"Favorite Kitchen Gadget"

I use this nearly every day on all sizes of onions. My son likes chopped onions on just about everything so I can chop one up, put it in a container and he can help himself. A lot less mess to clean up than when he was chopping his own onions. Mine doesn't have the plastic cover. However, I find that if you press the top down slightly (just enough to break the top of the onion), you can place one hand over the onion while slamming the top down with the other. This way, onion pieces are not flying all over the kitchen. You could also place a towel over it.

By: Cappi
From: Denver, CO
Date: March 11, 2008

Product:

"Amazing Product Plus Great Service"

I've been using my Alligator almost daily for five years. At one point one of the grids lost its sharpness. Alligator replaced it in record time at no charge. Another time the plastic housing lost a foot. Again, a replacement was immediately sent out. I use it for onions, carrots, celery, you name it. It's the most used utensil in my kitchen and I love it.
By: C. Pugh
Date: August 16, 2012
Product:

"Best Kitchen Gadget Ever!"

I have had my Alligator dicer/chopper for a couple of years now and I absolutely love it, it is my fave kitchen gadget. Having tried various chopping/dicing gadgets over the years, most are completely useless, this one is brilliant and u don't even have to plug it in! Makes fine dicing of onions and all other firm veggies a breeze, as long as you are only making small quantities, e.g. 2-3 onions. For larger quantities I would use food processor. Very simple to use and clean. Blades are very sharp so keep well away from young children. I have le arnt a few tricks, e.g. Slice vegetables before dicing as it is very difficult trying to push blades through half an onion or carrot! The thinner the slice, the easier it is to dice. You will also end up with much finer diced veg, ideal for hiding vegies in meals for fussy eaters! You can also julienne carrots/zucchini by cutting short lengths and placing them in the Alligator vertically (upright), great for salads. Use for onions, carrots, zucchini, capsicum, mushrooms. Can also use on firm fruit.

By: bronros
From: Ringwood Nth , VIC
Date: Aug 04, 2013

"My favourite kitchen gadget !!!"

I have had both the Alligator and the Mini Alligator for a few years now.....and I can honestly say it's my go to gadget in the kitchen.....I'd be lost without it now. It is fast and cleans up easily.
I will add that you have to use some force on some onions, and larger potatoes etc. and that it doesn't always chop through as fast as the demo video suggests.
Also there is a design fault with the clear receiver lid in that the small teeth that insert into the base have a habit of snapping off. I have experienced this on both models, a few ti mes. It is frustrating as the item is expensive for the materials it;s made from. Fortunately for me my retailer replaces these accessories free of charge and recognise the fault within the product.
Knowing all this, I would still buy both.......they save so much time and tears !!!!!!
By: kez33
From: Perth
Date: Aug 01, 2012

"Pricey, but well worth it!"

I used the plastic version before, but the casing ultimately broke after extensive use... So, I switched to the stainless steel one and I just love it!! I mainly use it for chopping onions, but - only recently duh me! - discovered that I can also use it for garlic by switching to one of the smaller grids. I only wish Amazon would offer it again so I can share (i.e. buy) one for my friend's birthday. Crossing my fingers you will bring it back!
By: Hamburgdeern
Date: July 3, 2013

Product:

"Terrific tool"

Already had one I use, now got one for our Senior Center. This is the best tool for chopping onions, potatoes, tomatoes, etc. use every day and easy to clean.
By: Sandra riley
Date: June 16, 2015
Note: Verified Purchase

Product:

"Five Stars"

Every kitchen should have one of these. We have two.
By: Max The Piano Player
From: Mendocino, CA
Date: May 6, 2015
Note: Verified Purchase

Product:

"Worth the money"

Does not have plastic ears to break off works really well.

By: James Cadle
Date: June 12, 2015
Note: Verified Purchase

Product:

"Love the different size grates"

Fabulous! Love the different size grates.
By: Kelly Wilson
Date: July 10, 2015
Note: Verified Purchase

Product:

"Your Personal Sous Chef"

The original and the best. I've tried all these dicing gadgets. The Alligator is the sturdiest, the easiest to clean and the sharpest. I bought the original before it had a receptacle to catch the diced produce. Although it was very effective, I did end up with pieces of dice all over the place sometimes, so when others came out with 'catchers', I tried them. None were really satisfactory. Some have little combs to get the food out from between the grid rows--that is a huge pain. Alligator has a thin shield that fits down over the grid. All you have to do is lift it up, rinse it and replace it. One competitor version I tried broke while I was dicing strawberries for heaven's sake, and another just wasn't sharp enough to do the job without extreme force. Another advantage to the Alligator is that the square grid accommodates more than those with a round grid. I was delighted when Alligator came out with this model and I happily switched back.

