Contraption Confessions

A couple of years ago, my mother-in-law gave each of her kids an onion dicer. I tried it once, and it didn't work very well. I wasn't able to push down on it hard enough. The outer layer was too tough. It didn't seem to be worth using it for the time it takes to clean it up. So, I let it sit on the shelf for a few years.

The other day, I needed to chop some onions, peppers and olives in a hurry. So, I got it down from the shelf and decided to give it another try. This time, it was a totally wonderful experience. Everything diced up quickly.

I was so excited about this experience, that I made a special trip to the store to buy onions, celery, carrots and peppers. Last night, I chopped up 4 green peppers and 3 mixed peppers. I flash froze them, and put them in freezer bags for when I might need them. I also made up 6 2-cup bags of an onion/celery/carrot mixture to have in the freezer for soups, etc.

It didn't go quite as well this time. I used regular yellow onions, and the outer layers were more difficult. If you just peel them off, it works fine. I used sweet onions the other night when it worked so slick. So, I'm not sure if it has to do with the freshness or the brand of onions. Some will work better than others.

Still, it probably didn't take me more than 45 minutes to do the chopping work and clean up. It'll be nice to have those vegetables handy when I need them.

Now, I guess I'll give that multi-grater that she gave us last year another look.