Pros

  • portable, no need to be near a socket

Cons

  • results not always uniform or consistent

Tefal Five Second chopper summary

Power usage aside, there are many benefits to opting for a manual device over an electric one, not least that you can use it wherever you fancy in the kitchen, and wash the model thoroughly without worrying about the cable.

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Of course, a manual product does require a little more ‘work’ on the user’s behalf, but this lightweight model from Tefal is easy to operate thanks to its efficient pull cord, and blitzes ingredients to a good standard considering no electricity is required.

It’s also impressively robust. On top of herbs and softer veg, it is able to take on foods such as boneless meats and nuts, although for thorough, precise and uniformly consistent results, you may want a more advanced model, or one powered by electricity.

How is the Tefal Five Second chopper to use?

Considering this is a manual machine, it’s remarkably straightforward to use, and will definitely save you time in the kitchen, particularly as no elaborate set-up is needed.

It’s able to splice and dice ingredients – lifting and pulling the handle triggers two independent stainless-steel rotor blades and a plastic blade – it certainly impresses.

If you want a large dice, or for food such as breadcrumbs to be broken up into medium-sized pieces, just a couple of tugs of the handle are required. A finer dice requires additional pulls – which is what we did to chop onion and parsley, and to make a salsa.

Handily, you can see how finely your ingredients are being chopped through the glass bowl. Overall, we noticed it fared slightly better when finely dicing ingredients – such as onions – while medium-sized ingredients such as breadcrumbs were slightly less uniform.

The ergonomic handle is comfortable to hold, and we were impressed to see that the chopper didn’t slip across the worktop while in operation. The fact that it can be cleaned easily is also a plus, with both the bowl and blades being dishwasher-safe.

Verdict

It may not be the most advanced model on the market, but what it lacks in power it makes up for in portability, compactness, ease of use and price. It’s a great model if you’re looking to experiment with a chopper for the first time.

Depending on the size of your household and your requirements, the Tefal Five Second chopper comes in both 500ml and 900ml versions – we found the 900ml model an ideal size for a family. Overall, this is a thorough chopper, but if you’re looking for a device which will take on additional tasks, you may wish to consider a cord chopper, or mini food processor.

Tefal Five Second chopper specifications
Components: 900ml bowl, blade, lid and handle
Dimensions: 13.7 x 13.7 x 14.4cm
Speed settings: one speed
Motor: n/a
Colours: green

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This review was last updated in December 2020. If you have any questions, suggestions for future reviews or spot anything that has changed in price or availability, please get in touch at goodfoodwebsite@immediate.co.uk.

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