You need to slice your produce first unless you're trying to get more of a julienne effect, and very hard produce like beets probably isn't suitable for this approach, but the resulting dice for most things is lovely and professional looking--like having your very own sous chef at your side doing the prep. A vegetable soup made using this gadget looks stunning--all the carrots, potatoes, celery, onions, etc., exactly the same size. One would think you'd been to culinary school. It also does nice work on herbs. I have the mini-dicer for garlic as well and also am very pleased with it. Great kitchen time saver.
By: C. G. King
Date: April 11, 2008
Note: Verified Purchase

Product:

"Indispensable kitchen gadget"

I've used one of these for a couple of years and find the tiny dice essential for garlic and other things as well. I have other garlic tools, but this is my favorite because it is easy to clean and the results are so consistent. None of the other dicers on the market have this fine a grid, so it's the best choice for things you want in really small pieces. I use mine for garlic frequently, but also for pickles or olives I'm adding to a salad, radishes that are especially tangy, herbs and sometimes small onions or shallots when I want the small dice.

The unit is small so the item placed on the grid has to be small, but the dice is beautiful and exactly right for tuna salad, for example, where you want small pieces of things. I still use the bigger sized unit for the celery I add to the tuna salad, and in fact often use both units for most preparations since the tiny pieces of garlic are ideal even if I want the bigger dice for other things.

I never put either of mine in the dishwasher because they are so easy to clean under the faucet and have ready for the next concoction. The little grid that fits down over the `teeth' is by far the easiest solution for removing any embedded pieces. I highly recommend this gadget for its ease of use and reliable results--the perfect fine dice.
By: C. G. King
Date: April 10, 2009
Note: Verified Purchase

Product:

"Saves huge amounts of time"

I have only been using mine for 6 months but I've already gotten enough use out of it that if it broke tomorrow, I'd still be completely satisfied. This machine saves an incredible amount of time in preparing food. Cleanup is also super easy. (If you get anything mashed in between the blades, a fork will generally take everything out just fine, but I find it easier just to stick a cucumber into the machine and let the newly-diced cucumber push out the stuff that had been mashed in there. Works every time.)

I don't think the collector is all that necessary (I used it with the collector the first time and haven't used it once since), so if I buy another I'll definitely get the cheaper one without the collector. The trick to not having everything fly all over the place is to bring the blade down onto the vegetable only part way, so that the vegetable is gripped into place by the blade, then hold the dicer *upside down* over a collecting bowl. Then finish closing the blade and the pieces will all fall into the collecting bowl.

Incidentally I also have the mini Alligator, which I find I never use. This larger one I use constantly and would recommend to anyone. But save yourself the ten bucks and consider getting the one without the collector. You'll save on storage space that way, too!

Edit to add: Three years later, and I still use this often (while the mini alligator continues to collect dust in my cabinets). Additional comments:
- Works best for cucumbers and apples. Besides the obvious use on salads or mixed into couscous, they end up the perfect size for dog treats, if you are training and need some healthy rewards.
- Works for onions, BUT not really a time saver. Anyone handy with a knife can dice onions at least as fast as you can dice them with this machine. However, the onion cubes end up stunningly perfect in size, so although your onion dicing goes no faster, it all ends up much prettier, if that is important to you. You can stack 3 or 4 layers of onion slices (rings) atop each other and do them all at once, IF your rings are not too thick.
- Works on bell peppers if (and only if) you peel the skin off first, which is harder than it sounds. Also, dicing mushes up the bell peppers to a slight degree. Not enough to make them MUSHY, but they do end up slightly mushier than they were before going through the machine.
- Carrots don't work-- way too hard. Tomatoes don't work-- way too soft.
By: TokyoPurpleDog
Date: November 1, 2010
Note: Verified Purchase

"One of my favorite tools"

I bought this about 6 months ago, and I love it. I use it to make my salsa. It makes cutting onions a lot easier. I just put sliced onions in it, push the cutter down, and get a knife and push the onions into my bowl. I also use this to chop water chestnuts that I put into my spinach dip, and again it makes the job a lot faster. I am so glad I bought this.
By: Salsalover
From: Los Angeles, CA
Date: January 24, 2008

Product:

"I Love Mine"

Had a plastic version without the collection box. Finally upgraded to this one and it's heavenly. Cuts easily. I have no trouble at all with the collection box. I just love it.
Pros: Durable, Easy to Use, Quality, Time-saver
By: AnotherWSFan
From: Louisville, CO
Date: March 15, 2014
 

"Great product"

Vikkie Drennan Teesdaale (vic) 12/9/2009
"the best product of this type i have ever tried, easy to use and clean, great results every time"
 

"Alligator Original with Collector"

Stewart Baldwin Melbourne 17/10/2010
Great product. Tough, sturdy and simple to use. Have chopped 10 kgs of peeled and halved red onions in 20 minutes. Minimum fuss and mess. Use on a solid surface with firm downward movements.
By: Various
From: Austrialia
Date: Various