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

On Jan 4, 2:45*pm, Dan_Musicant > wrote:
> 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
>
>
I've seen nut choppers at the grocery stores and WalMart, Target,
etc. It's a jar shaped somewhat like an hour glass with a hand
crank. The nuts go in one side and they are chopped, usually has
measurements on the jar. If they are not chopped fine enough you turn
the jar over and give the crank a few more turns to make your pieces
smaller.

Sure hope that makes sense. These are priced at about $7 and under.

One time on Usenet, Dan_Musicant > said:

> 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:

<snip>

I have an old one similar to this:

http://www.amazon.
com/Norpro-Nut-Chopper/dp/B000HJXM2M/ref=pd_sim_dbs_k_img_2

I prefer the hand crank to the kind that has the blade(s) on a plunger
that you push down into the nuts. HTH...

--
Jani in WA

On Fri, 4 Jan 2008 13:02:39 -0800 (PST), itsjoannotjoann
> wrote:

:I've seen nut choppers at the grocery stores and WalMart, Target,
:etc. It's a jar shaped somewhat like an hour glass with a hand
:crank. The nuts go in one side and they are chopped, usually has
:measurements on the jar. If they are not chopped fine enough you turn
:the jar over and give the crank a few more turns to make your pieces
:smaller.
:
:Sure hope that makes sense. These are priced at about $7 and under.

Well, my concern is that the pieces aren't too small.

I like them to be about the size (i.e. mass) of a 1/2 almond. These go
in cookies. Too small a size eliminates differentiation, which is
critical to a fine cookie. Thanks for the ideas.

Dan

"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.

itsjoannotjoann wrote:
>
> On Jan 4, 2:45 pm, Dan_Musicant > wrote:
> >
> > 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 seen nut choppers at the grocery stores and WalMart, Target,
> etc. It's a jar shaped somewhat like an hour glass with a hand
> crank. The nuts go in one side and they are chopped, usually has
> measurements on the jar. If they are not chopped fine enough you turn
> the jar over and give the crank a few more turns to make your pieces
> smaller.

I gave one of those to my mom years ago. It won't do
what the Dan asked for. It will cut the nuts into crumbs.
I don't believe any nut chopper will deliver the large
and uniform particle size he wants. There are just some
things you have to do by hand, if you are aspiring to a
high quality level.

One time on Usenet, Mark Thorson > said:
> itsjoannotjoann wrote:

<snip>

> > I've seen nut choppers at the grocery stores and WalMart, Target,
> > etc. It's a jar shaped somewhat like an hour glass with a hand
> > crank. The nuts go in one side and they are chopped, usually has
> > measurements on the jar. If they are not chopped fine enough you turn
> > the jar over and give the crank a few more turns to make your pieces
> > smaller.
>
> I gave one of those to my mom years ago. It won't do
> what the Dan asked for. It will cut the nuts into crumbs.
> I don't believe any nut chopper will deliver the large
> and uniform particle size he wants. There are just some
> things you have to do by hand, if you are aspiring to a
> high quality level.

Yeah, I realized that after I more or less told him the same thing as
Joan... :-)

--
Jani in WA

I wonder how a coffee grinder would do if it was just done in very
quick spurts? They don't hold much as far as walnuts and pecans are
concerned, but I wouldn't think you would want to do large batches in
a coffee grinder anyway. Small batches would give you more control.
Not sure how almonds would react in one of these. They're around $15
or so.

Just a thought and suggestion.............

On Fri, 04 Jan 2008 12:45:06 -0800, Dan_Musicant >
wrote:

>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

Damn that sounds painful !!!!
I hope I never run into you in a public restroom .....
I think us men need to start wearing some sort of steel and locked
device on our nuts and our weiners for protection.

Mike

"jay" > wrote in message
...
> On Fri, 04 Jan 2008 12:45:06 -0800, Dan_Musicant wrote:
>
>> 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
>
> ahahaha.. never seen one that will chop almonds in half (not lengthwise),
> pecans in quarters, and hazelnuts in half. Your best shot is to like your
> nuts randomly hacked into small bits and pieces with something like this:
>
> http://www.cooking.com/products/shpr...=FROOGLE394323
>
> I'm surprised it only takes you about 1/2 hour for 2 qts based on your
> specs.

That won't work. I've had similar ones. The chops are not uniform and for
the most part, are finely ground nut dust. I wonder though if a quick 1 or
2 second whiz in the food processor wouldn't do best. Might be a few pieces
that get too small or a few that need cut more but it would shave some time
off the chopping.

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
>
>

On Fri 04 Jan 2008 01:45:06p, Dan_Musicant told us...

