5 Chopping Kitchen Gadgets Tested by Design Expert | Well Equipped | Epicurious
Design and usability guru Dan Formosa returns for another episode of Well Equipped, this time turning his expert eye towards 5 gadgets designed to help you chop through your kitchen tasks. Watch as he tests each device, putting them through the gauntlet while commenting on what works, what doesn't, and what he would've done to improve their design.
Check out the products Dan reviews in this episode:
Salad Chopper: amzn.to/3M25R3d
Industrial Chopper: amzn.to/3M25R3d
Microplane Mezzaluna Chopper: fave.co/3JK3CQy
Cheese Chopper: amzn.to/37JPmKj
Salad Cutting Bowl: amzn.to/3KIAyKG
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Dan: already knows the industrial chopper doesn’t work also Dan: aggressive tomato pounding
More like: Dan is a moron and is not an expert.
he already had the change of clothes so I guess he figured "why tf not?" 'cause I would too LOL
I DIED at that! An old man banging a tomato. 💀
Doesn't work? Every kitchen I've ever worked in has one and uses it daily. I've never seen someone try to use it for a whole potato or pepper though. He was trying to dice the pepper with the stem and seeds still in it. That test was flawed at best.
@@johanvanderpants9363 I used these too within the industry though only a vertical slicing array to cut tomatoes or other veggies into perfect slices.
It would be cool to see some of Dan's designed gadget here on the channel
It would all be 5/5 tho.... Maybe the 40 year old Dans gadgets...
Need to upvote this!! Like, I wanna know if he recognized the gadgets he worked on and how they perform with him having no bias review
I got fired from my job because i almost fought my 50 year old coworker.. and It got toxic yo so now, i spend most of my time smoking weed on my KZhead channel now, meanwhile i get back to the hustle😅haha
I looked him up and he helped design some of the OXO good grips - well worth the money
It would be neat because he could walk us through the why, what, etc. Background scandals in the Oxo-verse?
The industrial food chopper is a tool I'm intimately familiar with. The trick is to do it all in a single motion. Raise the handle all the way up to where it's nearly off of the guides and slam down with full strength. It's loud, it's messy, and a little frightening. You also should oil the rods.
I’ve used the longitudinal version that actually does have a levered mechanical advantage. Even so, that “shock” hit is the best technique. Dan here is representing the layman kitchen users of America who struggle to solve problems with strength or creativity.
It's a valid way of doing a review. If a consumer is unable to figure out a device, the device essentially has failed. It needs to be easy to use and easy to understand@@redarrowsmk3
That just seems dangerous
something tells me that industrial chopper didnt exactly have a sharp grid, and I would think pushing down would still at least force the vegetable through, even if it looks bad afterwards.
At Carl’s Jr. we had a chopper that looked like the industrial chopper, it was for tomatoes and onions but it actually worked. I think it’s a copy cat that doesn’t work.
Yeah, I used pretty much the same thing at Jimmy Johns, it looks like it's a knock-off with either the blade array in upside down, or just blunt blades.
yup. it's a design that's been around for a while. they just tested a cheap knockoff here.
No it works, we used them at a small chain called Freshii. You’re not supposed to put the whole vegetable/fruit, your supposed to cut into thirds then use the dicer.
I've used one as well. But, if you look closely, doesn't it look like the blades are upside down?
We had one but it had a lever so you could apply more force, it was bigger too
Love how everyone who's ever worked with restaurant/commercial food prep is coming to the industrial chopper's defense. I can't vouch for this particular brand but I can say from experience that generally these dicers work really well. I'd guess this particular product is either defective and misaligned or (as other commenters have suggested) the blades are inverted.
I mean he used the cheese chopper and the salad bowl so poorly, I wouldn’t be surprised if he used the Industrial chopper wrong as well
Use those Chopper and it never fails. I'm disappointed 😞. I think he but the blades the wrong or he's too old
Yes, maybe the blades were inverted. But also his use of the tool was terrible. No one dices a pepper WHOLE or a tomato WHOLE. You cut them in half. And for the pepper you remove the seeds and stem. Same for an onion, it should be cut in half. It's easy to blame a tool, but I think there is plenty to blame besides the tool in this case. His test was comically bad. Being a "design expert" doesn't automatically grant the ability to correctly use a tool. If the tool didn't work, no one would use it, and it wouldn't be in EVERY chain restaurant in the US.
I've used them... they are trash. The things smash everything and are a pain to clean. Just teach your prep crew to use a knife.
I was curious so poked about and that brand gets some high reviews on Amazon and have more expensive version with the handle like he designed. Checked out some vids of other people using commercial choppers like it have an easier time, so really makes me curious now if it is user error.
