Welcome to Kitchen Queries, where the nigella.com team will answer your cooking or food related questions.  We’d love you to submit some of your recipe problems, dilemmas or queries for us to get our teeth into!

Please note, we are only able to answer questions selected for publication and aren't able to enter into personal correspondence.

• Chopping Blade

  I love your website full of everything you could want! Could you tell me the name of the half moon shaped blade Nigella uses for chopping? It looks very good. Thanks.

  Posted by Al52. Answered on 3rd Oct 2012 at 12.00

  From the nigella team:

  The curved blade Nigella uses for chopping is an Italian-style implement called a mezzaluna (sometimes also called a hachoir or a herb chopper). Mezzaluna means "half moon". The mezzaluna can be single bladed or double bladed and has a handle at either end. You chop by holding the handles and rocking the blade backwards and forwards over the herbs, chocolate, nuts or other ingredients.

  One of the advantages is that even less dexterous people can chop herbs without fear of cutting their fingers. Nigella has a mezzaluna in her Living Kitchen collection. To find mail order sources please go to the Kitchen Kit section of Nigella's website and click on the Classic Collection then click on the mezzaluna. You can also find other makes of mezzalunas at many kitchenware stores and on-line.

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