I may only use my food processor for specific seasons or recipes. When I do, I am grateful every single time because it does things so much faster and better than I can do by hand. And it’s been doing it for nearly 40 years!
Here are just a few of the things a food processor does better than any other kitchen appliance or gadget:
Pickles are the best way to use a multitude of cucumbers from the garden. You can quickly and perfectly slice with a slicing disc on a food processor. It also works well for onions and scalloped potatoes.
Then we have salsa. I grow a lot of tomatoes and peppers. Salsa is a matter of washing the tomatoes and peppers, adding some cilantro, peppers and onions, then quickly processing into something yummy. I use the food processor for hours when canning large amounts of salsa or tomato sauce for winter.
It grates masses of cheese quickly and easily. This saves money, as the packages of grated cheese are more expensive per gram than the blocks. Just grate and store in an airtight bag or container (a Zwilling Fresh-n-Save is perfect for this).
It makes fabulous nut butters. Put your favorite nuts in the bowl, snug the blade in and put on the top, and you have fresh nut butter or peanut sauce in a few minutes.
Homemade hummus is quick, healthy and inexpensive. A can of chickpeas, some olive oil, a squeeze of lemon and your favorite flavors (garlic or roasted tomatoes) and you have a dip for any occasion.
Protein bars and balls are little or no work when using a processor. Measure everything; dump it in, whir and shape. The food processor blade is so quick to refine oatmeal into powder.
Coleslaw- just push the cabbage, carrots and onions down the food chute and grate everything for your family’s favorite coleslaw recipe.
Hollandaise and other sauces are easier to master using a food processor. I first learned how to make this delicious sauce while working in restaurants as a student. I’ve done it with a food processor ever since.
One of our family favorites when my daughters were little was homemade pizza. The dough hook for the processor produced perfect pizza dough. No kneading necessary!
Pie crust is another success as the cold butter or lard is quickly cut into the flour, ensuring a tender flaky crust.
Both Breville and Cuisinart offer a variety of processors with different features and sizing. Options include choosing 8 cup to 16 cup capacity, storage for the accessories, and small bowls to make a larger processor more adaptable. Adding a food processor to your kitchen is like adopting a prep cook. It’s that useful, especially during harvest season.
*Did You Know? The first food processor was developed by Pierre Verdun, in Europe, and was intended to speed up food preparation for professional caterers and commercial kitchens.
Cathy
Absolutely Fabulous at Home
8927 Commercial St | New Minas NS | B4N 3E1
902-681-2284 www.absolutelyfab.ca