You might not think you need a food processor, but once you get one, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it.
Food processors are versatile machines for chopping, pulverizing, slicing and shredding, just about anything you can fit inside. They’re great for making dips, sauces, and other spreads and pie crusts and other baked goods.
If you don’t have a food processor in your kitchen, here are some reasons a food processor is a must-have.
It’s More Versatile Than You’d Think
One of the biggest misconceptions about food processors is that they’re only good for chopping things up. While they excel at this task, they are much more versatile.
For example, You can use them to shred vegetables or fruit into strips; grind nuts into nut butter; whip egg whites into the meringue; mix batters for cakes or cookies; knead the dough for bread, pizza crusts or focaccia loaves, etc.
Are perfect for Shredding Cheese
Food processors are perfect for shredding through the thickest blocks of cheese in seconds. It means you won’t have to spend hours grating cheese by hand. Instead, with just a few minutes of preparation, you can prepare enough shredded cheese for dinner recipes like macaroni and cheese or lasagna.
Kneading Dough
Food processors make kneading dough easier than ever before. You no longer have to spend hours kneading bread or pizza dough by hand. Instead, pop ingredients into your food processor, yeast, and other ingredients, and let it do all the work for you.
Making Sauces
A food processor is great for making sauces from scratches like tomato sauce or pesto sauce. Add all the ingredients and let it run until everything has been chopped up.
Ideal for Chopping Onions
Chopping onions is one of the people’s most common tasks with their food processors. Not only is it faster than doing it by hand, but it also saves you tears. You can chop an onion in seconds with an electric food processor rather than minutes with a knife.
Slicing Vegetables
Slicing vegetables by hand is tedious and time-consuming; using a food processor makes it much easier. In addition, you get uniform slices every time without worrying about uneven thicknesses or cutting yourself on the knife blade.
Use a Food Processor to Crush Ice
Food processors can crush ice perfectly every time; no more breaking apart ice cubes by hand. Instead, fill the bowl with ice cubes and turn on the machine until they’re crushed into nice, small pieces that are perfect for adding to drinks and smoothies.
Come in Different Sizes
Food processors come in many different sizes, from small personal-sized models that are perfect for one or two people to large industrial machines used in professional kitchens or restaurants to quickly and efficiently prepare various foods.
It Makes Prep Work Quicker
Food processors are also handy when preparing veggies for cooking or salads for serving. Using one saves time because you don’t have to cut them into small pieces; all you have to do is throw them into the bowl and let the machine do all the work for you.
The best part about using a food processor is that it saves space too. Rather than having multiple knives on hand and storing them in different drawers, you only need one appliance that does all these things and more.
It Saves Money
A good quality food processor will last you for years, so it’s worth investing in one if you plan on cooking regularly at home. In addition, it can help you save money because you won’t have to rely on prepackaged foods that are expensive and unhealthy for your family’s diet.
Consistency is Key
Using a food processor allows you to create smooth textures without having to strain or mash anything manually. This consistency will allow for more uniform results in recipes where texture is important such as soups and sauces. It can also help when making pie crusts or bread crumbs.
Make Your Life Easier
Food processors are great because they allow you to multitask while cooking. For example, you can chop up your ingredients while browning meat or sautéing onions and mushrooms so that everything comes out ready simultaneously; there is no need to dirty up another pan.
Types of Food Processors to Buy
Food Choppers
These are the most basic food processors and consist of a bowl with blades that chop, mix, and blend. The blades are usually metal, but some models may have plastic blades.
Choppers are the easiest to use, but they don’t have much power. They’re also the least expensive option.
Countertop Food Processors
Countertop food processors are larger than choppers and can be used to make larger batches of food.
They typically come with several attachments that allow you to cut or slice vegetables, grate cheese and make dough. Some countertop models also have an attachment for grinding meat.
Commercial Food Processors
Commercial food processors are built for heavy-duty use in restaurants and cafes. Therefore, they typically come with additional features such as built-in scales and timers to help chefs precisely measure their ingredients, etc.
