T oday’s modern kitchens have a host of appliances all geared towards automating many of the more mundane tasks that have to be performed by home cooks and top chefs alike. There are blenders, choppers and peelers, but perhaps there is no one appliance more versatile than the food processor. This is an appliance that can be considered as the big brother of the blender given that it does a lot of the same jobs, but the major difference is that a food processor comes with interchangeable blades and disks that can make the slices, cuts and shreds far more customizable.
The benefit of having a food processor in the kitchen is the time that it will save in preparation. Even the most amateur of home cooks will tell how time consuming and tedious it can be to chop, knead or grate a number of different items, especially if all those ingredients are going into a single dish. Using a food processor means that time is shaved to a bare minimum, plus with the blades and disks coming in different sizes, it becomes much easier to control the conformity of size and thickness than it would be if the entire job were done by hand.
Food processors come in many different shapes and sizes, and when deciding which one to purchase it’s important to know how often you plan on using it and which type of kitchen duties you want it to perform. Deciding on one that is perfect for your needs can end up saving you money, as you can then avoid higher priced appliance that come with features and attachments that you will never use. Standard items that should be part of your food processor, regardless of size, are a good size mixing bowl, with 9 cups being enough for just about everyone, an s-shaped stainless steel blade, as well as a plastic one. The basic appliances usually come with 2 disks for slicing and grating, and it’s always a good idea to find one that has suction cups on the bottom that will prevent the unit form moving when it is in use. Extra blades and disks can be purchased if needed, but normally the components that come with almost all food processors are enough for the home cook.
At the end of the day, the food processor you decide upon will be very much based on personal preference and budget. Almost all the major appliance makers recognize this, and you will find that the likes of Cusinart, Hamilton Beach, KitchenAid and Black and Decker have line-ups to suit everyone from the frugal gourmet, to the lavish professional chef.
Some Popular Models