For the Cheese Chopper, the block should have rested against the back plate. Otherwise the block squeezes back as the blade descends and also causes the whole 'drawer' to drift back as well. The lettuce chopper, try a half a head at a time, it would work fine.
Looks like he used the equipment without reading the instructions
Also when he put the cheese in the slicer it wasn't "square". It had previously been cut squint so had an overhang, hence why he was getting wedges instead of slices. The cranked the wheel up & was cutting thick slices that are more likely to get the blade stuck.
That salad chopper want made originally just for lettuce. Look up the original commercials. You were supposed to be able to cut up a whole salad in it. But the base/guide lines were not matched up so you could not cut all the way through. It was quite the scandal.
Also that way he can turn the gears in to store the cheese inside cheese chopper
the drawer would have drifted back whether the cheese was against the back plate or not.
I have received 2 different brands of the “industrial choppers” as gifts and one of them did not work at all and the other is FANTASTIC! One of the differences was there are serrated blades and also there is much more leverage for the one I kept
I have to question if that industrial chopper accidentally had the blade array in upside down. It just seems too much to believe that something like that was really *THAT* bad of a failure.
I suspect he just simply took the unit from it's original box and tried to use it as it came, but these units always come with the blade unit inverted as a safety precaution. 99% of restaurants that use these will just store the blades in the ready to use position.
Blades were upside down for sure. I've used these in every pizza place i used to work for. They work great.
That was my first thought too. Those choppers are legit, I have one on top of my fridge.
I use one at work every day. Never has a problem. We usually use it for dicing things not slicing
I agree, but for him and the crew not to realise is still bad design. If a tool's function isn't obvious, then he's not going to be the only one to do this.
It amazes me how hilarious he is but yet he keeps a straight face 🤣
Big dad’s energy lol
Those lines are set up. How are you not seeing that? The KZhead comments section is the kindergarten of social media.
@@cwg73160 still funny
@@pesty4592 And a good steak is good because of all the vitamin C.
@@cwg73160 awww and clearly it's also where lonely and bored people come, like yourself, who have nothing better to do but be a troll. 😄🤷🏽♂️ Furthermore, even when scripted, actors (which I'm sure he's not) still finds what they're saying to be funny. His ability to keep a straight face is still impressive
the second one was obviously faulty. i used one every day to prep at ruby tuesday and had zero problems
Literally thinking the same thing. I used one at the pizza place I worked at and it worked fine.
No I think he had blades on backwards or upside down. It's dumb ad hell. I've used them for years have one in my kitchen
every one I see has a lever instead of that slammer thing and they work great
I agree! I was a server for a long time and those things were great 👍🏽
I agree, hopefully they see this and he revisits it.
I worked in a restaurant for a while and they had a lever action version of that commercial chopper thing that worked very well. It only got used for onions and potatoes (the latter to make home cut french fries). It was useful because it was very fast and we needed to cut a LOT of fries. For home cooking, I have yet to see a cutting or chopping gadget that beats a properly used knife in the result and certainly in the cleanup.
There should be a "gadgets revisted" episode or 2 where Dan goes back and uses the gadgets he used incorrectly in other episodes and gets them right this time around
This is 5/5
Totally on our page some he used like he wanted them to be bad and som he hated but he ignored that there disabled people who use them to get around in the Kitchen this are not all gadgets for every person
Nah he’s an old stubborn boomer that thinks everything is the devices fault and never his own. After reading some of the replies and seeing him double down I have to question the integrity of this series altogether. I mean what’s more likely; every restaurant and the hundreds of people commenting being wrong or the old man and his buzzfeed-tier team of “experts” being wrong?
Agreed.
I agree with this. He should at least go back to the manufacturer to get advice. It is hard to believe that a product can fail that badly.
I usually tend toward agreeing with all of his assessments EXCEPT this time. I’m not sure what happened with the industrial chopper but I’ve worked in restaurants for fifteen years and been around and used several of that particular device, and they do exactly what they’re meant to do, and yes, you do have to slide down the length of the supports with a fair amount of force but if the blades are sharp, as with any tool designed to cut, they do work. I wonder if they just didn’t get a restaurant grade version for the purposes of the video
The blade was just upside down.
Exactly
@@DevilishDevi but why was the logo right side up if it was upside down?
@@jessip8654 other commenters have mentioned that during transport, the blades are usually inverted for safety.
@@jessip8654 the blades come in a rubber square that can be detached, so it’s easier to clean also
The fry chipper was acting almost like the blade was in upside-down.
