Wondering if a food processor can help you in the kitchen? Here’s why and how this small kitchen appliance can help you out.
Whether you’re making a Press In Pie Crust pastry, Peach Yogurt Popsicles, or a rustic Basil Sauce, the food processor can make quick work of your kitchen tasks.
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I am not a person to care about boats or cars. I drive a ’12 minivan or sometimes a ’02 SUV. Apparently, big ticket items don’t thrill me.
Small kitchen appliances? Well, I get absolutely giddy about tools that will make my time in the kitchen easier and save me money.
Today I’d like to make the case for the food processor.
My first was a hand-me-down Cuisinart, probably one of the first to come down the assembly line. That baby was a workhorse. It shredded cheese, chopped vegetables, mixed salsa, and made pie crust like nobody’s business.
I found it to be particularly helpful with big freezer cooking sessions when there was lots to chop, slice, and shred.
That early model was amazing. Its motor worked like a champ. Unfortunately, the bowl did not.
Eventually, the bowl became cracked in numerous places, lost its handle, and eventually lost the safety mechanism that kept the bowl closed during use.
A food processor is a must-have in my kitchen, getting use at least on the weekly, often more frequent than that. Sure, a good knife or a box grater can fill the bill. But I don’t want to spend an hour shredding cheese when the machine can do it in minutes.
FAQs
A food processor is akin to a blender, though it does so much more. Most food processors have a blending blade as well as slicing and shredding blades, so they can mix, puree, slice, chop, shred, and cut butter into pastry incredibly well.
Recently, blenders have become more sophisticated and you can find units that are multipurpose with both blender and processor components. Ultimately, a food processor does more than your standard blender. Since most blenders are narrow in circumference, they tend to blend and whip in a slightly different manner than a food processor which has a wider bowl and more room for the elements to shift around.
A food processor can be a worthwhile investment if you cook often, including shredded cheese yourself, making homemade pastries and sauces, and shredding or slicing vegetables.
Accessories
I don’t know that you really need any extras to make good use of a food processor. Provided you have all the pieces that came with your machine.
For the most versatile use, be sure that yours comes with the following accessories:
- metal blade
- slicing blade
- shredding blade
Some models come with a very hard plastic spatula which has proven to be very handy to scrape the bowl. Rubber spatulas tend to get caught in the blade, so a harder, sturdier plastic one is very nice to have.
Uses
As I’ve mentioned, a food processor does a lot to quicken your kitchen prep work. I use it for a number of things including
- shredding or chopping vegetables
- mixing salsas and sauces, such as Basil Sauce
- making pie crust or biscuit dough
- mixing cookie or scone dough
- chopping nuts
- slicing potatoes
- shredding cheese
- chopping, slicing, or shredding vegetables
- make homemade mayonnaise
- blend dressings
Anything that needs to be chopped or mixed can be done in a food processor, even pizza dough under the right techniquges.
Care and storage
Care of the machine is pretty easy. Rinse the parts after use and then run through the dishwasher.
For ease of use: store the motorized base and bowl parts in the same cupboard or drawer. Turn the lid upside down inside the bowl attachment to conserve space. Keep the disks near the machine in the cupboard, but store the blade in such a way as to minimize the risk of someone getting cut. Some models come with a storage case for the attachments.
Purchasing Tips
I’ve had three food processors in last last almost thirty years. The motors have always outlasted the bowls.
How big is it? I have only purchased Cuisinarts so I can’t speak to other brands. I’d get the biggest bowl size you can afford and easily store. Make sure it comes with a metal blade as well as slicing and shredding disks.
How easy is it to clean? If you can go to a kitchen store to see the gasket to close the lid, choose a model that looks easy to clean.
Try before you buy. Consider borrowing one before you buy. Or troll your local thrift stores and garage sales. Chances are somebody bought a fancy machine and it just stayed in the box.
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Tell us what you think.
What’s your experience with a food processor? Love it or hate it? Do tell.
MomofTwoPreciousGirls
Last Christmas my mom bought me a mini one (like maybe a cup!) and I just used it 1/2 an hour ago to chop chicken for hubby’s chicken salad for lunch tomorrow! It’s a pain because it is so small so i can only put so much in at a time, but I have used it crush an entire bag of Oreos to make Oreo truffles! Someday I would like to invest in a bigger model and a bread machine, but most of all I want a kitchen aide mixer!
Jessica
@MomofTwoPreciousGirls, I was very underwhelmed by my KitchenAid mixer. Still am.
MomofTwoPreciousGirls
@Jessica, I’m more of a baker than a cook and when I need to bake for school I have to mix 6 batches! Takes forever, especially with my $5 Walmart hand mixer!
