Selecting the best food processor for your home is not as difficult as it seemed. While there are a wide variety of food processors on the market, there are only a few brands that you should look into, namely Black & Decker, Cuisineart , Hamilton Beach and last but not least Kitchenaid. Cuisinart and Kitchenaid are obviously the more premium brands to go for when getting your food processor. However, at the end of the day, it all boils down to your personal needs as well as budget. Before you go out and buy that food processor, check out my guide below for selecting the best food processor.
What is a food processor
A food processor is a relatively modern kitchen appliance designed to make monotonous and repetitive preparation chores a thing of the past. Whether you are looking at cutting down on your chopping, grinding, mincing, pureeing, shredding or slicing activities and make your life easier, a food processor is your best help. This is especially true if you always need to prepare food in quantity.
The modern food processor first appeared in the 1960s in commercial kitchens. These machines’ array of capabilities and reliability make them the new darling of commercial and home kitchens. The very first food processors are produced by Robot Coupe and are still in production till this day. You can still purchase one if you are interested enough.
Anatomy of a food processor
The modern food processor is not a complex kitchen appliance. You do not need a science degree to learn how to operate one. The major parts of a food processor are the as follows:
Base
The base is where the motor which operates the whole unit is located. The more powerful your motor is, the better the performance is and hence the higher the price is as well. Larger and more expensive models tend to have bigger bases as well to ensure stability and prevent the unit from moving or toppling over when in operation. This is extremely important point to take note of. If you use your food processor a lot for chopping nuts and kneading dough, go for a more premium model instead. I used to owe a $169 food processor which kept on shaking and jerking around when in operation. I have to keep my hands on the unit to prevent it from toppling down the kitchen counter-top.
Work Bowl
The work bowl is normally attached to the base and this is where all your chopping, grinding, mincing, pureeing, shredding or slicing chores are being process. The work bowl comes in many different sizes divided into namely 3 categories. Mini size refers to 4 cups or smaller. Compact size ranges from 5 to 8 cups while fill size means 9 cups or larger.
Bowl Attachments
A food processor will comes with a number of attachments such as cutting blades which fit into the base of the bowl and also a number of slicing or shredding disc with holes of various shapes and sizes to fit under the bowl cover. The number of bowl attachment that comes with each food processors varies from brands and models. Look out for those models that gives you the option of purchasing additional blades and discs. Sometimes, specialty blades or disc attachments that are use for juicing fruits, reaming orange, slicing potatoes, kneading dough, mixing pizza dough or whisking egg may be included. Normally, you will have to pay additional costs for these extra attachments.
Feeding Tube
The feeding tube is where all the food all push through to the work bowl for processing. A food pusher or plunger is normally included to use for pushing down stubborn food through the feeding tube. There are some models that come with 2 feeding tubes of differing widths. Mid range models and above may come with feeding tube that run continuously while dispensing processed food directly into a separated container. This cuts the need to stop your current work and empty the work bowl, saving you more time in the process.
Do you need a food processor
This is a question you have to seriously ask yourself. However, if you do a lot of cooking at home and need to prepare a lot of food, having a good food processor will seriously help you cut down a lot of preparation time. Or if you are one who likes to test out new recipes every now and then, a food processor is also a must. On the other hand, if you are one who only cook or prepare food occasionally, having a mini food processor may not be a bad idea after all.
What things should I look out for and what to look for in a food processor
You should take note of the following points when selecting a food processor:
• Size – Get one that best suits your needs. If you cook a lot at home and wants to cut down on preparation time or you like to experiment with recipes, get a professional level model which is normally a full size model. The size of a food processor is actually the capacity of the work bowl and is measure in cups. You can then estimate the size you need base on how much food you intend to prepare.
• Power – Go for a full size food processor which has at least 750w of power if you looking at processing large batches of ingredients. The same thing applies if you intent to make bread or pizza dough. Food processors with at least 750w of power is suitable for commercial use as well. Otherwise if your usage is minimal, go for a mini or compact size food processor
• Feeding Tube – The size or width of your feeding tube is something you should take of too. Given a choice, I will go for a model that has 2 feeding tubes. This allows you to choose which tube to use for a specific chore. Otherwise, if there is only one feeding tube, the wider or bigger the feeding tube, the better it will be for you. This allows you to cut down a lot of time on preparing your food into smaller pieces to feed into the feeding tube.
• Kitchen Space – Whether you have enough kitchen space to accommodate your new food processor is another important point you need to take note off. A lot of people buy a full size model only to find out that they do not have enough kitchen space for it. Or it may look too bulky for your kitchen and spoil the look and theme of your kitchen design.
• Attachments – Some models, especially the professional and high end models will come with extra attachments that will make your life easier and a lot of differences in what type of recipes you can prepare. If you do not need these extra attachments, go for those simpler ones instead. At times, it may be a good idea to buy a more expensive model that comes with extra attachments. You never know when you may need them.
• Price – Work within your budget, no point going above and beyond what you can afford. A lot of times, you may not even use some of the features found in high end models. If you just need a simple food processor, go for one without all the bells and whistles.
• Ease of Cleaning – This is something you should seriously look into. Get one that is easy to clean and maintain. It will help you cut down much time in cleaning up your food processor after use. It does not make sense for you to buy a food processor to help you cut down food preparation time only for you to go back to square one when your food processor needs a lot of time and effort to clean and maintain it.
How much should I pay for a food processor
It actually depends on your budget. A mini food processor can cost anything from $50 to $200. A compact one will cost anything from $100 to $600. Top of the rage food processors can cost around $600 onwards. To get better pricing, you can check out coupon codes or promotional offers online. Sometimes, you can even buy a professional grade food processor at bargain prices.
I hope you find the guide useful in helping you select the best food processor for your kitchen. By following these few pointers, you will find it easy to select a food processor that best suits your budget and needs. Once you decide on a particular model, you should do further research online by reading customers’ reviews on the food processors that they have bought. You will not go wrong in selecting which food processor to buy if you do proper research beforehand.