> 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
>
>

Unfortunately, Dan, I don't know of any nut "chopper" that will produce the
size pieces you want. I have several nut choppers of different types, but
the largest pieces they will produce are about 1/8 or 3/16 the size of a
pecan half. Almonds are usually too hard for most commonly available nut
choppers.

It sounds like you actually want "chunks" of nuts rather than chopped nuts.

Of course, on rfc, you are bound to find "nuts" of all shapes, sizes, and
descriiptions. In fact, some appear to be in pieces. :-)

Best of luck in finding what you're looking for.

--
Wayne Boatwright

*******************************************
Date: Friday, 01(I)/04(IV)/08(MMVIII)
*******************************************
I'm not breaking the rules -- I'm just
testing their elasticity.
*******************************************

On Fri, 04 Jan 2008 13:30:37 -0800, Mark Thorson >
wrote:

:itsjoannotjoann wrote:
:>
:> On Jan 4, 2:45 pm, Dan_Musicant > wrote:
:> >
:> > 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 seen nut choppers at the grocery stores and WalMart, Target,
:> etc. It's a jar shaped somewhat like an hour glass with a hand
:> crank. The nuts go in one side and they are chopped, usually has
:> measurements on the jar. If they are not chopped fine enough you turn
:> the jar over and give the crank a few more turns to make your pieces
:> smaller.
:
:I gave one of those to my mom years ago. It won't do
:what the Dan asked for. It will cut the nuts into crumbs.
:I don't believe any nut chopper will deliver the large
:and uniform particle size he wants. There are just some
:things you have to do by hand, if you are aspiring to a
:high quality level.

Right. I figured this was maybe the only answer. There may be something
out there, maybe not, but if there is, it's probably really expensive. I
started dreaming up a device, an inventor's dream machine, but I think
it would be hard to build.

On Fri, 04 Jan 2008 21:50:28 GMT, jay > wrote:

:On Fri, 04 Jan 2008 12:45:06 -0800, Dan_Musicant wrote:
:
:> 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
:
:ahahaha.. never seen one that will chop almonds in half (not lengthwise),
ecans in quarters, and hazelnuts in half. Your best shot is to like your
:nuts randomly hacked into small bits and pieces with something like this:
:
:http://www.cooking.com/products/shpr...=FROOGLE394323
:
:I'm surprised it only takes you about 1/2 hour for 2 qts based on your
:specs.
:
:jay

I've had lots of practice. Been doing it regularly for years. It
surprises me too, to be honest. Every time I do it I marvel at the fact
that it's doable. Imagine halving 2 cups of hazelnuts. It's kind of
weird! The almonds aren't quite as tough. Walnuts are pretty easy, as
are pecans.

On Sat, 05 Jan 2008 01:26:29 GMT, Wayne Boatwright
> wrote:

:Unfortunately, Dan, I don't know of any nut "chopper" that will produce the
:size pieces you want. I have several nut choppers of different types, but
:the largest pieces they will produce are about 1/8 or 3/16 the size of a
ecan half. Almonds are usually too hard for most commonly available nut
:choppers.
:
:It sounds like you actually want "chunks" of nuts rather than chopped nuts.
:
:Of course, on rfc, you are bound to find "nuts" of all shapes, sizes, and
:descriiptions. In fact, some appear to be in pieces. :-)
:
:Best of luck in finding what you're looking for.
:
:--
: Wayne Boatwright

Yeah, I'm going to have to keep doing it by hand. It's no biggie. Once
every 4-6 weeks. I make this stuff regularly.

Dan

On Fri, 04 Jan 2008 21:50:28 GMT, jay > wrote:

:I'm surprised it only takes you about 1/2 hour for 2 qts based on your
:specs.
:
:jay

The 2 quarts is for all 5 kinds of nuts. It's actually around 1 3/4 cups
of each type of nut.

Dan

On Fri 04 Jan 2008 08:10:14p, Dan_Musicant told us...

> On Sat, 05 Jan 2008 01:26:29 GMT, Wayne Boatwright
> > wrote:
>
>:Unfortunately, Dan, I don't know of any nut "chopper" that will produce
>:the size pieces you want. I have several nut choppers of different
>:types, but the largest pieces they will produce are about 1/8 or 3/16
>:the size of a pecan half. Almonds are usually too hard for most
>:commonly available nut choppers.
>:
>:It sounds like you actually want "chunks" of nuts rather than chopped
>:nuts.
>:
>:Of course, on rfc, you are bound to find "nuts" of all shapes, sizes,
>:and descriiptions. In fact, some appear to be in pieces. :-)
>:
>:Best of luck in finding what you're looking for.
>:
>:--
>: Wayne Boatwright
>
> Yeah, I'm going to have to keep doing it by hand. It's no biggie. Once
> every 4-6 weeks. I make this stuff regularly.
>
> Dan
>
>

Curious... I may have missed it, but what exactly do you make with these
pieces of nuts?

