I’ve never desired a food processor. I’ve always thought of them as very optional. I didn’t want another piece of kitchen equipment I just stored but rarely, if ever, used. I didn’t even get a blender until after about 7 years of marriage. And that was just because I desired to make my own homemade Orange Julius beverages. (Hats off to Stacy Hatten for that recipe! Not quite like the real thing but wonderful when we lived in Cincinnati and the nearest Orange Julius was HOURS away.)
Lately, though, I’ve been thinking it might be time to procure one. A food processor, that is. If you read my last posts, you know that I’ve been using my blender in place of a food processor for some recipes. And it’s been a bit hard on my blender, which got more use recently from our live-in, soon-to-be missionary housemate for a few months. (She was on some smoothie diet.) We drug it up from downstairs for her, dusted it off and made a place for it on the counter. So I finally had no excuses and set about making some of the recipes I’d stalled on.
But using a blender in place of a food processor is tricky business. And at times the blender has smelled pretty hot, like in an-about-to-catch-on-fire kind of way. (Thank you, frozen banana ‘ice cream’!) I don’t blame it.
When I used it to make the fudgy snow balls, it was really difficult to get the batter out of the blender in order to roll it into balls. Sticky stuff and all stuck around the blade. And I still had to mix it up a bit afterward.
So, I’m in the market for a small food processor. I’m thinking something that’s about 3 cups, no larger. I don’t want a huge contraption I have to store. And the 1.5 cup mini seems a little on the small side for some projects. I saw an Oster brand version at Walmart for about $20 for the 3 cup size that seems like a good option. Might be a good addition to my gift wish list for birthday or Christmas, though I might not be able to wait that long. Fresh salsa is calling my name.
Do you have a food processor? If so, do you use it? What size/brand is it?
You will probably laugh at this but I have a 20 year old unit that I purposefully bought. It's an Oster Kitchen Center. It has a mixer, food processor, and blender all in one unit. It takes up about as much counter space as a bread machine. The arm that holds the beaters removes and that's where you attach the food processor or the blender cup. I am one of those people who if I stick it away in my cupboard I will not use it so I needed something that would fit on my counter. I actually use it quite a bit. I bought it used of of ebay for $80. (Probably paid too much but I was kind of in a just hurry up and get something mode)
ReplyDeleteI think that's exactly what my mom had. And never used!! And YOU'LL probably laugh but I don't have a stand mixer. I don't bake bread or things that require that kind of equipment almost EVER, so I've never felt the need. Frees up more counter space for me, too. I'm sort of a freak about free counter space these days, since my numerous utensils take up so much. (I may or may not have THREE utensil holding containers on my counters.) Glad you like yours, though!! Every cook is different & gravitates to different tools.
ReplyDeleteI find my 3 cup processor too small for most recipes I make. I have to do everything in batches. Which is fine if you have the time. For most of my recipes (salsa, black bean brownies, even the tomatillo sauce for enchiladas) I need to do 2-3 batches. For the salsa and black bean brownies I do use a blender and it seems to work OK.
ReplyDeleteI'm honestly thinking of purchase a bigger size in the near future.
I thought yours was a 1.5 cup food processor, Amy. I saw one just like it on a garage sale & that's what it said. But maybe I'm remembering it wrong. In any case, I'm pretty sure the 3 cup one I saw is bigger than yours. Cuz yeah, I agree that yours is a bit small. Though I did consider it for awhile since I like how easy it is to store. But it wouldn't have worked for the recipes I made in my blender.
ReplyDeleteI double checked...mine is a 3 cup. And again, it is manageable, but does take more time to process the food.
ReplyDeleteMy mom had three different appliances and never used any of them either so I didn't want to repeat that. And I rarely use a stand mixer probably because of that. (Those people who mix cookies in them kind of amaze me.) And if you could see my kitchen...counter space is a premium. I kid not when I say I have less than 3 feet of counter space in my entire kitchen. So for me I knew if I put it in the cupboard I would never use it and also that if that meant it had to go on the counter, then it had to be multi functional. Love that your mom had one!
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