This Nifty Stainless Steel Tool Makes Chopping Ground Meat Faster and Easier
This post contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you make a purchase through these links, at no additional cost to you.
I’ve spent years trying to clean up my kitchen, slowly replacing plastics and coated cookware with stainless steel pans, glass storage containers, and metal utensils. I’ve even traded plastic wrap for reusable beeswax wraps.
But earlier this summer, I realized I’d overlooked something hiding in plain sight. A plastic meat chopper I’d bought from Pampered Chef nearly two decades ago was still one of the most-used tools in my kitchen.
I use a meat chopper all the time, so I wasn’t about to give it up. Instead, I replaced it with a Coinicxcel 304 Stainless Steel Meat Chopper and Masher, currently under $20 on Amazon. And after using it for the past couple of months, I wish I had made the switch sooner.
Why I Swapped My Plastic Meat Chopper for a 304 Stainless Steel Version From Amazon
The first time I used this stainless steel version, I noticed a difference immediately. It chopped through ground meat as easily as a knife going through soft butter, quickly breaking it into small, uniform pieces.
It’s faster than my old plastic chopper, requires less wrist effort, and gives ground meat a much more consistent texture. I’ve also used it with ancestral meat blends, which include organ meats, and can be considerably stickier than regular ground beef, chicken, or turkey. Even with those, the stainless steel blades cut through and separated the meat with ease.
I’ve been using mine with stainless steel cookware, but if you have coated or nonstick pans, there is one thing to keep in mind. The manufacturer recommends using gentle pressure on coated or nonstick cookware to help protect the cooking surface.
But one of my favorite discoveries happened when I wasn’t cooking meat at all.
Ways To Use a Stainless Steel Meat Chopper Beyond Meat
I was recently making homemade cookies and cream ice cream and needed to break up some cookies. Rather than pulling out another appliance or chopping them by hand, I grabbed this tool to see what would happen. Within seconds, it cut through the cookies and turned them into tiny, bite-sized pieces that were perfect for folding into the ice cream.
And its usefulness doesn’t stop there. You can also use the tool as a masher for soft foods like potatoes and avocados, making it handy for everything from mashed potatoes to homemade guacamole.
The 10.8-inch tool is made from food-grade 304 stainless steel and has an ergonomic thumb rest and anti-slip handle. It’s also dishwasher-safe, although I’ve found it easy to clean by hand without much fuss.
It would even make a clever little gift. Pair it with a new set of cookware for a wedding or housewarming gift, or tuck it into a holiday basket filled with useful kitchen finds. It’s an inexpensive tool someone might not think to buy for themselves but could end up reaching for all the time.
After nearly two decades with my old Pampered Chef version, I expected switching to stainless steel to simply help me eliminate one more plastic utensil from my kitchen. Instead, I ended up with a tool that’s faster, easier on my wrist, and far more versatile than the one it replaced.
Sometimes upgrading your kitchen doesn’t require a new appliance or an expensive cookware set. In this case, it was an inexpensive swap I hadn’t even realized I needed.
-
Trader Joe’s $10 Serum Is Being Compared to a $185 Skin Care Favorite
This new beauty find has a very familiar formula.