Diana
@MomofTwoPreciousGirls, Then you probably would benefit from a KitchenAid! I love it when I’m making double (or more) batches of cookies, muffins, biscuits, etc. But if I’m just making a single or a half batch (for just our little fam), I still go the hand route. It’s all in what you do most often, I think 🙂
Donna
I could not live without my Cuisinart 7 cup food processor. I bought it about 3-4 years ago and I think I have used it every day since. I can see where some people may never use it, but if you cook in any quantity at all it’s worth it’s weight in gold. So fast for prep! I’m a personal chef and go into people’s homes to cook for them and if they don’t have a processor, I drag mine. Besides, my family is addicted to homemade “slushy” salsa and I can make it in about 1 minute in my processor.
Sarah K. @ The Pajama Chef
i have my grandma’s 1980s GE food processor & it works SO well. i only wish i had a newer one since they make bigger bowls now. or maybe she just didn’t buy a big one. 🙂
Lupe
I had a Montgomery Wards food processor about 15 years ago and it killed itself! Well ultimately it was my fault but how was I to know you had to hold on to the dang thing lest it vibrate and rock itself right off the counter when in use! hahaha.. it was replaced by the Cuisinart Pro Custom 11 that I got for free at a garage sale. The lady was selling it for $10 in the box with all the accessories plus some extras. I asked her if I could plug it in to make sure it worked. She couldn’t for the life of her figure out how to turn it on so she just turned around and told me to take it. Once I got home and read the manual, I turned it on and it has been in constant use since. We recently downgraded (3 bdrm house to 1 bdrm junior apartment) and I got rid of so many kitchen appliances but managed to find room for this baby and my KitchenAid mixer!
Tami
Mine is a lower cost basic machine. I only use it during the summer when I make pesto to freeze and salsa and condiments to can. Not worth having to clean it the rest of the year when cooking for 2.
jasi
i dislike my bulky huge food processor. it’s annoying to clean and takes up too much space. i much prefer my little hand held adjustable mandoline and immersion blender/chopper. they are two things but they take much less space and fill the need for blender, processor, and mixer. the tiny mandoline helps me make perfect salads in a flash without even pulling out the cutting board. =D
Karen
Oh, now I’m getting nervous. My processor was a Valentines gift (I love kitchen toys) nearly 25 years ago. It’s a Braun Mulltipractic. A few years after I got it we moved to a very small house that had no kitchen space so it was sort of in storage and used very little for nearly ten years. Now it lives on my counter and gets used a lot. I dropped the plunger on the tile floor and replaced that when I found an identical machine at the thrift store. I kept the bowl, lid, plunger and blade because they are all easy to wash. The machine base was very, very dirty so I got rid of it. Now my machine will only work on the pulse setting. You can hold the dial in the on position, but when you let go, it shuts off. I have seen another of the same machine in a box at the same thrift store, before I started needing replacements. I sure hope a third one shows up! It is loud when I’m doing something like chopping frozen cranberries, but not when I’m making biscuits.
Lizzy
I have a small food processor that attaches to my blender. That seems really nice. It has the regular blade as well as a reversible slicing/grating blade. BUT it’s so loud that I go get the ear protectors we use for lawn mowing and target shooting when I use it. That also means I definitely can’t use it with my 1 y/o in the room. So I really haven’t gotten to use it much. (Don’t ask me why, but it’s only the food processor that’s so loud, not the blender.)
KimH
About 30 years ago, my mom gave me her extra food processor but it wasnt a Cuisinart. I used it for years until it finally broke. M’honey went on Ebay and bought me on that looks like your photo above with the square base and I used that until I was making dough in it one day and it sounded like I stripped the gears or something.
I’d been watching the newer Cuisinart DLC-2007N Prep 7 7-Cup Food Processor (52% off now @ Amazon) and decided to buy it then. I would have loved to have a larger one, but this one works perfectly fine for my use. If I have more than 7 cups, I just empty and go again.
A good food processor is the one thing I would NOT do without. I could live without any other kitchen appliance but not this one. I will forever & always have one & I’ve bought both of my daughters one as well. I dont want them to ever be without one as well.
Marianne
I am loving my Cuisinart! It’s great for almond meal and almond butter.
Melissa
My husband bough me a Cuisinart for my birthday about 10 years ago. It had three blades, four discs, and an extra bowl. I love it! I buy cheese in 5-lb blocks at Sam’s and shred them. I make pizza dough in it. I grind nuts in it. I make cookie dough in it. I chop veggies in bulk in it.
The plastic housing that contains the safety feature on the lid broke about 3 years ago, and I used duct tape to hold the plastic in place; otherwise, it wouldn’t run. Occasionally the duct tape would stretch, and I would have to replace the tape or hold it together myself while I was using it. About a month ago my husband realized what I had been struggling with and bought me a new lid. 🙂 I love that man. He knows me so well.
Kristin
I have a Black and Decker food processor that my lovely husband bought for me a couple of Christmases ago. I LOVE it! Shredding veggies and making salsa are the most common jobs and it also smoothes out my refried beans. My oldest loves my homemade veggie burgers that I mix in it, and I love making fast work of brick cheese. That was until the spindle broke for the disks…bummer. I’ve neglected to go on line and order a new one, which I really need to do! Before this processor I used an itty bitty $10 processor someone gifted me. (I think you can get them now from your favorite drugstore.) It can shred the heck out of a carrot or an onion and make bread crumbs from crutons or cereal flakes. This little thing is still going strong and good for quick little jobs that I don’t want to take out its larger counterpart. It does not have any attatchments just the rotating blade. I cannot vouch for newer versions, I have had mine for about 15yrs and I love it!
