Part of Sunbeam's Heritage Series of appliances, the 18-piece Kitchen Assistant 2774 is a mini-chopping wonder. With a power base and eight interchangeable containers, the Kitchen Assistant is actually more than a mini chopper. The system is designed vertically, with the torpedo-like chopping containers sitting atop the slim 11-inch tall base.

The set comes with the power base, two large chopping containers, six small chopping containers, six storage lids and two shaker/sifter lids. A single twist-on blade assembly is shared by all of the containers. Operation of the unit is quite simple. Add the desired ingredients to one of the containers, twist-on the blade assembly, flip the container over and place it onto the base. Pressing down on the top of the container activates the blades, which go to work instantly to pulverize the contents.

We used the Kitchen Assistant to chop, mince and grind an assortment of foods, from graham crackers to coffee beans. Our overall impression was that the unit is best equipped to process hard dry foods, such as nuts, carrots, coffee beans and crackers, which are perfectly minced in seconds. It is also excellent for mixing herbs or spices into soft butter, cream cheese or avocado to make dips and spreads. The tricky part comes when you try to chop wet foods, such as onions, tomatoes or apples. These foods tend to cling to the side of the container and either remain unchopped or smashed if they hover near the blades too long.

Because the unit is so powerful, most foods are processed in just seconds. A light touch-and release motion is all it takes to start the blades spinning. We found that pulsing works best for most tasks.

We liked the storage capability offered by the multiple containers. Lids screw onto the tops of the containers for airtight food storage. Each container is also marked with quantities in ounces and milliliters. The small containers have a capacity of 6 ounces, whereas the large containers can handle up to 10 ounces.

With a little practice, you will find the Kitchen Assistant invaluable for chopping, dicing, grinding and pureeing an assortment of ingredients. It not only saves you the time it would take to chop items by hand but also produces finer, more uniform particles at the same time.


Pros: Multiple chopping storing containers lets you prepare a number of different ingredients, extremely fast processing, excellent with hard and/or dry foods
Cons: Machine tends to overprocess wet foods (e.g., onion and tomatoes)

Warranty
1 year, limited