I thought the same thing. I have trouble believing it's that much of a piece of crap lol
@@sethberry9185 its not, we use these in most restaurants in the US. a pizza shaped one for lemons, and this one for onions etc. He's just using it like a wimp. also the blades were backwards
I've used the second device myself. You need to use smaller pieces. Like a quarter potatoe or a slice rather than half. Yes, it still sucks.
Two comments: the herb chopper, I wouldn't increase the amount of blades. I had a wood and steel one that had 3 blades and it was hell to use!! The blades were so close together that what ever herbs I was trying to chop would end up packed in-between the blades. Rather tightly actually, the more I used it the more got packed instead of staying in the cutting board to get cut further. It was a gift from an in-law so I tried to use it for a while; used various things like a chopstick, a fork... basically anything at hand to clean out between the extremely sharp blades except my fingers. Then it was out in a drawer and quietly forgotten about. Secondly that salad cutting bowl. In the original commercials you were supposed to be able to throw in all the ingredients to your salad, tomatoes, a hunk of cucumber, seeded Bell peppers and a bunch of lettuce, cut along the lines turn 90 degrees cut again and voila! Pour in a bowl, dress and eat your perfect salad. But the guide lines don't come down all the way as you saw. If I was redesigning this I would raised the bottom ¼ an inch and lower the guide lines ¼ an inch and make it out of a much sturdier plastic all over. Yes people want things to be "cheap" but that is less a concern of material costs and more a problem with companies demanding 400% profit after costs. Decrease the profit margins and we could get a lot better products.
Ok. I've used the industrial chopper for years, and even when the inserts were starting to dull it worked fantastically. With dulled blades you do have to actually get a pretty forceful smash in, otherwise you don't reach the threshold required to cut the veggies, and you just wind up smushing them. But with a heavier, forceful and abrupt chopping motion, you wind up getting a whole potato's worth of fries every 3 seconds or so, perfectly cut and exactly even. Also there are multiple heads/inserts for the machine. So you can do a french frie potato cut, or you can do apple slices and cores, or you can do potato wedges, etc. A very useful time saver. ...also, might I suggest the expert in cases where he's getting no traction try double checking to make sure he's not operating the gadget wrong? I get that he's an expert, but even experts get it wrong sometimes.
Worked in kitchens for years the metal dicers are always great but that new blade hits different 😂😂
upside down bladesm
I have one as well and I love making fries with it, but it slices other veggies just as good. But you do have to be quick and have a little force.
You know he tests out the products before he makes the videos... Apparently him and others on the team tried a lot of different ways to try and get it to work. It just doesn't work!
@@Texas-yeehaw kzhead.info/sun/hKd7ZqWkiXSufq8/bejne.html ...maybe he shoulda asked this guy instead?
Anyone else annoyed that he didn't use the cheese slicer properly? The wheel is to adjust the platform and that panel at the back of the moving platform would help stabilize the cheese. It's not there for show its there for functionality
yeah and the first slices weren't even because the cheese had been cut diagonally prior to this video
I guess one aspect of rating these is whether they are intuitive enough to figure out how to use them without guidance, but that drove me insane as well. Moving the cheese directly against the back would have stabilized it
Agreed, I own the cheese chopper. The case is so you can store the cheese in it and there are multiple blades for different types of cheeses. Including a wire cutter. I don't blame him for it not working I blame the crew for not giving him all the pieces that it comes with and setting it up to fail.
The whole white tray was getting pushed back by the blade coming down, not just the cheese (hence why the cogweel was moving) so the result would be the same even if you put the cheese against the back panel
he wasn't using it incorrectly, the back plate wouldn't do jack to stop the tray from moving.
It’s interesting that people by these kitchen gadgets to make like easier but often times, especially for me, a knife or just a regular tool is a lot easier and faster. The kitchen gadgets that I’ve bought in the past never gets used because they make cooking harder or that I forget I have them
Just extra washing up to do after as well
Some of them are great for people with disabilities though. Hence the oiled left hand test
@@yeti25934 yes 100% agree!
Thank you for another Dan video!! For the cheese slicer, I agree with that being a lot of plastic. I have a handheld little tool that has an adjustable metal string on it and it works wonders!
I love how his redesign of the salad cutter is literally an ulu knife...its a strange knife used in artic regions if I remember correctly. So....he accidentally created an old but not well known knife design.
I made a similar comment lol. I lived in the Arctic for a while so it jumped out to me. Everyone there owned one.
Ulu knives are great! I was gifted one about 20 years ago from an aunt who was working in Alaska. I still have it. Earlier this year, a friend went on an Alaskan cruise and asked if I wanted anything. Now I have two - one small one large. :)
Exactly my thought! Ulu are so beautifully designed, and metal does way better than plastic chopping.