Steph
I love our kitchen aid food processor! And yes, it’s definitely wonderful for big cooking sessions.
Mary
My first food processor was a baby shower gift for my first child 28 years ago! After opening it, I must have looked surprized, more like a wedding shower gift, was she showing the first signs of dementia?? I met her eyes and she said, I knew you would want to make your own baby food!! She knew me better than most. I used the life out of that food processor and probably five more, I have blown the motor on several. I now have a cuisinart, no gaskets thankfully. My husband purchased it for me a few years ago as a birthday gift when I continued to complain that my girlfriends hummus was much better than mine (I have since discovered it was not the processor, but me). I do love my food processor, it is used non-stop during harvest season, pesto, pickles, salsa, tomato sauce….
Jennifer
I love my food processor to make chicken/tuna salad. It chops the onion, celery, and peppers for me! And if I end the week with extra veggies, I shred them and freeze them for soups and stuff.
Cheri A
Dh got me a Cuisinart food processor about three years ago. It was bought to replace my trusty Presto SaladShooter. I loved that thing! The food processor is heavy and big and lives in the pedestal drawers underneath my dryer (main floor) so that I can keep it all together. The sharp blades scare me, so I keep the blade and disks in the bowl. I probably use it a few times a month for slicing potatoes, shredding cheese, slicing or shredding veggies. I used my SaladShooter all the time because it was more convenient, less parts, and easier to clean.
I forgot that you could use the food processor for pie crusts or salsa. I’ll have to try that sometime! Hmm!
I
Sandy
@Cheri A, I love my salad shooter too, I will cry when it dies! So much easier to use and clean than my food processor and the kids love to run it.
Kelly
The food processor I use is a Hamilton Beach model and it was FREE off of the local “freecycle” list where people post things they don’t want anymore. I scored! In the past I only used it to make salsa and tomato sauce but after receiving and reading your cookbook, it was put to work this weekend making 10 pie crusts and 2 batches of oatmeal thumbprint cookies!;) Never has pie crust been so easy, thanks Jessica!
Jessica
Yay! I love to hear that.
Julie
My kitchen would not be complete without my food processor. Again, with three of us, it doesn’t get the work it would if the fam was larger. Looking forward to a redesigned kitchen to get a cabinet to store it in and get it off the counter. Love the speed–I am so slow with a knife. And I still have the same machine I got for my wedding, I think. Unless we took over my mother-in-laws machine. Either way, the one we use is more than a decade old.
Downside? Clean up. Lots of individual parts that get dirty. And each one needs to be washed since they all seem to get whatever I am prepping on them.
jan
I’ve had my Cuisinart for oh, 6, 7 years now? It got a lot of use, then I got tired of lugging it out from the bottom cabinet. Then Hubby used it one day to shred carrots for soup (a few yeas back) and now that baby makes its appearance at least once during the weekend when he’s cooking. Yes, Hubby is the heavy food processor user. I used it a few months back to make “almond meal” with whole almonds and it scratchd the heck out of the bowl … but that’s ok, still sturdy and strong (that new plastic as opposed to the older stuff?) … I’ve got the Vitamix (yeah!!!) to do the almond flour chores in now … I almost wish I had a ‘mini’ food processor but then that’s more cabinet space to free up …
Jessica
@jan, love it that hubby is the food processor-er. I had a mini and it just wasn’t worth it. I almost always had to pull out the bigger machine to get the job done right. But, in the comments section, others are saying they really like theirs.
Annie Jones
I had some kind of food processor in the mid 80s that may have been a Cuisinart. I’m not sure. The name would have meant nothing to me then. Whatever it was, I thought it was more trouble than it was worth and didn’t use it more than once or twice.
I bought an inexpensive Hamilton Beach model around 2000 for about $30. I used it a lot, but it either quit working or the bowl broke. I can’t remember now what happened to it, but I replaced it with another very similar Hamilton Beach. I’ve been using it for about 10 years. Ended up stripping the spindle in it, but ordered a new part. It didn’t quite fit, but hubs modified it so it would.
I don’t use mine as often as you use yours. I use it mostly for pie crusts, cutting butter into flour for pastries, chopping or grinding nuts and for finely chopping veggies for relish. Sometimes I use it to chop bulk amounts of onions. I rarely use it for any other veggies and almost never use the shredding or slicing blade, since I am only feeding 3 people and am quick with a knife. I also use it often for grinding soap bars to make homemade laundry detergent.
I like having it and when I found another Hamilton Beach – never used – at a garage sale recently, I grabbed it for a back up when I current one wears out completely. For the small amount of use mine gets, I can’t justify the cost of a Cuisinart. BTW, I also have a mini-chopper/processor and find it more convenient for small amounts of chopped veggies or nuts.