--
Wayne Boatwright

*******************************************
Date: Friday, 01(I)/04(IV)/08(MMVIII)
*******************************************
The hardest thing about time travel is
the grammar.
*******************************************

On Sat, 5 Jan 2008 07:16:36 -0600, jay > wrote:

:On Fri, 04 Jan 2008 19:06:57 -0800, Dan_Musicant wrote:
:
:
:>:jay
:>
:> I've had lots of practice. Been doing it regularly for years. It
:> surprises me too, to be honest. Every time I do it I marvel at the fact
:> that it's doable. Imagine halving 2 cups of hazelnuts. It's kind of
:> weird! The almonds aren't quite as tough. Walnuts are pretty easy, as
:> are pecans.
:
:Interesting. For the hazelnuts you could make a 'jig' ..get a piece of
:hard wood about 2 times the length of your cleaver and router a groove in
:it for the hazelnuts.... cleaver through the center of the row and get a
:bunch done per chop.
:
:rube goldberg


Thanks! Very interesting idea. In fact, I think it will work. Brilliant!
The hazelnuts are definitely the hardest, followed closely by the
almonds. But the almonds are definitely easier. I'm going to make that
jig! I believe I will dip the far end of the cleaver into a groove in
the center and far end of the jig for alignment and drop the cleaver
firmly down the center... Cruuuunch!

Some batches of hazelnuts are bigger than others, in that the average
diameter of the nuts can vary by 30% or more. I can make the jig
adjustable, not a big problem. Probably won't use a router (don't have
one, but could borrow one. However, I have almost zero experience with a
router), but the configuration will be the same.

Dan

On Sat, 05 Jan 2008 05:05:13 GMT, Wayne Boatwright
> wrote:

:Curious... I may have missed it, but what exactly do you make with these
ieces of nuts?

I make what I call banana bread cookies. They are a basic banana bread
recipe but instead of just one kind of nuts, I put in 5 different kinds.
And instead of a loaf, I make very small cookies. A 1/2 egg recipe would
come out to around 85-88 cookies. I bake at 350 on a teflon sheet, then
turn them over and leave the cookies in the oven with the heat turned
off and they crisp as the oven cools. I LOVE this recipe.

Dan

In article >,
Dan_Musicant > wrote:

> Is it possible to find a nut chopper that will make easy work of cutting
> up my nuts into pieces so described?

Maybe you can rephrase that. . . .

> 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

My nickel's worth on this is that you get a comfortable stool and sit at
the table or counter and do it by hand while you have one eye on the
telly. I can't imagine a mechanical device (affordable to a home user)
that would do what you need. JMO).
--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
Notes about our meals in Tuscany have been posted to
http://www.jamlady.eboard.com; 10-16-2007

On Sat 05 Jan 2008 02:44:37p, Dan_Musicant told us...

> On Sat, 05 Jan 2008 05:05:13 GMT, Wayne Boatwright
> > wrote:
>
>:Curious... I may have missed it, but what exactly do you make with these
>ieces of nuts?
>
> I make what I call banana bread cookies. They are a basic banana bread
> recipe but instead of just one kind of nuts, I put in 5 different kinds.
> And instead of a loaf, I make very small cookies. A 1/2 egg recipe would
> come out to around 85-88 cookies. I bake at 350 on a teflon sheet, then
> turn them over and leave the cookies in the oven with the heat turned
> off and they crisp as the oven cools. I LOVE this recipe.
>
> Dan
>
>

That sounds really good, Dan. Would you be willing to share the actual
recipe?

TIA


--
Wayne Boatwright

*******************************************
Date: Saturday, 01(I)/05(V)/08(MMVIII)
*******************************************
Oxymoron: Virtual Reality.
*******************************************

On Sat, 05 Jan 2008 16:18:52 -0600, Melba's Jammin'
> wrote:

:In article >,
: Dan_Musicant > wrote:
:
:> Is it possible to find a nut chopper that will make easy work of cutting
:> up my nuts into pieces so described?
:
:Maybe you can rephrase that. . . .
:
:> 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
:
:My nickel's worth on this is that you get a comfortable stool and sit at
:the table or counter and do it by hand while you have one eye on the
:telly. I can't imagine a mechanical device (affordable to a home user)
:that would do what you need. JMO).

