It appears to me that you really don't want to chop the nuts so much as
break them down a bit.

My suggestion: Freezer bags and a rolling pin. Place an appropriate amount
of a single variety of nut in a plastic zipper-lock freezer bag
(freezer-style bags because they're thicker than regular bags, which will
reduce punctures). Lay the filled bag on a horizontal surface and spread
the nuts to a single layer. Flatten well to expel air and seal the bag most
of the way, leaving a small opening to let remaining air out but keep nuts
in. Gently roll over nuts in bag with rolling pin, wine bottle, whatever,
to break into pieces. Should work exceptionally well on pecans and walnuts.

Grammy


"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.!
>
> Dan
>
>