The Consumer’s Guide to Food Processors
Some Information to Process
Let’s face it. Whether you love cooking or not has no bearing on the pleasure you take in chopping onions. Nor is it likely that you get your kicks out of slicing vegetables. That’s not what they mean by the art of cooking! If you can accomplish those tasks - and many others – in a jiffy with only minimum effort expended, you can be freed up for more creative culinary endeavors. That’s where a food processor comes in.
Since its advent on the market less than 4 decades ago, the food processor has been the kitchen device hailed like no other. In a matter of minutes, it will chop, slice, shred, grate, grind, and puree a variety of foods with incredible precision. Additional attachments will knead, juice, whisk, and cut custom-sized and -shaped pieces of food for various cooking styles. This small appliance will reign supreme in your kitchen as the ultimate time-saving, labor-conserving device from which you will derive maximum benefit.
Food processors come in a variety of sizes and styles. They range from mini-chopper units for basic chopping and grating of a couple of food cups’ worth, to powerful 20-cup machines that will home cater. Models may offer you one grating disc and a single slicer, or they may generously equip you with more slicing and grating sizes than you imagine existed. How do you find the right match for you?
First, define your needs. Would you like an all-purpose combination machine to grind your meat and fish, knead your cookie dough, and juice your oranges? Go for a high-powered machine with a knead setting and juicer attachment. Then again, you may already have invested in a separate meat grinder, juicer, mixer, blender, slicer, etc. If you haven’t, perhaps you’d favor one multi-task miracle machine with numerous accessories? Of course, simple cut-up of food fundamentals like potatoes and carrots may sum up the extent of your kitchen activities en totale, in which case a small, inexpensive model will suffice.
In which quantities do you cook? Food preparation for large families or parties requires a large work bowl. Don’t forget your kitchen space, however. You will need sufficient countertop or shelf area for the size model you choose.
Lastly, consider “your money or your life”. On the one hand, your purse has only so many strings to pull as you’ll allow for. Price is largely a function of power, bowl size and material, and accompanying attachments. On the other hand, your lifestyle means your time is valuable. An extra-large feeding tube will minimize preliminary vegetable preparation on your part; a continuous feeding tube will obviate the need to stop and empty the work bowl. Both will save you considerable time in the kitchen.
To cut a long story short - any way you slice it, you will be able to cut corners in the kitchen. Read on to process more information about food processors.
Anatomy of a Food Processor
A food processor is comprised of a base, a work bowl with cover, and a feeding tube or chute. Any number of blade and disc attachments fit into the bowl or under the cover to perform the desired operation. A food plunger / pusher is included to help you push the food down the chute and into the bowl. Each of these components varies in accordance with the particular model to produce a unit of specific power and versatility, on a wide scale of style and class. (Talk about a class cut-up!) Moving right along, we zoom in for a close-up look from bottom to top, as we move up in the world of increasing mechanization.
The Base
The base contains the motor which operates the unit. Ranging from 500 to 1200 watts, the motorized base is the heart of the machine. The greater the power, the better the performance - and the higher the cost of the unit.
Larger models tend to house more powerful motors which increase their weight and stability at the time of operation. This is a plus when chopping hard nuts and kneading dough, for example. A less powerful make may get the shakes and jerk uncontrollably. The food may try to burst through the cover as a result, misshaping the lid irreversibly. Some motors make a real racket, while other more expensive models boast a quiet mode of operation. (To an infant in the house, this could be grating on the nerves. Remember how the little one screamed when you ran the vacuum cleaner?)
Food processors generally come with 2 settings, On and Pulse. Pulse affords you greater control with its brief spurts of power. Some machines come with speed-setting dials, or special functions such as for dough. Activation is by means of push-button, switch, or electronic touchpad controls.
Before you get excited by a fancy-looking multiple-setting model, bear in mind that numerous settings are no indication of better performance. Nor does a fuller range of speeds promise superior results. Pureeing high-liquid vegetables at top speed, for instance, will produce a messy work bowl with no added benefit.
