I want a food processor
Posted by Tweety on Jul 19, 2011 · Member since Jan 2003 · 3135 posts
...and don't want to spend a lot of money. I've actually lived and cooked this long without one, but there are times when I think my blender is inadequate. I love slicking and dicing my own food, it will be for mixing/blending.
Do you use one? If so how often. Do you recommend one particular brand. Should I forget about it?
Discuss.
I use mine all the time! Blenders have always been annoying to me, so I use my food processor for everything. It is actually annoying with liquids sometimes, because they will leak out the top or bottom, but I use it for blending/processing everything (no chopping).
I have a kitchenaid that is like this:
http://www.styleceo.com/images/stores/223/k/kitchenaid-7-cup-food-processor-white-ksb715wh-9909081
Probably around $100, or less. I don't know how it compares, but I'm sure there are better. I think Kitchenaid is pretty solid.
I have a Kitchenaid one also, but mine has a small bowl and a large bowl. Mine leaks liquid too....especially when I use the large bowl.
http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/4f/25/2f4d51c88da01841cc7bd110.L._AA300_.jpg
I have this food processor:
http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-DLC-10S-Classic-7-Cup-Processor/dp/B00004S9EM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1311123772&sr=8-2
(i use the flatter lid, whereas this is shown with the... non-flat lid)
I use my food processor maybe a couple times a week. I don't own a blender, but I've used them, and I like that food circulates a lot better in a food processor; it seems to me blenders were more made for liquidy stuff.
I've not had many issues with liquid leaking from my food processor.
It does a pretty good job with nut butters. Probably not as smooth as vitamix, but whatever.
There's this whole kitchenaid vs cuisinart thing... i've only had cuisinart, so i can't really compare. however, i did have a problem with the blade (cracking!). i called their customer service and they send another one out right away, which was pretty cool, but it sucked that there was that problem to begin with.
my main problem with the food processor i have (i don't know how different this is for others) is it can be difficult to clean. the actual container is easy, the lid has some corners that are hard to get to, but the inner part of the blade gets dirty eventually and is pretty hard to clean out. Also, unlike the solid handles that the kitchenaid ones up there have, the cuisinart one is weird. It has a lot of crevices which are not initially a problem, but inevitably junk gets in there and it's nearly impossible to get out. gross. apparently the design on this part has to do with the safety mechanisms that prevent you from running it without locking both the base and lid in.
BUT, it works really well, so... i usually use it to blend things completely, but i've also used it to chop & mix things, which also works well.
it comes with the shredding thing, but i rarely use it (it works well, i just usually don't want to get it dirty for that, and instead use a grater). it also has a dough blade, which i've used a couple times, but doesn't work well for tough doughs. The blade itself is fine, but the machine as a whole shakes a bit with a tough dough (like for bagels) o_O I guess the base is too light or something.
We got ourselves a food processor / blendo combo the other month. Our old blender just wasn't doing it anymore and we were using it for grinding nuts, pureeing - using it as an all in one, when it really shouldn't of been :P The difference is noticeable between using a food processor and a blender. One of the biggest noticeable differences was how easy it was to blend firm tofu in the food processor! :O With the blender I had to stop and start many many times to scrape down the sides and I always had to add extra water so that it would actually blend. With the food processor, because it's wider and more shallow, it makes it so much easier. So the food processor we got was this one
This is a Kenwood brand, they're reliable and are a common name here in Australia (possibly overseas as well?), and is a "middle range" product, they produce items that are lower cost and those that are a little more expensive. Paid around $140 for it, and we use it at least 4-5 times a week, we do find ourselves using the food processor bowl more often than the blender jug. The food processor has been pretty alright for liquids, but when I say liquid I mean something like processing canned tomatoes, we don't make juices and such often. So no leakages noticed so far, but I guess that varies from machine.
I do find however that with my food processor, it won't grind nuts as well as the blender does. I was processing cashews the other day, and they turned very grainy/pebbly. When I do it in the blender they come out much finer and almost powder like. Maybe it's because in the blender they're more tightly packed together because they're in a smaller space? Don't really know but I don't grind my nuts in there unless what I'm making with the nuts is supposed to be slightly grainy / or it doesn't matter because it's blended into other things i.e tofu ricotta I do love the slicer attachment with the food processor, it makes slicing onions thinly a dream *cries with joy*
I think that if money allows, try something middle of the range. You don't want to get something that's cheap and probably won't do the job, giving you a biased judegement :( It's why I saved my monies aside for a while and got a middle range one. It's not fun buying cheap crap over and over and over and knowing it will break and you're just counting down the days :(
For us, getting a food processor has been definitely worth it. Saves us time and heaps of frustration ;)
I had a magic bullet for a few years and used that ass my blender and processor, but decided when we moved to NZ and had a larger kitchen that I wanted a processor....the bullet just didn't cut it when I wanted to puree(not sure that's really the correct term) beans and there was other stuff too it just wasn't working properly for, but I can't remember what now.