I think the herb chopper should've gotten bonus points for being a 1-handed tool, where as the comparison tool needed 2. As per the lettuce slicer, I think that one was actually on track. If they made it a just a little bit bigger and put rubber grips on the bottom, this could also be a very useful tool for a one-handed person. You could state slicing lettuce is easy, which, sure, it is, but it does require 2 hands, so it could be useful. Still, neither was perfect though. And I definitely agree on the squared off top-handle for the herb cutter to give you a probably way better experience by feel.
A few things: You should probably have him try the ones he tested incorrectly over again the right way. Especially the industrial chopper. Also, the link for the industrial chopper is incorrect and is a link for the Salad Chopper over again. Someone should probably fix that as well. I don't know if anyone goes over and reads these, but it's probably a good idea to also have someone make sure that he will be using every product the intended way. It doesn't make sense to rate it just based off of "intuitiveness" when part of the point of having products like these is to see if it works better than the traditional way when used as intended. The "intuitiveness" should come as part of the redesign portion, not for the whole thing.
What if the one he is using is a bad one? All I see in many of these comments is that he is using it wrong, but it could easily be a problem with the brand he got as well.
Glad I'm not the only one that thought there was something off with that chopper. When I worked at a restaurant they were used all the time and worked exactly as they were supposed to.
He used is wrong, or had the blade upside down,
I literally just used one today. That bit was driving me insane
@@javrami4883 did yours have a lever? Levers make all the difference in the world. I can't imagine trying to brute force a potato through tiny holes with just my arm. And I have worked in kitchens for years.
@@Texas-yeehaw I’ve used ones with and without. The lever obviously is better for more Dense foods, but I have never felt the need for it. Those blades are crazy sharp
Still 40 years? It must surely be 41 years by now! Great reviews as ever Dan!!! And such great humor! Thank you!
Was it necessary to show people that you can't round numbers?
@@chriscooks5437 🤔🧐🤏
If only he knew how to use that secon chopper. Lol it’s a lifesaver when I’ve got tons of things to prep at my job.
RIGHT? I don't know if he played with it dumbly for entertainment or literally didn't know. But its a very poor representation of such a useful tool.
Yeah, this is the first one I've seen him do that made me mad.
What's the problem with how he used it? I assume the blades werent sharp enough? He used the drop down teqnique didnt he?
@@PaperGunner722 you need to slam it hard and fast so the food gets sliced instead of mashed and taking the core of a tomato and pepper is recommended because its not eatable and itll make it hard to dice. No one showed him how to use it
@@wcline06 That's what I thought he was doing? I guess it just wasnt fast enough
With the salad chopper changes you basically suggested it become a rounded kitchen axe. I guess history kind of one that design already. I always love to see these videos, you’re a joy to watch.
Pretty sure the blades were in the wrong way on the vevor. Used one for years and as long as the blades are sharp and in the right way it cuts great. But if you put them in dull side up...
Also he could have chopped then smaller
I suspect he just simply took the unit from it's original box and tried to use it as it came, but these units always come with the blade unit inverted as a safety precaution. I've said that same thing in four comment threads here, time to move on.
Considering how easy it is to use a lever action one, it most likely had the blades upside down.
@@chiblast100x which is exactly what a common customer would've done. It's a fair assessment since these ratings are based on what a normal customer would've experienced and Dan's expertise in design are for improving said design to better the experience.
Also, the size of the potato in itself was way to big, things like 1-2 inches are easy, example, dicing sliced tomatoes or onions/ potatoes. Pretty ewsy
the lunar lander thing has a wall mount sister with a lever to push the food threw the blade and it works awesome. 10 out of 10.
I used the second type of chopper for 20 years. If you quarter or halve the vegetables it works perfectly
On Vevor's webpage there's even a handle with a lever, like the one he draw up.
Yes but tbh my guy is old too so it will be still hard for him to push tht
I use to slam that mofo for diced tomatoes
And there is one specifically for potatoes 🤣🤣 Im very surprised by this.
Also u have to cut the top and bottom of potatoes or veggies without flat ends.
I'm wondering if there was something wrong with that particular Industrial Chopper, similar gadgets usually work at least somewhat well
I would like to point out that this series features a lot of gadgets that make daily tasks easier for people with disabilities. While it's goofy to some, it allows someone else to independently make dinner! Awesome series!
Am I the only one who is genuinely happy when see that a video with Dan is out? Don't get me wrong, the Epicurious channel is fantastic, but I love Dan's videos.
Dan is nice
The industrial press was used completely wrong. I have used this everyday, for 5 hours a day. It is an amazing device for dicing vegetables. (When used properly)
how do you use it properly?