Check the warranty. High-ended models should offer 3 years’ full coverage, with 5-10 years specifically on the motor. Less expensive machines give 1-2 year warranties. Choose from white, black, stainless steel, red, and other colors in a finish of metal or plastic to blend in with your kitchen décor.
The Work Bowl
Onto the motorized base attaches a work bowl. This is where the action is. The food enters the bowl from the feeding tube and spins around against the chosen blade or disc attachment upon activation of the machine. This produces the desired result, cut to size with uniformity and precision.
Made of plastic or stainless steel, bowl capacities range from 1-3 cups in mini-choppers to 16-20 cups for large-scale machines. (Actual capacity may fall short or exceed manufacturers’ claims by 1-2 cups.) Medium-size 7-10 cup units are adequate for the majority of household needs. If you like to cook in large quantities, an 11-16-cup capacity will prove most useful, assuming you have the space for it and don’t mind the heftier clean-up.
A transparent plastic bowl allows you to view the process. It may boast temperature-resistant and shatterproof properties. A stainless steel bowl ups the price but it will also last you forever.
Most models feature a bowl cover with safety lock. This means that the machine will activate only when the cover has been fitted on securely.
If you are lucky, your brand will come with instructions for ordering additional work bowl and/or cover –useful in replacing a broken one or simply for added convenience. If you are luckier still, your unit will come with 2 bowls of identical or varying size.
Bowl Attachments
Every food processor includes a number of attachments. Cutting blades fit into the base of the bowl, while slicing / shredding discs with holes of various sizes and shapes fit under the cover. Now you can chop nuts, grate cheese, mince your own garlic, and make homemade bread crumbs –all before you can say “Jack Robinson”! While you’re at it, shred cabbage for coleslaw, grind fresh-grown herbs, and mince tear-less onions…for chopped liver, of course.
Just how many slicers and shredders come with the unit varies from brand to brand; the more there are, the more closely you can define the size pieces to cut or precise thickness to slice (2mm, 4 mm, etc.). You may be given the option of purchasing additional blades and discs.
Specialty blade/disc attachments may be included. These will knead your bread dough, whisk up your egg whites, and mix your pizza dough. And if these do not suffice, additional specialty attachments can juice your tomatoes, ream your oranges, slice up your French fries, and julienne your Chinese stir-fried vegetables! Of course, you will have to pay extra for such versatility.
Check for dishwasher-safe components. And remember – keep sharp blades and cutting discs far from the reach of children.
Some sets come with accessory spatula, recipe book, instruction video, and best of all – a storage case for all those attachment pieces. (In case you hadn’t thought of where you were going to put them all.) Alternatively you can purchase a separate blade-and-disc holder to store them accessibly.
The Feeding Tube
The feeding tube is the liaison between you and the food processor. Whichever foods you need to process you feed down the chute by means of a food pusher or plunger. The size of the tube dictates the extent of the food preparation required; the more ample the tube width, the less you need to cut up the pieces you feed in. Thus some units feature extra-wide feeding tubes - a real time-saver, as it allows you to feed whole fruits and vegetables without cutting them up. Some models come with 2 feeding tubes of differing widths.
A continuous feeding tube is a real boon to a food processor. It is often featured in mid-sized models to boost their efficiency. Here the processed food dispenses directly into a separate container, thereby obviating the need to stop and empty the work bowl. This feature will surely cut your cooking time like a hot knife through butter!
A Cut Above (the Rest)
Here’s the latest slice of life in the realm of food processor technology.
A mini-bowl insert conveniently downsizes a larger unit. It fits right in the work bowl and affords you the capability of small-scale operation without a large-scale clean-up.
A handheld food processor will chop, grate and slice directly into your bowl or pot!
Combination food processor/blender and food processor/juicer machines provide you with a motorized base and two attachments. These dual-operation machines provide maximum versatility while cutting down drastically on space requirements.
So now that you’ve resolved to put away the grater and cut yourself some slack, make your choice of a new food processor cut-and-dried. Your lengthy cooking sessions will grind to a halt. Get a slice of the action and whisk yourself away to a wonderful world of living in comfort.
