I find that most of the time I use when cooking is the prep time for the vegetables. I have a nice peeler (I fully recommend that one, it peels whatever you throw at it), some knives and a cutting board.
It's still way more time that what I'd like to invest. I've tried some of those gadgets where you place pieces of veggies and they are diced, but the ones I've tried are flimsy for the use I give them they last a few months, is there a top of the line brand that can withstand the test of time and hard vegetables (like sweet potatoes or eggplant)?
I imagine that the other option would be to perfect my cutting technique to be as proficient as a chef. Would you recommend a resource to learn how to cut like a chef?
So, to sum up, can you suggest creative ways to speed that part up?
Best Answer
The answer to the question what the fastest way is, entirely depends on the volume you are preparing. Because using some kind of specialized devices will usually require some additional time to set them up and clean them afterwards.
So for small amounts there probably is no faster way than using a simple knife and some training.
For slicing or dicing medium amounts of vegetables using a mandoline could be a good choice. If you are looking for robust premium quality check the models of Bron Cuocke or De Buyer.
There are also non-flimsy versions of the manually operated gadgets you used available e.g. for cutting french fries or slicing tomatoes, but imho they are too expensive and not versatile enough to be a usefull investment in a home kitchen.
And if you are preparing large or huge quantities regularly there are also professional grade, electrical powered machines like potato peelers (aka potato rumblers) or vegebable slicers available that can process several kilos in a single batch.