@@applesauce3527 For the most part you are suppose to slice the onion or bell pepper so they are about a quarter inch thick and then lay it down to press which then dices it. That press in particular doesnt have enough torque to cut something like potatoes into fries. If youre dicing one onion its a complete waste of time. but if youre cutting like 10 lbs of onion its way faster to slice them all then dice them through that.
@@applesauce3527 it's intended for diced things. You would slice the veg in question and then put the slices in the dicer. In my last kitchen we'd use a Nemco horizontal slicer to make tomato disks, then put those disks in the dicer to get even dice. Same with onion and jalapeño to get Pico de Gallo with exact shaped dice. It is not intended or even rated for full veg or fruit. And I don't think it's rated at all for root veg like potato due to the starch content, but I could be wrong since in theory you could use it for dice potato in hash.
I knew there must have been an explanation
We have another tool that slices them into perfect thickness to them be run through the dicer. When you slice and dice hundreds of vegetables, this tool is essential.
I work in a restaurant and use the second chopper every day to chop onions, green peppers and tomatoes and it works great. To use it you cut the item in half, put it in with the cut facing down and chop, very easy to use. Plus it has blades that could theoretically be put in upside down which could also make it not work properly.
Hes not doing it right i am line cook and have the same thing industrial chopper .. He Needs cut the stuff small piece haha . 🤣 waste of my time watching this
A new video from Dan Mimosa always brightens the day
Instead of that cheese guillotine, you should just get a traditional Norwegian cheese slicer/cheese shaver. It could be translated either way, and technically you do 'shave' off a thin slice.
I don’t get why people would ever use a knife when oshyvlar exist
He is the best part of this channel! I can watch him all day!
Lets be real he should be the only part of this channel lolol jk…unless?
I believe his redesign for the industrial chopper has a pretty bad flaw because that plunger doesn't go straight down it moves along a curve and having that near the end would have the object being pushed sideways into the blades, I would suggest a pivot point between the arm and the plunger with a linkage along the hinge so it stays in line with the blades .
Redesign is not required industrial chopper works great. Was using it at a pizza joint for a few years. The flaw is not reading the manual and got that blade upside down
@@mesky21 Im well aware of that but im talking in terms of his redesign only
I've seen ones in kitchen's with a lever like that. Its a bit more complex than his redesign but it works. Still the issue of why did it fail so hard.
Some inventions that I would love to see Dan review are either some of his own designs, sushi gadgets, or possibly some tea inventions(If there are any).
Dan: alright, how much is this house “It’s $350K” Dan: alright * buys * Dan: *time for the left handed oil test*
Omg I know this is late but you made me laugh - thank you
Oh your welcome :D
We actually had one of those industrial choppers in a kitchen I used to work in. I think maybe the blades on that one weren't sharp enough, because ours diced onions and peppers like they were hot butter. Never tried it with potatoes, but it was a godsend when we got it.
they were probabily upside down due to safety when shipping, crew just too dumb to turn it around
You have to get special ones for potatoes that lay horizontally. The kind we use at five guys, and it's still a task bc the potatoes are so dense. But average cutting time for 50lbs of Potatoes is 5 mins so it's still pretty effective just takes you using your whole body weight literally lol
@@meganjones9406 OH yeah, it definitely still takes some effort, but being able to chop up a ton of veggies on the fly in the middle of a rush? Totally worth it.
The second tool is used for dicing. You put sheets of peppers, zucchini, etc. on it and then press down to get squares. Love this person though! Great videos!
It's not only dicing. It's just a really bad half baked revamp of a vintage chip maker.
Yea he was kinda using it the wrong way. There are different grate sizes to push the vegetables through and when I worked in fast food, we cut the vegetables into smaller pieces before using the dicer.
@@peter-peterpumpkineater4982 the item is literally called a vegetable dicer. Sure you could use it for non intended purposes, but it's for dicing and it's the best tool to do that job.
Thinner veggies or harder slams, both work wonders for the prep cook.
The intro was gold 🤣
this guy is so entertaining to watch
He has literally has the skills of someone in their 60s and the temperament of someone in their 20s
Only because of his stupidity
@@FRESHNESSSSSS and the brain of a 10yr old
What's crazy is when I worked at multiple restaurants we had something like the Vevor device and we used it ALL THE TIME to quickly chop stuff.
I legit lost it when I saw the herb chopper have a function to flip the blades for storage, too many things don’t think about getting it out of where you are storing it and the potential dangers there!!
It’s possible that industrial chopper was defective, and the blades weren’t sharpened, but even that certainly highlights the problems you’d have down the road after extend use, and the blades get dull.
He was using it wrong. The blades were upside-down.If your cutting onions you cut it into 2 or 4 pieces and slam it down one piece at a time. Source- I dice several containers worth every shift
The Industrial one was used completely incorrectly. When used properly with smaller pieces of veg or the larger blades it is a very effective tool for a restaurant kitchen.
