!44: What Should You Look for When Buying a Food Processor?

!±8± What Should You Look for When Buying a Food Processor?

A food processor is no longer an elite kitchen appliance used only by the top chefs. Due to its immense practicality, this kitchen time-saver has grown in popularity over the past few years, generating higher production and lower costs. Consequently, food processors are easily available to grace even the most basic of kitchens.

Small enough not to take up lots of valuable countertop space yet powerful enough to cut down food preparation time to a minimum, food processors are not just another appliance you will use a couple of times and then store away in the basement when the newness wears off. Rather than painstakingly chopping, grating, shredding, dicing, slicing, or pureeing recipe ingredients, choose the right disc, throw the foods in your processor, and hit the speed button. In a matter of seconds, your food is ready to use.

As with any appliance, food processors come with a variety of levels and options. Consequently, you need to do some research and planning before you purchase one. Food processors typically are not a large investment, but, of course, you want to spend your money wisely on whatever you choose.

Make a list

First, consider what you will be using your food processor for. What is your budget? Do you have a large family or invite groups over frequently? Do you cook often? What foods do you usually cook? Do you have small children or even a baby at home?

Making a list about how your food processor will be used helps you in a couple of ways. One, you are less likely to get distracted or overwhelmed by the variety you can be barraged with when shopping. And two, you can narrow your options down, cutting your shopping time down and helping you weed many selections out.

Read reviews

Next, read reviews online. Many consumer review websites provide neutral comments on the pros and cons of various food processors. As they are not affiliated with one brand or another, they can give you an accurate opinion of how the food processors work. And how cooks like yourself have found the processors to benefit themselves. Click here to read our reviews

Wattage

One important factor you should look for when buying a food processor is the wattage. The more powerful the motor, the more expensive the processor. However, the benefits outweigh the costs. A faster motor means faster chopping time. You can also rest assured it can tackle all the especially tough foods you may put through it, such as coffee beans or meat. Typically, larger motors last longer and have an extended warranty than smaller ones do. Wattage on a food processor usually runs between 500 to 1,200, with some very small processors a little under and some especially large ones a little over.

Speed

Along with the wattage are the speed options. Obviously, the motor controls the speed of the blades spinning around inside a processor. Most processors come with two speed options-low and high. Some include a pulse button, which you can use to manually turn on and off the speed. Pulsing is helpful to provide bursts of speed to slash through the food.

Bowl options

Bowl size is another point to consider when purchasing a food processor. There are three main bowl sizes-large (full-size), medium (compact), and small (mini). Although the exact size of the bowl can vary, large tends to be about nine to an impressive sixteen cups. Medium bowls are around five to nine cups. And a small bowl is about two to four cups.

Here is where you need to really consider how much food you will be preparing with your processor. Obviously, if you have larger family and entertain a lot-or even a small family yet you love to cook-, a mini or even compact bowl could be a challenge to work with. Who wants to worry about constantly have to stop the processor, empty the bowl out, and then put it back together? Most food processor users recommend using at least a compact bowl, if not a full-size. Even if it is bigger and you never use a full sixteen or even twelve cups, you still have some room to spare. To make the choice simple for you, some food processor brands come with a bowl set, allowing you to switch out bowls according to what size you need for that cooking day.

Some bowls come with cup markings up the sides to make measurements simple.

Bowls can come in either plastic or stainless steel. Plastic is cheaper and fairly durable, but it tends to stain from the food juices and does not last for significantly long periods of time. Stainless steel, on the other hand, is more expensive, but it will last as long as your food processor does.

Attachments

Attachments make up the most exciting part of the food processor. Here is where you get to have fun with your kitchen appliance. Every processor comes with a metal s-shape disc, which does your basic chopping and slicing. Then there are multitudes of other options to choose from. Turn potatoes into perfectly shaped french fries with a french fry disc. Whip eggs into delectable meringue for a lemon meringue pie. Finely grind up spices. Knead dough for pizzas and breads-in just a couple of minutes. Shave chocolate pieces. Grate cheese. Slice vegetables and fruits up for salads: you can even choose what thickness to slice the foods by choosing the width of the disc. Puree natural fruits, vegetables, and even meats into healthy, nutritious food for your baby. The options are as wide as your creativity.

Before you get all ambitious and purchase every attachment option available, though, pull out your list of what you plan to use your processor for-and stick with it. If you find that you would like and use additional discs later, then consider purchasing them. For now, save money and storage space by only buying what you know you will use.

Safety features

Look into the safety features of a food processor before you buy one. Check to see if there are grip-able feet on the bottom, to prevent the appliance from sliding around. Most have options which ensure the processor does not start if the lid is not snapped on properly or if the bowl is not screwed into the base. The cylinder should be tall enough that you cannot get your fingers in and get cut by the blades (not that you should have your fingers in the processor to begin with).

Easy to clean

Make sure the processor will be easy to clean. Who wants to deal with one more hard-to-clean item around the kitchen? It should be simple to disassemble, and all parts should be readily available to be washed down and dried without having to work to get food remnants out or water left to sit.

Warranty

Your food processor should come with a warranty. Most are one year, some come with two. Whichever the case, be sure to look into warranty options before you purchase.