Food Processors - a Must Have for Any Kitchen (Mar 11)
Food processors have been used in the food industry since the 1960s and in the early 70s the food processor was available for domestic use, courtesy of French produced and then Cuisinart in the USA. The primary difference between blenders and food processors is that food processors use replaceable blades and disks instead of a fixed blade and they do not need liquids to operate efficiently. Their bowls are wider and shorter, too, which works better with solid or semi-solid foods.
The essential functions of today’s domestic food processor include chopping fruit and vegetables, grinding nuts and seeds, kneading tortilla and bread dough, shredding salad, mixing soup and grating cheese.
Also, some people like uniformity and knowing exactly how a food is going to turn out: a food processor will slice and chop in a very definite way and there will be no surprises with the machine s output. In short, a food processor is probably best for the person who is especially getting into the cooking game and will get the most out of the minor investment. It is probably not something that the very occasional cook would capitalize on.
A mixer would get plenty of use by someone who is doing a lot of baking. They are great for preparing batter, dough, icing and other such spreadables. They do what they say they do: mix.
While food processors, stand mixers, blenders, hand blenders and stick blenders essentially do similar things, they each have their own pros and cons. Love your cocktails? Then a blender is right for you. Health conscious and want to whip up a quick protein shake? Then a stick blender will do. Preparing soups, stews or pot roasts in large quantities? Then a food processor is an absolute must. Love baking? A stand mixer from KitchenAid or Cuisinart is a great investment. The best advice would be to purchase 1 or 2 of the appliances, depending on your needs, and add to your collection at a later date if you find your cooking needs have changed.