Yeah. I've ran through 100's of pounds of potatoes in drastically short periods of time.
I’m always surprised that many people do not know that a “Kaasschaaf” exists. It’s a cheese slicer we use in the Netherlands for Gouda cheese, to either get an extremely thin slice or a thick one, depending how much pressure or angle you put on it. Also if you’re not careful it might destroy your knuckles, so super fun.
I'm always surprised how many Dutch people think that that style of cheesecutter is unknown elsewhere. We know about it just fine. Virtually anywhere you could buy a decent kitchen knife will have those available. We just don't have a definite term for it.
@@wbfaulk it’s not a knife 🙃.
@@justmeh3000 No, but you can buy them in the US at almost any place that would also have kitchen knives.
For the industrial chopper the blade may be upside down, or there is too much being put in it. Used to use one all the time while I worked at a taco place for red onions. We'd quarter them first before trying to chop them...
😫 Me - when Dan's video starts to buffer 5:43 Never ever discontinue this series. He is teaching me Physics more than my actual teacher does. I love Dan a lot ❤️
Gotta love how Dan’s redesign of the first salad chopper is just an ulu. Indigenous knowledge and ingenuity FTW! 🙌
Even without reading the manual for the cheese slicer, it is clear the cheese must be at the back of the device against the plate to prevent it from moving backwards.
that wouldn't do anything, physics don't just change because the cheese touches the back plate, the back plate is still attached to the bottom tray, any force against the back plate (which you are suggesting should stop the tray from moving) will result in the tray moving as well.
I work in a pizza place, I use the industrial vegetable chopper practically every single day I work, it definitely has its flaws and dangers I will say that. We mainly use it for much easier things than a potato I'll say that, but the way we use it we slice the veggies first into much thinner strips so the blades pass through and we get diced cubes of veggies rather than long rectangles. I definitely don't recommend it for making French fries 😅
The industrial chopper had me rolling the entire time!!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
The blades of the industrial chopper was inverted or upside down. I've worked with it before, it works like a charm.
Dan apologizing to the poor Tomato is a mood honestly
It’s making me so sad that at least three of these products were used incorrectly in some way- seems like they didn’t get a fair trial because of user error!
I feel like a part of designing anything involves eliminating user error, so your product must be as intuitive as possible
Because the Expert is a moron and they are making this video for entertainment purposes.
@@user-yo4gt1wn5s I think that too. If your product is too easy to use incorrectly then that's a design flaw.
@@user-yo4gt1wn5s Yeah, it doesnt matter much how great your product is if someone can use it wrong simply because of missing instructions and such....wait a minute, is it possible that he didnt get instruction or they were improper when he tested?
@@user-yo4gt1wn5s Fair enough to dock a few points for a device not being intuitive, but you can’t properly test something if you’re using it incorrectly.
We had one of those industrial choppers at Jimmy Johns but it was MUCH sharper than that and actually worked wonders for prep
this is my favorite series on youtube. I LOVE IT
Interesting ypu had such a hard time with the commercial style food chopper. Reviews on Amazon are 4.5 stars as are others. I've a friend who has one, I'm not sure of the brand, and uses hers during canning season and makes fries with it all the time.
I wonder if the one he was using was defective. I’ve used one of those with no issue even on whole and halved potato’s like demonstrated. It’s like the blades are flipped around on this one.
I'd love to see the oily left hand test done as a comparison to doing the traditional method with an oily left hand as well. I understand that it can highlight some design flaws, but I think doing it that way would help demonstrate the difficulties that people with motor function issues have, and why such gadgets might be necessary. For example the cheese chopper - while it might not be better than using a knife in theory, for some people using a knife to get consistent slices safely is a super difficult thing. I just think it would be nice to consider the needs that the machines might be filling, as well as discuss how they could be better designed.
That opening dad joke was absolute GOLD. 🤣🪙
For the lettuce cutter, I think it would be cool to have a “lid” that goes over the top that can also be a salad bowl
Maybe he should take a peak at the instructions for each device before he uses them. If you give an American football to someone who’s never seen one before, and they try to use it for soccer, then of course they’ll say it’s a terrible design.
That’s the point of this though when testing the experience of these designs. To not use directions. The designs of products are based being able to use it without thinking. Think about it this way, not everyone will be reading the directions of the product they buy. They might just know it cuts things, so they know the intended purpose, but achieving it the correct way as intended is what he is exploiting. Have you heard of Norman doors? Basically doors that are confusing to use. Doors shouldn’t be confusing to use and don’t need directions. That’s the same thinking with product design. The design of the product should be able to show it’s easy of use without the directions.
