Food processors date back to the 1960s to the 1970s era. Back then, it was thought that only commercial kitchens in Europe and North America can afford one. Today, food processor has become a usual staple in most kitchens as more and more consumers find it a great help in producing delicious and healthy meals each and every time.
However, with the lot of variety, types, and kinds of food processors in the market today, the problem becomes choosing the best food processor. The thing that you should remember in this search is that you want a food processor because you want to lighten your load in the kitchen.
Since food processors are the most efficient and fastest alternative to manual chopping, mincing, grinding, slicing, and shredding, it will definitely make your task way easier. In mentioning this, blenders could pop in your mind as it may seem to be a feasible alternative and you probably already have it somewhere in your kitchen. Make no mistake though because you cannot use a blender to replace a food processor.
There are two types of food processors – the electric and the manual one. The electric type is more popular since it is more powerful, consumes less time, and more often than not has interchangeable blades for a wide variety of uses.
In your quest for the best food processor, here are some tips and some general knowledge worth knowing before finally making a purchase:
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Stable Chassis
Remember that you need a food processor to do all the vigorous work in the kitchen as we have mentioned above. Choose the food processor with a heavy chassis which will give you no problems in doing heavy-duty kitchen work especially come holiday and birthday season.
A heavy weight or chassis will also prevent the machine from moving once it starts operating. You do not want your food processor moving and falling from the kitchen table and it is not exactly convenient and time saving to hold the machine while it operates.
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Capacity
The capacity of food processors range from as small as three cups to as big as 20 cups. Experts say that if you are going to buy a food processor, choose the one that can hold at least 9 cups just to be on the safe side especially if you often have guests come over. However, to give you a better idea, here is a quick reference guide:
- 1-4 cups – cooking for 1-3 people
- 6-8 cups – cooking for 4-6 people
- 10 or more cups – cooking for 7 or more people
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Wide Feed Tube
This will save you more time. A wide feed tube lets you push large pieces straight into the food processors without having to slice them into smaller pieces. Do not settle for small feed tubes as it will go against your goal of lightening your workload in the kitchen and getting things done faster.
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Safety Features
Despite the fact that only adults can use and operate food processors, you still cannot skip safety features of a food processor. Choose the one with bowl that locks into the base and top. These types usually would not start unless the locks are properly secured therefore ensuring safety at all the time. Keep in mind that it is so easy to forget the locks especially when you are in a hurry so it is better safe than sorry.
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Size
Food processors come in a variety of sizes. Before heading out to look for a food processor, think of where you are going to put it in the kitchen and measure the available space. This will save you the hassle of bringing the food processor back and exchanging it if it happens to be too big for your available kitchen space.
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Bowl Size
Choose the food processor that comes with a big and small bowl. This way, you can choose the bowl size that suits your need for the given time.
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Dishwasher Safe
Food processors truly help a great lot if doing things quickly but the challenge is in the cleaning especially if you have used quite a lot of accessories. To make things easier, choose food processor accessories that are dishwasher safe so that cleaning will not consume most of your time.
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Simple Controls
Since most food processors today come with controls where the user can select the speed, choose the one with the simplest controls. This prevents more confusion and paves way for better ease of use. Remember, you want to make your kitchen life easier and not more complicated.
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Versatility
Yes it is a food processor but it would be more worth it if it comes with different blades that can be used for different kinds of food processing.
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Speed
Most food processors today offer at least three speed functions but the feature that you should actually look for is the pulse function. It would be best if it has a one-touch pulse button which ensures that you would not over-process the food. This gives you the best control on whatever it is you want to achieve with the food.
Food processors are a true kitchen saver. They pave way for better and healthier dishes that can be cooked or prepared in no time. They even inspire owners to experiment more on cooking that almost always results to a happy household.