Food Processor Recipes and Tips for Using This Versatile Appliance (2024)

FAQs

What can I use my food processor for recipes? ›

Food processors are useful for far more than basic food prep and are the perfect tool to help you discover new flavors and textures. From delicious hoisin sauce to Greek cucumber sauce, to gazpacho, and a creamy dairy-free “ice cream” from bananas, you'll be delighted by the possibilities.

Think of a food processor as an extra pair of hands in the kitchen. A good model can chop, slice, grate, grind, whisk, blend, purée and knead-making light work of some of the more time and labour intensive kitchen prep work.

As well as being able to make light work of food preparation in a matter of seconds, food processors can handle a wide range of baking tasks quickly and efficiently, from chopping, grinding and mixing to whisking, whipping and kneading.

The processor's blades and discs, which are attached to the stem and rotate and cut the food in the bowl, determine the functions it can perform. An S-shaped steel blade is typically used for chopping, mincing and pureeing, while metal discs handle slicing and grating jobs.

Place the onion in the food processor bowl and secure the lid. Process until you achieve the desired size. Use the pulse function in short bursts for chopped onions. For a finer, more minced consistency, process in longer bursts.

What are the Differences Between a Food Processor and Blender? Blenders usually have one blade, tall jars and are typically used for wetter recipes. Food processors, on the other hand, usually have multiple blades and wide work bowls and can usually shred and slice in addition to pureeing.

CAKE / BATTER MIXTURE

The reverse creaming method works particularly well in a food processor as you get an excellent coating of the flour with butter. When you add the liquid ingredients the flour absorbs less of this liquid, which in turn limits gluten development and results in a softer, tender cake.

A food processor has a feed tube, multiple blades or discs and a larger bowl capacity than a food chopper. When slicing and shredding, food is pushed through the feed tube into discs just below. Food can also be chopped, mixed or puréed with blades in the bowl of the food processor.

What are 3 things you can do with a food processor? ›

You pull it off the shelf to chop or slice vegetables, smooth out a sauce or pesto, make a tasty dip or hummus, or put together a quick frosting. But, there are countless recipes that can use the food processor to streamline preparation or easily produce mouthwatering flavors and textures.

First, assemble the food processor and attach the blade. There are a variety of different blade attachments that can be used to chop, slice, or grate food. Next, add your recipe ingredients and screw the lid onto the processor. Blend or pulse the food until it's as smooth or chunky as you like it.

Compared to a food processor, a blender is known to achieve a smoother, silkier consistency in its final product (think smoothies and milkshakes). But a blender is certainly not limited to creamy beverages. They can also help home cooks make hummus, nut butter, sauces, and salad dressings.

In addition to chopping, food processors are great at making purees, dips and sauces with limited amounts of liquid, like baby food, hummus and an easy pesto. The results are typically super smooth and airy; plus, you can scrape down the sides easily to serve every last bit.