Decide Whether to Use a Blender or a Food Processor

While it might seem like second nature to you if you're already adept at using either appliance, there are plenty amateur chefs stubbornly trying to turn the blender into a workhorse and wondering why some things don't quite work out... This brief article will help you work out what to choose, so that your results are spot on every time!

Steps

1. Understand the difference between a blender and a food processor:
   • A blender is great for blending liquids and substances which contain a lot of liquid.
   • A food processor is much more versatile and is suitable for dealing with non-liquid, heavier foods. The food processor will chop, julienne, pulverize, mash, split, etc. foods. Your blender, on the other hand, will probably start smoking if you force it to try to do these things.
   • Both have areas of overlap but there are some tasks that one is better at doing than the other, and it makes sense to have both on hand in a well-equipped kitchen.
2. Use a blender for such kitchen jobs as pureeing, emulsifying, blending and grinding. Blenders are suitable for making food and drinks such as smoothies, soups, sauces, liquid-based dips. They liquefy fruit well (unless it is really hard fruit). They are often found behind the bar as an essential for making cocktails.
3. Use a food processor for shredding, slicing, kneading (dough), grinding, chopping, grating, cutting in butter, They are good for creating vegetable chips, most dips, chopping nuts/chocolate/veggies, etc., for mashing beans to a pulp, etc. The wider work bowl of a processor makes it more suitable for larger, bulk processing over the blender. Processors are not the best for blending small amounts, however, so prefer the blender when you have small quantities.
4. Consider whether you need both, or only one piece of equipment in the kitchen. It is possible to get by with a blender, as food processors tend to be expensive. But food processors are pretty much indispensable for a good cook who likes to experiment across a wide range of recipes. Delia Smith recommends them highly, suggesting that every serious chef should have one in the kitchen. If you can't afford one, wait for the sales when good quality models from the year before can go for very reasonable prices. If you have space problems, look for a blender/processor combination but be sure to buy quality if you do this, to ensure durability.

Tips

• Immersion blenders are held by hand. They are suitable for making light food, such as milkshakes or baby food purees. Some have good chopping attachments, however, that can allow them to cut and chop effectively in small amounts.
• The motor size in both blender and processor matters. Lower level motors can burn out if pushed too hard.

Warnings

• Herbs placed in a blender will be turned into a mash, not cut. Use the food processor instead.

Related Articles

• Use a Food Processor to Make Baby Food
• Maintain Your Blender
• Use a Blender
• Select a Food Processor
• Use a Food Processor
• Buy a Blender

Sources and Citations

See also

• Select a Food Processor
• Use a Food Processor
• Use a NutriBullet
• Clean a Blender

What links here

• Use a Blender