Look Ma, No Tears!

It's time to parade out the kitchen gadgets that I received for Christmas.

First up: the Vidalia Chop Wizard.

How well did it perform?

It easily and quickly diced an onion. The onion went straight through the blade and into the container below. The result: no tears were shed in the process.

The carrots were another story. It took a lot of leverage to get them through the blade. I struggled with each piece. The lid made a loud smacking sound, which made me cringe, with every chop.

But I must say, my diced vegetables have never looked more uniform. The mise en place was a thing of beauty.

Collectively, the vegetables formed the base of a vegetable gratin. The recipe, courtesty of Real Simple, is a household staple. It's my go-to dish for something warm, healthy and filling.

As for cleaning the Chop Wizard? Not the easiest, according to my husband who graciously volunteered to do the night's dishes. It took a bit of scrubbing to get the vege bits out of the crevices.

A small price to pay for swiftly diced onions.