The cost of kitchen labour has been rising steadily across Canada. To save on labour, some establishments are ordering their fruits and vegetables pre-sliced in vacuum-sealed bags. This is not something a chef would be thrilled about as knife skills are an important part of the trade. However, sometimes your hands are tied and you simply cannot afford to have a prep cook dice vegetables for hours.

I’m all about gadgets not gimmicks. This bad boy is a valuable gadget. Affectionately dubbed the R2D2, this thing can help dice buckets of vegetables, quickly and efficiently. It basically uses the same technology as a french fry potato cutter, but has the addition of a cross blade that is  powered manually by a handle that turns like a crank. The amount of pressure you apply to the product going through the top and the speed at which you turn the handle, determines the length of the dice. The width is pre-determined by the grid which can be interchanged.

The fact that it is manually powered is what most chefs like about it.No cords to plug in, so you can set it up virtually anywhere. It is light weight and the legs of the unit have little suction cups, which keeps it steady while operating. It is dishwasher friendly and easy to assemble and take apart. Check this youtube video for more information on this labour saving product. Camera is a bit shaky, but you definitely get a good feel for the capabilities of the product.

Until next time….stay makin’ money my friends.