I wasn't sure how much I'd use a processor, so waited to get a good priced / reasonable brand one off trademe (kinda like ebay). I ended up getting one like this, but 3 years old:
http://www.kenwood-newzealand.com/images/products/FP185.jpg
the blender was the only bit that had been used - the processor hadn't been used at all.
I love my processor now and use it often. Maybe not weekly as I'll go through periods where I need it and periods where I don't need it as much. But I use it often enough for it to be one of the appliances that actually live on my counter rather than in the cupboard.
I use the processor bit more than the blender. I like making seitan in it, as you then don't need to knead the dough at all. I love my food processor and would recommend one.
I am so cheap. I have a $30 Black and Decker 8 cup processor from WalMart (http://www.walmart.com/ip/Black-and-Decker-8-Cup-Food-Processor/14913110). It's probably super sucky in comparison to these more expensive ones, but for my purposes it works very well. I mean, I would never make a dough in it, and it purees soups, dressings, and tofu nicely. It makes a nice, fine meal when processing cookies, crackers, and breadcrumbs...I like it well enough.
Thanks for the advice guys.
I'll consider getting one probably around Xmas with my gift certificates that my family sends.
I want one that has a much wider base than a blender. DB does you're leak?
Thanks for the advice guys.
I'll consider getting one probably around Xmas with my gift certificates that my family sends.
I want one that has a much wider base than a blender. DB does you're leak?
I've actually never had it leak, you just need to be careful not to overfill (as with any, I presume). I've done that only once and it only spurt a little bit. I never make huge batches of anything ever really, so I generally don't need to worry about overfilling.
I had a magic bullet for a few years and used that ass my blender and processor, but decided when we moved to NZ and had a larger kitchen that I wanted a processor....the bullet just didn't cut it when I wanted to puree(not sure that's really the correct term) beans and there was other stuff too it just wasn't working properly for, but I can't remember what now.
LOL
how did i not catch that?
shell, you must have "as" on autocorrect!
yeah that does seem to be one of my worst/most common typos. Oh well, it's all ass good.
i use mine occasionally... hand chop almost everything cause the processor seems to blend it too much... def use it for dips, bread crumbs, making like oat flour or something... a necessary gadget that gets used enough imho... i have a black and decker one... prob around $50
I recently bought and lovelove the manual gsi blender.
Aside from utilittarian appeal, its direct drive, which means
you have forward and reverse, something that all electric blenders
and processor lack. Not to mention no need for power. I was patient
and found a new one ebay for $50.
http://www.gsioutdoors.com/products/pdp/vortex_blender/
I love my food processor and use it often. I honestly don't know what I would do without a food processor. It helps me when making the filling for cheesecake, making mousse, pesto, pie crust, etc. Mine also has a feature for slicing which is also nice so you don't have to use a mandolin.
I got mine many years ago and it's a Hamilton Beach. I don't think they even make my model anymore because I couldn't find it on the Hamilton Beach website. They make one that looks like an updated model of what I have. Here it is: http://www.hamiltonbeach.com/products/food-processors-chefprep-500-watt-food-processor-white-70610.html
Whatever brand and model you decide to go for, you will love having a food processor. Just make sure you get a nice quality one and be willing to spend a decent amount of money to get a good one.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Better-Homes-and-Gardens-10-Cup-Food-Processor-Stainless-Steel/14978063
http://i.walmartimages.com/i/p/00/68/11/31/45/0068113145646_500X500.jpg
I wanted to throw in my two cents. I purchased a kitchen aid FP 7cup, and it broke within a week not to mention it was ungodly loud, thinking it was some sorta fluke, I took it back and got another one only to have the same problems. You'd think a 100 dollar machine would work, but I guess not. I took it back to the store, got my money back and for awhile just used my blender, which is great, except for chopping/slicing things (obviously). However one day my husband who works at walmart told me there were having a big sale that weekend and low and behold this processor was on sale for 39 busks (they're normally 79-99 and totally worth it at that price) I had previously owned one of these but my husband dropped it so I actually took it back and got my money LOL (shameless I know). But I did love it. This is the best food processor I've ever owned, even compared to my cusinart which is almost three times the price.
I did notice you're wanting to blend though, I know most people can't or won't be willing to afford one, but I whole heartedly suggest the vitamix. I've owned one for almost 4 years now, and theres only a handful of days which I don't use them. I mean honestly in the 4 years I've owned it, probably 20 times I've NOT used it. My love for my kitchen appliances is borderline creepy LOL!
https://secure.vitamix.com/Vitamix-5200-Blender-Getting-Started-Package.aspx
https://secure.vitamix.com/data/default/images/catalog/600/standard-modular-package.jpg