No eyes on no tele for this one. In one hand is a razor sharp cleaver,
and the other's close by and I want it to stay totally intact.
Concentration and focus is a must.

On Sun, 06 Jan 2008 01:23:23 GMT, Wayne Boatwright
> wrote:

:On Sat 05 Jan 2008 02:44:37p, Dan_Musicant told us...
:
:> On Sat, 05 Jan 2008 05:05:13 GMT, Wayne Boatwright
:> > wrote:
:>
:>:Curious... I may have missed it, but what exactly do you make with these
:>ieces of nuts?
:>
:> I make what I call banana bread cookies. They are a basic banana bread
:> recipe but instead of just one kind of nuts, I put in 5 different kinds.
:> And instead of a loaf, I make very small cookies. A 1/2 egg recipe would
:> come out to around 85-88 cookies. I bake at 350 on a teflon sheet, then
:> turn them over and leave the cookies in the oven with the heat turned
:> off and they crisp as the oven cools. I LOVE this recipe.
:>
:> Dan
:>
:>
:
:That sounds really good, Dan. Would you be willing to share the actual
:recipe?
:
:TIA

It IS really good. That's actually pretty much it, but I will be more
specific, since I have the recipe written out:
- - - -
Banana Bread Cookies

I use a mix I make ahead of time, but before I got that idea, I used to
measure each time:

The quantities for the dry ingredients:

Single: 3 T (tablespoon) sugar
Mix: 4.5 cups sugar

Single: 1/2 cup flour
Mix: 12 cups flour

Single: 1/2 t (teaspoon) baking powder
Mix: 1/4 cup baking powder

Single: 1/16 t baking soda
Mix: 1.5 t baking soda

Single: 1/8 t salt
Mix: 1 T salt


Other ingredients:

1/2 beaten egg (I used to do this, but nowadays I add powdered dry eggs
to my mix and add a Tbls of water to each batch for the water portion of
1/2 an egg, also a dash of vanilla)

1/2 banana (fresh or frozen), approximately 2 ounces. If frozen, let
thaw or microwave until thawed. If fresh, thinly slice the banana.

1 T butter

1/4 cup coarsely chopped nuts. I use equal amounts of these nuts (which
I keep premixed in the refrigerator):
hazelnuts
almonds
walnuts
cashews
pecans


Beat all ingredients together in a bowl and use a 1/2 measuring teaspoon
to place mixture in 11 rows of 8 per row (88 cookies) on teflon-coated
cookie sheet. Using a silicone kitchen spatula-scraper makes this a lot
easier. Any cookie sheet would work, but I like teflon because the
cookies scrape off the pan better. In my case, I have an insulating
layer under the cookie sheet which prevents the bottoms of the cookies
from getting too brown. I achieve this by placing two cookie sheets
under the one that has the cookies. One is thick steel (on the bottom),
the other a sheet with raised edges, placed upside down between the two
other sheets. The one with the batter is, of course, on top. Other
arrangements are possible, and this isn't crucial, but I think it
improves the results. I leave the two insulating sheets in my oven on a
more or less permanent basis.

Bake in preheated 350 oven for 13 minutes and remove and scrape off
cookies (if using teflon sheet, with nylon spatula), onto different
cookie sheet. Quickly space and turn over any right-side-up cookies so
that they are all upside-down, and replace cookies to oven for an
additional 8-13 minutes, depending on variable factors (amount of mix,
temperature of mix when first put in oven, oven temperature, etc.). The
object is to have the cookies come out light brown, but not too dark.
They should be fairly crunchy without being totally dried out. After
removing sheet from oven, let cool for a couple of minutes and remove to
bowl and enjoy.

Lately, I put the cookie sheet with unbaked cookies in a cold oven, turn
it to 350 and flip the cookies after 20 minutes. After placing the
overturned cookies back in the oven, I turn the oven off. 1/2 hour
later, I remove them and serve. This recent method is more dependable.

the rolling pin and freezer bag idea looks like it would be a decent idea....its tough because you're not going to find anything to make them uniform besides cutting yourself. Good luck!

On Fri 11 Jan 2008 07:55:48a, Dan_Musicant told us...

