A food processor is an essential small kitchen appliance that can make cooking easier. With its various attachments, it can do anything from chopping onions to kneading dough for making bread. The retail marketplace in today’s age is saturated with dozens of different brands and models. Which one should you get? How do you know if it will be the right one for your cooking needs? How much should I spend?
This guide will answer the basics of many of these questions about food processors, including some information about what some of the attachments do. So read on to find out which is the best food processor for you!
What is a Food Processor?
A food processor is a kitchen appliance that chops, slices, grates and mixes. Specifically, it can also be used to slice vegetables, shred cheese, grate almonds, and mix cake batter. The first food processor used commercially came to market in on or about 1963 and domestic versions were available in the marketplace shortly thereafter. Some people still call a food processor a “chopper.”
Why You Need a Food Processor
The food processor is a kitchen essential that can help with many different cooking tasks. Not only can it chop onions or knead dough for bread, but it also comes in handy when you’re making something like sauces such as a homemade pesto sauce. If you’re looking to save time in the kitchen, then a food processor is just what you need. Whether it’s chopping vegetables, slicing fruit for a salad, or blending up some guacamole, your food processor will get the job done quickly and easily.
How to Choose a Food Processor:
There are many different types of food processors on the market today. It’s best to choose one based on your cooking needs as well as how often you cook. For example, if you make homemade baby food regularly, you should consider getting a model with at least three different blades. You can find food processors with five or more attachments depending on if they have blades or not. All-purpose models usually have four or five attachments including a shredder blade for grating hard cheeses and vegetables like carrots and zucchini; a stainless steel chopping blade for chopping onions and herbs; a dough blade for kneading dough; and slicers for slicing potatoes or tomatoes into perfect circles.
The Different Types of Food Processors
When you think of the term “food processor”, you may be wondering what different types of food processors there are. Every brand essentially has its own take on the food processor, but there are actually only three main types of food processors: mixers, choppers, and slicers.
Mixers: Mixers typically have a wide range of functions that can mix doughs and batters, as well as beat eggs and whip cream. The blades break down ingredients for a smooth consistency.
Choppers: Chopper models will typically come with several attachments to help you chop and dice vegetables and fruits for cooking or recipes. You can also make salsa or pesto with a food processor chopping function.
Slicers: The slicer attachment is perfect for slicing potatoes, cheese, apples, and other soft foods like tomatoes. It’s great for quick-cutting jobs such as topping salads with sliced cucumbers or radishes.
Food Processor Attachments and Their Uses
Before purchasing a food processor, it’s important to know what each attachment does. AS we’ve mentioned, a food processor is a kitchen workhorse that can take on a wide variety of kitchen tasks, from chopping vegetables and kneading dough to making ice cream and cake frosting. Some people simply visualize that last sentence or even write it down to get sort of a feel for what food they typically make and how an attachment creates the desired outcome.
The blade attachment is the most common one, as it’s used for all those tasks mentioned above. It spins at high speed so you can use it for everything from thinly slicing vegetables to grating ginger. The shredding disc is great for cheese! If you want to make your own fresh mozzarella or shredded cheddar for tacos or macaroni and cheese, this is the attachment you need. The slicing disc is perfect if you want to cut meat into thin strips that will cook faster or smaller pieces for a salad. The dough hook mixes doughs and batters by pulling them through itself with hooks on either side of the attachment. This is best used for bread like brioche or challah where the dough needs to be kneaded well before it rises. The french whisk makes whipping up egg whites easier than ever before! Simply attach this attachment and watch as whipped eggs transform into a fluffy meringue in seconds.
The Best Food Processors for Your Cooking Style and Habits
The best food processor for your lifestyle depends on what you need it for. For instance, if you’re a working mom who needs to cook dinner quickly, you might want to look at a food processor with blades that are easy to assemble and disassemble. But if you’re cooking for yourself, generally have a fair amount of time to cook, and looking for a food processor that can do just about anything, then go with one that has more attachments. One day they very may come in handy as you may decide to try something you’ve never tried before or decide to try something very creative.
Tips on How to Choose the Right Food Processor for Your Needs
When choosing a food processor, you want to make sure the attachments are compatible with your cooking needs. There are two main options for processors: the vertical design and the horizontal design. A vertical design is best for fitting into tight spaces or chopping larger amounts of food at once. It also works better for kneading dough. A horizontal design is ideal for blending liquids like soups or sauces. When considering which model of food processor to purchase, you’ll want to think about how often you will use it, what types of recipes you’ll be making with it, and what size kitchen space you have available. For example, if you live in a small apartment, a countertop-sized food processor might be best since it doesn’t take up too much room on your counters or in your cabinets. If you’re making large batches of soup or sauce often, then the larger capacity models would be more suitable for your needs.
Whatever type of food processor you choose, just make sure that they’re compatible with the types of recipes that work best with that type!
Conclusion
A food processor can make your life a lot easier. With this guide, you should be able to begin getting some ideas on what direction you’d like to go in terms of choosing the best food processor for your lifestyle. In future posts, we’ll be reviewing some specific models that will provide you with more ideas on how to make the right choice.