Out of all of my kitchen toys, Williams-Sonoma’s Chef’n VeggiChop Vegetable Chopper has to be my favorite. This little chopping device was given to me as a birthday present just over a year ago, and it’s safe to say I don’t know how I lived without it.

The best part of this chopper is that you can put just about anything in it and it will slice it to bits. My favorite tactic is throwing in eggs, celery, miracle whip, and mustard – chopping and mixing it all to bits until it leaves me with my favorite egg salad. The first time I tried this I was not fully prepared for the power this little chopper provided, and I ended up with a purée. But then again, that’s one of the best features of this device. It’s all done by you. You pull the chord and decide when you’ve chopped enough. Whether it be half-pulls or full-pulls, the chopping is easily in your hands.

While blenders and motorized choppers are the recent phase in the world of chopping up fruits, vegetables, salads, or what have you – I believe that some cooking needs more of the chefs touch, not a machines.

Pro-tip: invest in the Cupcake Mini Spatula & Spoonula set. They are the perfect size for this chopper and are pretty adorable.