Food Processors - Bigger is not Better

The first food processor was designed by a Frenchman, Pierre Verdon, in the 1960's to help catering companies and restaurants reduce prep time. When you are cooking for large groups, slicing and dicing vegetables or even meat is both time consuming and tedious. It was an immediate success and soon models were brought out to use in the home.

If you watch cooking shows very much you are sure to see a food processor in action. Especially when someone is using a French style recipe or cooking technique. Several very popular Chefs from the 1970's introduced food processors in a very big way. Julia Child both wrote French cooking books and hosted many cooking shows on TV that usually used a food processor.

Just like any kitchen appliance, the food processor can save time and produce some very good results. If you have a large diner crowd and cook from scratch it is a tremendous help. And the new current food processors have so many attachments and features; the only limiting factor is your imagination. Using fresh ingredients to make sauces, garnishes, main dishes, fancy appetizers, adds a lot of flavor to any meal.

There are only a few detractors from using a food processor. I rank the danger factor first, and that is handling the cutting blades. These bad boys are usually so sharp they can cut you before you even feel it. Great care should be utilized at all times when cleaning or changing the cutting blades on any food processor. The next issue is that there is a learning curve, especially with the special attachments now available. Plan on losing some food to getting the hang of using different techniques and attachments. And the last but not least, cleaning the monster. I was always told to never put any parts of a food processor in the dishwasher. New models advertise that they are dishwasher safe but that doesn’t mean they will be clean or it won't dull the cutting blades.

My first food processor was a 14-cup model with 3 cutting blades and about 5 attachments. I say about 5 since I don't remember because I only used two. I don't know the actual weight either other than it reminded me of a bowling ball. Not easy to handle and took up a lot of space to store or use. I would bring it out for the holidays for family dinners and baking. It might see the light of day once or twice between January and October. After about 10 years I gave it to a neighbor who was just starting to get into French cooking.

I started looking for a replacement and there were many choices at all price ranges. This time around I looked at the smaller models, 3 cups to 5 cups capacity. They were much smaller, lighter, and had all the same abilities except volume, which I rarely used. I figured if I needed over 5 cups, another batch would only take about 2 minutes and the space and cleaning timesavings were well worth the trade off.

I ended up with Cusinart Mini-Prep Plus, which is a 3-cup model and small enough to sit right between the blender and the toaster on the kitchen counter. It has the chop and grind buttons, cleans up in no time, and I use it two to three times a week. Making fresh salsa, soups, grinding fresh spices, breadcrumbs, cheese, pesto sauce, and salad dressings is a snap. I got an extra bowl and it helps a lot when you have some items you don't want to mix.

I don't remember what I paid for the big model but it was well over $250. I only paid about $40 for the new Cusinart Mini and probably saved enough to pay for it in the first month of use. But the real benefits are eating fresh foods that aren't processed or loaded with sodium or sugar and adding special touches to any meal in 5 minutes flat.

If your food processor is sitting in a cabinet somewhere gathering dust like mine did, you might want to consider getting a small version. They are easy to clean and fast to use for adding some punch to any meal. We make our own salsa, salad dressings, chili con queso, pesto, crème sauces, and grind our own spices at least once a week. I never did that with my monster food processor since it was too much trouble.

Learn more about small food processors here: Small Food Processor. Just in time for holiday cooking.