A Dicey Contraption: Nicer Dicer

After I admit that, yes, I do have a thing for cheesy late night gadget infomercials, I will explain to you why, for a change, they may be worth while during your evening insomnia.

I saw an infomercial the other night advertising--in typical over-the-top "you need this" fashion--something called the Nicer Dicer. It's basically a kitchen gadget that cuts prep time by allowing users to put half an onion (tomato, pepper, mushrooms, etc.) on the waffle blade, press the lid down, and voila... the whole thing lands in a plastic container in tiny pieces. Now I'm not the type to spend $50 on the "...and if you call now, we'll throw in these ten useless items you won't know where to store," so I did a bit of homework.

What did I find? A bargain perhaps? You betcha. My favorite NYC time waster, Bed Bath and Beyond, carries a similar product by a company called Progressive. It runs $14 and while it may not be something to bring into the restaurant kitchen, it most certainly does the trick. I made a chop salad, bruchetta, omelets and you better believe this with make a swell pico de gallo or salsa for your nachos. It also has measurement markings on the bottom so you don't over Stuff to Chip (of course they did that knowingly). So pick one up, throw anything in there, dice to your heart's content and then load those chips with your favorite Stuff in a jiffy.

And if you call now... ok, just kidding.