Chopped Salad and the Chopper that Works Best

UPDATED:  Lately there's been a lot of interest in chopped salad, and perhaps this has been made more popular since Subway restaurants have begun doing it as you watch. As we happen to have a friend that owns a Subway shop we asked about the chopper they use, as many of our friends seem to want one. Don't we all love chopped salads?  Why not just use a knife, you ask?  Because if you've used a knife to make a chopped salad on a flat chopping board, you know the salad goes all over the place. You want to chop the salad in a bowl to contain the ingredients as you chop them.

Single Blade Mezzaluna

Subway previously used a double-bladed mezzuluna chopper like the one below. But even at Subway, this didn't work perfectly. The staff reported that certain foods get stuck between the double blades or the food works it's way up through the channel between the blades and presses against your fingers, which requires you to stop and clear the channel. And keep in mind, Subway is chopping lettuce that is already pretty finely cut for use on sandwiches. So if you want to avoid this problem, use instead my preferred device.

Subway Staff with the Double Blade Mezzaluna

The single blade mezzaluna (shown top) simply works better. No channel for salad to get stuck between. Plenty of room between the handle and the top of the blade to keep your hands out of the salad. A strong, sturdy blade ideal for use in a a rounded bowl. Chops salad perfectly every time with less effort than the double bladed variety.

To be certain my experience was not unique, I consulted the Amazon reviews and found many comments the same as mine. Ratings mirror my recommendation. So if you want to make chopped salad and want to do it in a bowl, use the single blade mezzaluna.

However, Subway subsequently switched their chopped salad method to a double-bladed pizza wheel style chopper (shown below) and available on Amazon. I tested this and it works relatively well if you have already shredded lettuce, they way they do at Subway. But it's much more likely your home lettuce is not shredded and only at best hand torn when it enters the bowl. As such, I still found the single bladed mezzaluna noted above to be the best option for chopping consistently sized lettuce and other items for your salad.

But what about the bowl? A cutting board is a sure-fire way to make a mess. The chopping bowl at Subway is a heavy resin material. I have a wooden bowl that I use for chopping salads, herbs and other items to be sure that they remain in the bowl as I chop with the mezzaluna. Using a metal bowl will dull the mezzaluna.