Every cook – professional or not – knows the frequent slicing, dicing, shredding and mixing that happens in the kitchen. While a good knife serves as an appropriate tool for such tasks, a food processor can complete some of the same jobs in half the time. With the variety of components that food processors offer, they can help you accomplish almost anything in the kitchen.
Food Processors: What to Look For
The wide variety of food processors available to you can be overwhelming. However, the variety means there’s a model for just about everyone – from the affordable models, such as the Black & Decker 8-Cup, that chop and dice at a basic level, to the higher-end kitchen machines like the Cuisinart Elite Collection 14-Cup and the Breville Sous Chef that can chop, slice, puree, and even knead dough. In order to find the best food processor for you, it’s important to focus on three key things: features, design and capacity.
Features
The different accessories that come with a food processor can impact how well it will actually work for you. Most standard food processors offer slicing, chopping, grinding and shredding features and attachments. The more advanced machines can mix baking ingredients, create juice or even knead bread dough. You’ll also want to pay attention to how powerful the machine is. If you are planning to use your food processor for more difficult tasks, like making bread, you will want a powerful machine with adjustable speeds. Machines with 700 or more watts are considered high-powered machines and can handle most food processing tasks. Food processors that are used for simpler tasks generally have 200 to 500 watts and are significantly cheaper. Almost every food processor has the basic on/off and pulse key; anything more than that indicates a more advanced machine.
Design
Most food processing units have a standard design. You’ll generally find a base that holds the motor, a bowl, cutting blades, shredding and slicing discs, a pusher and a lid with a feed tube that fits onto the bowl. Some processors come with wider feed tubes that save you time by reducing the amount chopping you’ll have to do to fit food into the tube. Another thing to consider is the weight and amount of cupboard space you have available for your machine. The more advanced processors tend to take up more space and are heavy, whereas the more compact food processors can easily be tucked away.
Capacity
Depending on your intentions, the total amount that the food processor holds can be a determining factor in the model you ultimately decide to purchase. Most models hold at least 7 cups of dry ingredients with the larger machines holding up to 14 cups. However, larger machines usually include a variety of different bowls you can use to handle any size job. There are also much smaller machines, especially food choppers, which typically hold 3 to 5 cups. A food processor can serve as a very beneficial tool in your kitchen. With the variety of different tasks that it can complete, it is a necessity for serious cooks. Even if you’re only cooking meals for your family, a food processor can substantially reduce your preparation time and help you make delicious food more effectively.