> On Sun, 06 Jan 2008 01:23:23 GMT, Wayne Boatwright
> > wrote:
>
>:On Sat 05 Jan 2008 02:44:37p, Dan_Musicant told us...
>:
>:> On Sat, 05 Jan 2008 05:05:13 GMT, Wayne Boatwright
>:> > wrote:
>:>
>:>:Curious... I may have missed it, but what exactly do you make with
>:>:these pieces of nuts?
>:>
>:> I make what I call banana bread cookies. They are a basic banana bread
>:> recipe but instead of just one kind of nuts, I put in 5 different
>:> kinds. And instead of a loaf, I make very small cookies. A 1/2 egg
>:> recipe would come out to around 85-88 cookies. I bake at 350 on a
>:> teflon sheet, then turn them over and leave the cookies in the oven
>:> with the heat turned off and they crisp as the oven cools. I LOVE this
>:> recipe.
>:>
>:> Dan
>:>
>:>
>:
>:That sounds really good, Dan. Would you be willing to share the actual
>:recipe?
>:
>:TIA
>
> It IS really good. That's actually pretty much it, but I will be more
> specific, since I have the recipe written out:
> - - - -
> Banana Bread Cookies
>
> I use a mix I make ahead of time, but before I got that idea, I used to
> measure each time:
>
> The quantities for the dry ingredients:
>
> Single: 3 T (tablespoon) sugar
> Mix: 4.5 cups sugar
>
> Single: 1/2 cup flour
> Mix: 12 cups flour
>
> Single: 1/2 t (teaspoon) baking powder
> Mix: 1/4 cup baking powder
>
> Single: 1/16 t baking soda
> Mix: 1.5 t baking soda
>
> Single: 1/8 t salt
> Mix: 1 T salt
>
>
> Other ingredients:
>
> 1/2 beaten egg (I used to do this, but nowadays I add powdered dry eggs
> to my mix and add a Tbls of water to each batch for the water portion of
> 1/2 an egg, also a dash of vanilla)
>
> 1/2 banana (fresh or frozen), approximately 2 ounces. If frozen, let
> thaw or microwave until thawed. If fresh, thinly slice the banana.
>
> 1 T butter
>
> 1/4 cup coarsely chopped nuts. I use equal amounts of these nuts (which
> I keep premixed in the refrigerator):
> hazelnuts
> almonds
> walnuts
> cashews
> pecans
>
>
> Beat all ingredients together in a bowl and use a 1/2 measuring teaspoon
> to place mixture in 11 rows of 8 per row (88 cookies) on teflon-coated
> cookie sheet. Using a silicone kitchen spatula-scraper makes this a lot
> easier. Any cookie sheet would work, but I like teflon because the
> cookies scrape off the pan better. In my case, I have an insulating
> layer under the cookie sheet which prevents the bottoms of the cookies
> from getting too brown. I achieve this by placing two cookie sheets
> under the one that has the cookies. One is thick steel (on the bottom),
> the other a sheet with raised edges, placed upside down between the two
> other sheets. The one with the batter is, of course, on top. Other
> arrangements are possible, and this isn't crucial, but I think it
> improves the results. I leave the two insulating sheets in my oven on a
> more or less permanent basis.
>
> Bake in preheated 350 oven for 13 minutes and remove and scrape off
> cookies (if using teflon sheet, with nylon spatula), onto different
> cookie sheet. Quickly space and turn over any right-side-up cookies so
> that they are all upside-down, and replace cookies to oven for an
> additional 8-13 minutes, depending on variable factors (amount of mix,
> temperature of mix when first put in oven, oven temperature, etc.). The
> object is to have the cookies come out light brown, but not too dark.
> They should be fairly crunchy without being totally dried out. After
> removing sheet from oven, let cool for a couple of minutes and remove to
> bowl and enjoy.
>
> Lately, I put the cookie sheet with unbaked cookies in a cold oven, turn
> it to 350 and flip the cookies after 20 minutes. After placing the
> overturned cookies back in the oven, I turn the oven off. 1/2 hour
> later, I remove them and serve. This recent method is more dependable.
>
>

Thank you, Dan! Saved to make soon!

--
Wayne Boatwright

*******************************************
Date: Friday, 01(I)/11(XI)/08(MMVIII)
*******************************************
Cat Toy (n): Any object on the ground.
*******************************************

On Jan 4, 3:45�pm, Dan_Musicant > wrote:
> 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

I use my meat grinder for chopping nuts. For larger pieces I use a
plate with larger holes. But for what you describe, nut pieces with a
particular precise orinentation, short of robotic machinery there is
only one way, one at a time by hand with a knife.

You might try a food dicer, at least for softer nuts. Try googling for "Alligator Food Dicer" for one example. (I attached a pic of it.) That one costs $30. Made for veggies, but seems like a good bet for nuts too. More expensive options have interchangeable cutter sizes, and may be sturdy enough for harder nuts. (FYI, I've never tried this!)