Food processors chop and dice food that you would normally have to do by hand. There are many different sizes of processors and some that will even mix up a New York Cheese cake batter or knead the dough for bread. Some have a capacity of 2 cups and some will go all the way up to 14 cups.
A processor will save you loads of time when making dinner because it does not take as much time to chop food as it does with your knives. Many brands have assorted blades that will allow you to do many different culinary cuts. They have a round bowl made of see through plastic that attaches to a base where the motor is. A plastic lid fits onto the bowl and this lid usually has a feeder where you insert the food. There is a shaft inside the bowl where you fasten the blades.
Larger units come with several blades. One or more will look like a big circle and this will be the one you use when grating, slicing, or shredding. The discs connect to the rod inside the bowl and sit at the very top of the bowl near the lid and the food falls under the disc when it is cut. There is the chopping blade which has two blades coming from each side of a plastic tube that fits over the rod and sits on the bottom of the processor. Some of the more expensive models carry a French fry disc, a julienne disc, whisk or egg whip, dough blade, and juicer.
It is a luxury to have a processor that will dice onions without getting the scent all over your hands. You only have to quickly take the skin off and maybe cut the onion once in half and the processor does everything else. To grate Parmesan or mozzarella you just place the shredding disc on and feed the cheese down the feeder.
Make baby food in a processor and be sure you know all the ingredients that are going into the mouth of your child. Put some onions, garlic, tomatoes and peppers in and puree. Place the combination in a pan and heat it up adding a few other herbs and some sugar and you have spaghetti sauce. Instead of going to the grocery store and getting sauce and many other things you can make them yourself and be sure of the ingredients that are going into them.
Most processors only have one speed but some of the better brands do have more. Processors are safe to use because the blade will not spin unless you have the lid securely snapped onto the bowl and then your fingers cannot get in the way. If it is not placed on correctly the blades do not move. There will be no finger cuts using a machine. After everything has been chopped up you must remove the blade to get to the food. But, you do not have to worry about being injured because the lid is now off and the motor will not run.
Clean up is very easy when using a processor. No more cutting boards to sanitize either. Just place the bowl with the lid and the blades into the dishwasher after giving them a quick rinse. You will have to clean off the base because the motor will not be able to be submerged into water.
You get what you pay for in food processors. A high end, expensive machine will do just about everything. A mid range processor is probably good for most households and will do what you need it to do to produce very good recipes. The smaller and cheaper brands will not take much capacity nor do they have great power. If the only thing you need it for is to chop a few vegetables to make stew then they will work well. If you need to chop large quantities or blend heavy substances they will not work for you.
Searching for the best food processor for your home can be a real chore, but it doesn’t have to be. If you’re stuck for what to buy, you really can’t go wrong with a Kitchenaid food processor.
