Most home cooks and chefs will agree that a high-quality food processor is a must for every well-equipped kitchen. Food processors slice, dice, and whip up a sauce in no time, but what else can we do with these great multitasking kitchen tools? A food processor is one of the most useful kitchen gadgets that we can’t live without. Here, we list the ways we use our food processors on a regular basis!
A food processor is a kitchen appliance used to facilitate various repetitive tasks in the process of food preparation. Today, the term almost always refers to an electric-motor-driven appliance, although there are some manual devices also referred to as food processors.
Here are the best ways to use your food processor:
- Puréeing Sauces and Soups: This is one of the most common uses of a food processor, ensuring smooth and even textures.
- Shredding Cheese: Quickly transform blocks of cheese into shreds perfect for topping off dishes or baking.
- Grinding Nuts: Most food processors excel at grinding nuts. This is especially useful for recipes like almond meal for macarons.
- Making Nut Butter: Transform nuts into creamy and delectable nut butter. It’s fresher and can be healthier than store-bought varieties.
- Grinding Meat: Get the perfect consistency and freshness by grinding your own meat for burgers, meatballs, and other dishes.
- Grinding Flour: Make flour from whole grains, ensuring you get all the nutritional benefits.
- Making Pasta and Pizza Dough: If you own a powerful food processor and it has a multipurpose metal blade, you can combine ingredients to produce small batches of fresh pasta or pizza dough.
- Making Homemade Mayonnaise: Control the ingredients and flavor by making your own mayonnaise, which can be healthier and more flavorful than commercial versions.
- Making Bread Crumbs: Rather than buying packaged bread crumbs, you can make your own using stale bread or cookies for a fresher and more cost-effective alternative.
- Preparing Salsas, Dips, and Spreads: A food processor makes it easy to combine ingredients, yielding delightful salsas, creamy dips, and flavorful spreads.
Remember, every food processor differs in quality and design. Before using yours, check the user guide first to ensure it’s suited for the task you have in mind. Doing so can prolong your machine’s lifespan and prevent damage to its blades and motor. When used correctly, your food processor can be an invaluable tool in the kitchen for a multitude of recipes.