@@ohyeamanishere I think we’ll have to agree to disagree because I believe products should be judged by how they succeed at doing what they were designed to do, not how they succeed at doing what the user wants them to be used. Don’t blame the square peg for not fitting in the circular hole.
I’m just saying that’s the thoughts behind product design in general. The product itself should be able to explain the way it’s used without directions. The cheese things was frustrating to watch because I’m sure you and I knew he had to put the cheese against the back plate to help. But I’m sure there are people who will not understand that and use it the same way he did. Have you ever helped an older relative set up a tv and wonder why they didn’t get it because to you it seems so self explanatory. Not everyone has that innate ability to know how it works right off the bat and will just wing it. As for your soccer/football explanation, there will be people who will say it is a terrible design for football. But there will be those who understand without having any prior knowledge of the sport at all that the ball isn’t intended for one sport and not the other.
@@ohyeamanishere I wasn’t referring to the cheese slicer, I was referring to the industrial dicer. As others have commented, when used correctly (by putting in slices or halves of vegetables - not including potatoes), it works wonderfully! However, when you put a whole vegetable or a potato in it, it won’t do any good because that wasn’t how it was designed to be used. The issue wasn’t the product, the issue was the user.
@@ohyeamanishere You are forgetting that it is an industrial slicer.. If it were a normal kitchen tool; yes, it should be intuitive, but the way he doesn´t even question if it maybe is dull or used wrong is so sad to watch. He just assumes that the tool has a bad design.. why?
Man isn’t using the chease thing right you have to make the back of the white moving piece touch the back of the cheese
so you have to pick the block of cheese up off the moving tray and move the cheese instead of moving the tray? if that's the case, why bother?
My brother I believe you have to put the cheese in the box and push it all the back to the end of the box then spin the wheel until the cheese is In line to be cut then this should remove the moving and therefore you won’t have to keep you hand on the wheel
Basically all equipment was use without instruction/not for intended purpose or assemble incorrectly hahaha I would say take it all with a grain of salt
@@theogotcurlyhair4762 how does moving the tray all the way to the back and then forward again make the mechanism need to be held in place any less?
@@kenbrown2808 the back off the white moving tray has to touch the back of the cheese
I could be sober watching this and have an amazing time. I could also have a few drinks and watch these videos and still have an amazing tome watching them. Love the guy who does the testing!
Lunar lander 🍅 cracked me up. PERFECT!🤣🤣
The industrial chopper was something I used a bunch at an old restaurant job and it def works, even if you have to be a bit forceful with it. I will say for us though we pre sliced the veg so we could get small diced veg as opposed to thin French fry-esque slices, can't imagine just slamming that down on a whole tomato
Agreed! sure was fun to watch though lol
I love Dan and I love watching him age throughout the series. He's still just as sharp and clever and his wrinkles just hide more ingenious designs!
Hi there, love your show... One thing to point out - the cheese cutter needs to be supported by the back wall. That's the reason you're getting uneven slices. You need to push the cheese all the way to the end of the board it stands on.
The way he redesigned the salad chopper turned it into a similar shape to a traditional Ulu knife
I just love this videos and Dan... He is freaking amazing, i want to adopt it as my own grandpa... Hope that the universe grant him a lot more years with good health.
I cant help but to think you may be using industrial chopper … wrong? But I don’t know what would be the correct way of using it. Maybe with a hammer? Edit: kzhead.info/sun/o8eNgbmvq4N_fq8/bejne.html, oh it seems it is not meant for the potatoes, but for very tiny pieces of vegetables.
It would seem either the blades are installed upside down, or it's complete junk chineezium copy. Used very similar tools for decades in restaurants - they all worked flawlessly. Potatoes, tomatoes, used it on all.
I love this channel. I really want some of the redesigned products For the industrial chopper, it seemed you were only going half way up. It looked much like my first attempt at using one. What I found best Was to cut the tomato or onion into thirds, put the cut side down (the skin side down just tended to smush), raise the handle as high as it can go without falling off and then slam it down with a lot of force. People with mobility problems would have trouble using it but it worked well for me by being faster and more uniform then a knife. (And it’s also funner to slam fruit and veggies then to just chop them) Also I was reading some comments and was reminded that oiling the rods helps immensely. I’d love to see it tried again
Dan: "I wonder what a tomato would do." Me: (shouting festively) "Salsa!"
