If You Love Chopped Salads but Can’t Deal With DIY-Ing Them, This $11 Chopping Tool Will Save You So Much Time (and Money)

I live dangerously close to a really good chopped salad place. I say “dangerously” because it wasn’t until I sat down and evaluated my budget recently that I saw how much money I was spending there. It was the wake-up call I needed. If I wanted to keep both salad greens and money greens in my life, I needed to start making my own lunch at home.

Now, I understand this is 100 percent a first-world problem, but making a salad that isn’t completely dull is more time-consuming than it sounds. You don’t have to be a bonafide salad lover to know that the key is filling your bowl with a variety of ingredients (and having a good dressing). And those suckers take time to slice, dice, and chop. “How the heck do salad makers at places with a line out the door do this so fast?” I wondered one day, as I was chopping up some romaine. That’s when I realized they had a nifty tool that majorly cut down on time: a double mezzaluna chopper.

HIC's Mezzaluna Rocking Vegetable Chopper and Mincing Knife — $11.00

Originally $13, now $11

Anyone who has ever been to a chopped salad place has seen one of these. Not having one would be like a barista not having access to an espresso machine: it’s a must. Basically, a double mezzaluna chopper is a sharp curved steel blade with handles. (“Mezzaluna” translates to “half-moon” in Italian.) You use it by simple rocking it back and forth over whenever it is you want to cut: lettuce, herbs, veggies….it does it all. It can even handle nuts.

Now I understand that the whole point of me making salads at home was to stay within my budget, and here I am salad tool shopping. But this particular double mezzaluna chopper is essentially half the price of a single chopped salad. So in terms of saving money, note that this gadget pays for itself as soon as you DIY a couple salads at home instead of stopping by Chop’t, Sweetgreen, or the local vegan place. And in addition to being a money and time saver, this mezzaluna is also safer than using a knife, especially for those who don’t have chef-grade knife skills. Why? Because you’re far less likely to cut yourself when using it—after all, your hands stay on the wooden handles and away from the blade.

If you’re a health-conscious eater who loves crispy potatoes and roasted veggies, chances are you have an air fryer. If you’re a smoothie person, I don’t have to see your kitchen to know there’s a blender on the counter. And if you’re into salads, a double mezzaluna chopper is the cooking tool for you. Besides, less time making your salad leaves more time for the best part: eating it.

Looking for a salad recipe? Watch the video below to see how to make an easy kale salad with honey lemon dressing:

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