Customer Reviews

Progressive International Heavy Duty Nut Chopper

5 star:		(54)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

I have only used this nut chopper a few times, and only on walnuts which are fairly soft nuts. It has never been dropped. It is already cracked, chunks of the plastic are starting to fall away. It is only a matter of a few more sessions before it is useless.

I just got the nut chopper for Christmas. I was very happy to receive something that would help me with my baking needs. Unfortunately, the top broke off the base after two uses!

I had one but it broke chopping almonds -- hardly a metal busting food item. Worse, didn't notice it was broken until AFTER I mixed the chopped nuts into the ice cream I was making. There were bits of metal in my ice cream, so I couldn't serve it.

I bought this nut grinder because it looked comfortable and competent. The second time I used it, two of the metal chopping teeth broke off and I discovered them while eating (luckily I discovered them with my tongue before I broke one of my own teeth). Progressive sent me a new one and again the second time I used it a metal tooth broke off (this time I checked for missing chopper teeth before mixing into the cranberry salad). The nuts were Haselnuts, which admittedly are not soft, but it's supposed to be a NUT Chopper. I can't recommend this chopper for anything other than chopping very soft nuts, and even then I'd feel nervous. Heavy Duty it most certainly is not.

We bought the chopper primarily for chopping macadamia nuts but we have used it for other nuts as well. It's easy to use and works very well. It may not be quite as heavy duty as the name implies but it is quite satisfactory. Turning the crank clockwise gives the reqular size of crushed nut and turning the crank counterclockwise gives a slightly smaller size. We feel it was a good buy for the moderate price.

My Mom has been using a much earlier version of this chopper for years; needless to say,it got a bit worn out. So, for her 95th birthday, I ordered one of these, among other gifts that were a bit more glamorous. Well, you would think I had given her a gold-plated luxury automobile to hear her talk about her "favorite" birthday present! She bakes the most wonderful carrot cakes with cream cheese/nut frosting, so chopping nuts is part of her preparation for family gatherings. She is delighted with the chopper, and the rest of us are benefitting! Great product; my sister-in-law has asked me to order one for her!

My friend gave me one of these for my birthday, then I turned around and ordered two of them for my children. It is great if you need a cup of two or nuts choppped quickly. It will cut fine or medium and does well on both settings.

I love this thing! My mother had one all the years that I was growing up, so when I decided to buy one, I shopped Amazon and there it was! I was shocked; I did not think I would find one. Only this is so much better than the one that Mother had. The rubber seal on the bottom keeps the item steady. If you have extra nuts left over, you can simply put on the cap and put the jar in the refrigerator, where it will remain stable. The cap fits snuggly. The rubber end to the handle has a great feel to it, and it turns very easily. The bottom portion is a measuring cup, which is really handy for all those cookie recipes. It chops up the nuts just like I remember from when Mom made fudge and brownies, etc. Everything is dishwasher safe. Great. A word to the wise: instructions indicate to turn the jar upside down and turn the handle again for finely chopped nuts. However, it chops nuts just right for most recipes, and I would think that there might be more nut "powder" than necessary. I didn't try the fine chop because my pecans had already been chopped ok. I highly recommend this chopper. PS: I own the Ultimate Chopper, but I plan to use this nut chopper to chop nuts instead. Nicer cut, no guess work, easier clean up.

Okay, I used my mother's nut chopper for many years, and she used it for many years before that. It was made out of thin galvanized steel, with a glass base. Unfortunately, I broke the glass part and can't find anything that the screw top fits. So, I bought this. I haven't had my new one long enough to have any problems, but these are the "rules" my mother had for using hers:

1) Don't fill the hopper too full. There's a reason it's called a "hopper". Leave room for the nuts to jump around.
2) If it sticks, or is hard to turn, Do Not Force It. Wind it backward a little bit to redistribute the nuts, and try again.
3) If that doesn't work, try shaking it.
4) If *that* doesn't work, a blade is probably stuck in a big piece of nut... usually this happens only with whole almonds because of their size, shape, and relative hardness, but I've known it to happen with hazelnuts, too. In that case, remove that nut from the blade and try again.

An engineer or a physicist could probably tell me exactly why the shape and hardness of almonds tend to make them stick. All I know is that if you force it, it will weaken the blades and/or deform the plate with the slots.

Frankly, I tend to prechop whole almonds into fairly big, irregular chunks because it's frustrating when the blades are stuck. It's still easier to use the nutchopper than to chop them fine by hand... and a whole lot tidier.

The working part of this looks exactly like Mom's. It should last pretty much forever if I respect what it is, and don't expect a blender or a food processor.

These are the things I love about this one: Even the working part goes in the dishwasher (galvanized steel doesn't). It has a huge hopper. I can actually *see* when a blade is stuck in a nut. The base doesn't skate all over the counter. The base has measurements. It isn't as noisy as my slap chopper. And, the handle is comfortable.

ETA: I've had this for a while now and used it for Christmas cookies. Love it, love it, love it.

This small inexpensive kitchen tool has proven to be my most indispensable product in my kitchen.