He is the best person on this channel
The second gadget triggered me so bad I couldn't keep watching. I've used those same type of choppers in several restaurants and they worked great, so great in fact I had wanted to get one for my house but I wasn't sure how'd I store it when not using it. Definitely user error on his part.
what appears to have happened is an assembly error, they accidentally put the blades in upside down, sharp side down
@@YasEmisDaBus Probabily for safe shipping. Mans too dumb to check tho
We use industrial choppers at my work, and usually we cut everything into small quarters or thirds, smaller peices and thinner ones work best, it has a small amount of prep needed and helps a lot when making a lot of prep for fast food
i like how they adapt the decor to the "subject"
I think the Vevor device is meant to be a dicer. I think the vegetable is meant to be cut into slices, and then you place the slices on the device to dice your vegetables faster. Probably not useful for home use, it's likely more useful for someone who runs a shop that sells sandwiches or salads etc.
My first job was as a frycook and they had one of those industrial choppers sitting on a shelf. I tried to use it on an onion and had the same experience.
I use to use the 2nd chopper for onions at work I called it a guillotine. It always required alot of strength to use it and I would still have to cut the onion into smaller pieces. I agree with the zero rating. I was so glad when we switched to chop onions that came in a bag.
I got way too excited to see a new Dan Formosa video on my home screen.
I’m pretty sure the second one you tested had the blade installed upside down.
At least two of these deserve a re-review used correctly. Come on guys
I have one of those lunar lander veggie choppers at work and it does very well for pre cut and quartered onions only
I use that industrial chopper at work to dice! We usually chop veggies into slices instead of using full veggies, since not everyone can dice with a knife, and it keeps our pico de gallo and such consistent.
i watched another channel called freakin reviews and he done a video on the cheese slicer recently he didnt like it either neither did the cheese expert he took it to
alot of people seem concerned the second gadget was defective but I have a simple solution for why it didn't work. the blade tray was probably put in upside down and was chopping dull side up. I worked with kids who never learned which side goes up and I could imagine the crew putting it together before use didn't notice or it came upside down.
I work in a restaurant and when prepping food we actually use basically that exact industrial vegetable chopper but only for soft things like avocados, occasionally on carrots but nothing very thick or dense
Used one of those industrial choppas at my restaurant job they work on tomatoes really well and onions how ever you have to cut off the top and bottom first and you got to make sure the cutting edge is facing the right way or else it won't cut at all
Excellent 👌🏻 Greetings from Scotland 😊 Have a wonderful day everyone 🌻
I mean, there's no way he thinks you are supposed to just push a whole onion through right? Like those choppers have been used for decades and people figure it out. Cut that tomato or onion in half and it'll fly right through with one or two good hits.
Right. They're used all the time in restaurants for food prep and you're supposed to put thick slices of vegetables on them, not whole ones, and then you do have to use some force to push down the handle.
0:01 Dan has done so many of these videos that now he's just losing his mind 🤣
It has been annoying me lately how Dan doesn't use the products in their intended purpose. For the Industrial Press, he didn't try using smaller pieces which it needed. For the Cheese Chop, he didn't rest the cheese at the back of the contraption. And for the Lettuce Chop, he didn't cut the lettuce to size at the start causing it to be awkward to work with and not cut through.
Absolutely this. Did he get any paper instructions or anything?
so you are telling me humans have to compromise for the tools and not the other way around? especially when something that can just be done easily without the tools?
That’s the thing though, not everyone would read the directions with a lot of different products. The industrial press just looks as easy as just placing the food item on the blades and squashing it with the press. Products are usually designed around not having to really think about what you have to do to use it. You kind of have the innate ability to understand the product and how to use it without instructions. Have you heard of Norman doors? Basically any door that is confusing to use. Doors should not be designed in a way that you have to think about how to use them. Same goes for products and how they are designed. We shouldn’t have to think too hard on how to use them.
Yeah, I have no idea what he was doing. Maybe there was something wrong with the unit. Maybe he just throws away the instructions and guesses at how they work? That's not how Tools work, and certainly not how a showcase should be made. It doesn't matter how well designed the tool, if you are trying to hammer a nail, but you keep using an iPhone, you are going to think the iPhone is the worst hammer ever!
This series used to be good but they ran out if interesting things so they manufacture drama pretend bad products by misusing them.
As someone who works in the service industry, it’s so painful to see the industrial chopper being misused so horribly.
Oh how ive missed Dan, beautiful im glad youtube brought this back to the front of me reccomendations
The big dicer is used on slice food, in kitchens we would slice tomatoes with a slicer and then run them through that unit to dice them evenly and fast for making Pico de Gallo, also put onion slices through it
I feel like he didn't use the cheese slicer correctly. I still wouldn't buy it, but pretty sure it was supposed to be operated differently.
Cheese looks like its supposed to be completely inserted flush with the end piece. Double the result would've been massively better, but it would have certainly helped with the size inconsistancy.