy, and the blades would just turn it into tiny plastic bits that would clog up the grates. You gotta be firm with this.
- The “Claw”: Most choppers usually include a little plastic cleaning tool, often called a “claw” or “comb.” Don’t lose this. It is the only material slender enough to slide between the teeth of the push-block.
- Long-Handled Brush: You absolutely need a long-handled brush, like one for bottles or dishes. It puts your hand a safe three inches from where the action is.
- Toothpick: A toothpick is great for those tight spots where the metal and plastic meet.
Step-by-Step Deep Clean
Just follow these simple steps for a really deep clean.
1. Get the food out
If there’s stuff stuck in those plastic teeth on the pusher lid, just grab the “Claw” tool and scrape it clean. Do this dry or under running water. If you try this with a rag, all you’ll achieve is pushing the food in even more.
2. The Directional Scrub
So, just put some dish soap right on your brush. Rub the blades in the same direction as the steel’s natural lines. Rubbing the brush against a sharp edge will dull it and mess up the bristles. Start in the middle and work your way out.
3. The “Bear Trap”
Don’t ever, ever drop a blade grid into a sink filled with soapy water. It’s an “invisible” danger. We call this the Bear Trap. You’ll totally forget about it, then reach for a spoon and just cut your hand open.
If you have to soak it, put it in a clear bowl right on the counter, not in the sink.
Is this okay to put in the dishwasher?
I’m not so sure about that. Manufacturers often say something is “top rack dishwasher safe.” As someone who’s spent a lot of time with kitchen stuff, I really wouldn’t recommend it for those blade inserts.
Dishwashers, with their high heat and strong soaps, can really mess up a knife’s super sharp edge over time. Big deal, the constant heating and cooling can make the plastic housing bend out of shape. If that plastic part warps just a millimeter, those pusher teeth won’t line up right with the blade grid, and everything will just jam up.
Okay, my tip: just put that catch bin right into the dishwasher. Wash the blade assembly by hand.
Drying and Rust Prevention
Stainless steel isn’t actually “stain-proof”; it just stains less readily than other metals. If you put a wet chopper back into a dark drawer, rust spots can form.
Give it a good shake to get rid of the extra water, then just let it air dry completely on a rack. Don’t put the unit back together until it’s really dry. If there’s moisture stuck in the container, that’s just asking for mold to grow.
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