Everything You Should Consider When Buying a Food Processor
You should have the right tools in your kitchen. Welcome to The Guide to Outfitting Your Kitchen series , where I help you outfit your space with all the small appliances you need (and ditch the ones you don’t).
Food processors are versatile machines that can help you go from chopped, irregularly shaped almonds to the smoothest almond butter your Portland aunt has ever seen. At some point you decided that it would be nice to buy it, and you ended up on my part of the Internet. Well, you’re right – buying it is a good idea . However, not just any old shredder will do. You deserve the best appliance for your kitchen, so think about it before you go shopping.
How does a food processor work?
Let’s take a quick look at the basics. Each food processor consists of four parts: the base, which contains the motor and controls, the container, the lid with the feed tube, and the blades. The controls tell the motor how fast to spin the blades, and depending on which blades you have installed, the food will be chopped, pureed, kneaded, sliced or grated to your liking. Here you can start your journey. Any gadget or device can (and should) do at least one task really well. It’s worth it. But when it has many useful functions, it is impossible to imagine life without it. A food processor may do what you need now, but its feature set will inspire an exciting food journey later.
Check out the features
Speeds
Even the simplest food processor has a single-mode high speed and pulse function. Single speed is best for pureeing or quickly chopping small amounts of ingredients, while the pulse function is best for evenly chopping large quantities of ingredients or kneading dough.
More sophisticated (and more expensive) food processors will offer more speeds, such as low and medium, or the buttons may be named after the cut.
Cuts
The different cutting capabilities depend on the blade you insert into the machine. When shopping, think about what you want from your blades. Do you need an occasional chopping helper? You may be preparing for the orders for summer pies that are coming in. If you’re not sure when you’ll use it, that’s okay, just consider a more versatile model.
S-shaped blade. This is the blade I turn to most often. It fits inside a food container and is responsible for chopping, from large cuts to chopping and pureeing. Some machines may have an S-shaped blade made of plastic. Unlike the metal one, it is quite blunt as it is designed for mixing batter or kneading dough.
Disks. Most food processors also come with at least one double-sided disc—one side for shredding and the other for thinly slicing vegetables, like a mandoline. This blade is round in shape and fits on top of the container but under the lid. Once you have secured the lid on top, you can turn on the machine and the disc blade will begin to rotate. When you push food into the feed tube and apply constant pressure, the food will quickly flow through the chopper or slicer and you will have a container full of perfectly cut vegetables. More fashionable machines will have slicing discs of adjustable thickness. If you find yourself making scalloped potatoes this week and taro chips the next, you’ll love this feature.
Consider space
As with most kitchen appliances, you have to consider size. This may seem overwhelming, but I always take out my measuring tape and write down what measurements I need. This is especially useful if you have a tiny kitchen or already have a million appliances. I store my food processor in a low cabinet, so I also had to measure the cabinet space it will live in. When you go shopping, watch the car being taken apart. The bowl is always detachable from the base, so you can store them detached if necessary. Don’t forget the accessories; they also need a place to live.
Capacity matters
It certainly won’t make cooking easier if you have to constantly empty the container after chopping each onion half. Make sure the container is large enough for your projects. Food processors can range from 1.5-cup choppers to 16-cup giants. Chances are you’re somewhere in the middle. Keep in mind that you will never fill the food processor container completely. The blades need to reach all the way through to ensure even chopping, and the height of the container needs to accommodate how food might rise up while the machine is running.
If you’re on the fence between two close container sizes, such as 10 or 12 cups, I always encourage you to choose the larger one if you can. Of course, be realistic. If you’re only making two cups of onion sauce, you don’t need a 12-cup machine. Then you run into another problem – not enough material for the blades to grip.
There is a food processor for every kitchen, small, medium or large:
Not surprisingly, container capacity is closely related to overall dimensions. While the base of a particular brand of model will likely remain the same, the height of the container may be taller or shorter depending on capacity. If you have a tiny closet, you may have to sacrifice a little space to store containers.
Additional accessories
If you thought the dream ended with “adjustable thickness threaded wheels,” think again, fellow mechanics. Where there is a powerful spinning wheel, there will be many slightly unnecessary toys. (Hey, if you need them, that’s all that matters.)
Breville has a dicing kit with multiple blades so the food processor can peel the potatoes and then cut them into perfect cubes. (Potato salad, anyone?) Cuisinart has a handy set of spiral attachments for all your zoodles. You can even buy a second container with a continuous feed chute so you don’t have to pause your big slicing job. If you’re an accessory lover, consider a brand that offers a wide range of slicing accessories, such as Cuisinart or Breville.
Accessories and attachments that can expand the range of your processor:
Once you unbox your new machine, get ready to enter the limitless world of recipes. You can make two-ingredient watermelon sorbet , whipped cream , batter, batter, or some damn good sauces in seconds. It’s a wild place, but I think you’ll like it.