"Dan_Musicant" > wrote in message
...
>I chop a lot of nuts, and have done so for many years, using a cutting
> board and a cleaver style sharp knife. I am wondering if I can find a
> nut chopper that will make this easier. I have a recipe that calls for 5
> kinds of nuts:
>
> Walnuts
> Pecans
> Almonds
> Hazelnuts
> Cashews
>
> I like the chopped nuts to be approximately the size if a hulled almond,
> chopped in half (not lengthwise). Thus, I have to chop all my almonds in
> half, my pecans in quarters, hazelnuts in half, etc. If you've ever
> tried to chop hazelnuts in half by hand, you know it isn't particularly
> easy. I buy cashew pieces, and lately I don't chop them further.
>
> Is it possible to find a nut chopper that will make easy work of cutting
> up my nuts into pieces so described? I usually make up around 2 quarts
> at once, and doing it by hand takes over 1/2 hour, and is rather
> tedious. Thanks for suggestions, recommendations, observations, etc.!

I've had nut choppers before. They are either jars that have a chopping
device that comes down into the jar or a similar device that is used on a
cutting board. The problem with them is they tend to chop things rather
finely. Great if you want finely ground nuts. Not so great if you want
larger pieces. I can get the same sort of results in my food processor and
in a faster amount of time.

The only way I've found to get large pieces is to cut them, or in the case
of walnuts and pecans, just break them in pieces. Or buy them already
chopped.