Blender/food processor - which should i buy?

Heth_2

Hi all,
I have a stick blender, but the mini chopper that came with it is broken, so i can't make breadcrumbs anymore. Can't decide whether to get a blender, a food processor, or replace the stick blender/chopper thing. Or i keep hearing wonderful things about kenwood chefs, but not sure that is really what i need at the moment.
Main things i want to make are: hummous, breadcrumbs, smoothies, blended soup. Would possibly make pastry in a processor if i had one, but don't make it that often so it isn't a priority. Would occasionally chop onions or similar if making chutney.
Any ideas on the one thing that will do everything i want, so i don't fill my small kitchen with appliances? Thanks.

BWZN93

Im about to buy the braun stick blender that comes with a 500ml cup from argos, reduced from £14 to £9.99 - I think it would do everything and not clog up the kitchen!

Jo xx

comping_cat

I agree with JW, i would get a stick blender, maybe with a few extra attachments for the little extra things you want to do, that way you wont have a big food processor or blender taking up loads of room.
atherine x

Venny

Ok, I need some advice. With the new year I'm determined to start eating/drinking some more fresh ingredients in my diet. I'm thinking of investing in a blender or food processor but i'm not sure which would be right for my needs.
I intend to make sauces such as pesto and fruit juices - mostly for one or two people so don't think i need anything family size.
Anyone have any recommendations?
Thanks!

jessicamb

My brother got a magic bullett for Xmas and it sounds as though it would be ideal for you - his was half price in Woolies (£40 I think but may have changed price since then) or you can get food processors with blender attachments

Slinky

I'd say whatever you go for, make certain it's easy to clean. We were given a Kenwood smoothie maker as a wedding present in May - it's been used twice as it's so fiddly to clean, and to be honest, we didn't get particularly good results.

katmad99

i have a kenwood smoothie maker and find it quite good. although it is a bit of a pain to clean, what isnt??! a rinse with soapy water and through the spout and it's clean! i find it very good for soup and smoothies as i tend to buy big bags of frozen fruit, which it blends very well. no good for juicing though. would love a juicer for apples, carrots etc.

tawnyowls

I would say a food processor with blender would be the most versatile - that will allow you do slice, make breadcrumbs, smoothies, soups, cake mixes etc. If possible, get a glass jug blender (better for soups and should allow you to crush ice too). I got a Bifnett one in Lidl a few weeks ago, and I've found that very good ; very cheap too (£20), so might be worth looking out for a similar one in Aldi and Lidl if you're not in a rush to get it.

A smoothie maker's a bit of a waste of time - an ordinary blender will do the job just as well, without that fiddly tap to clean. If you can afford it, it's useful to have a cheap hand blender to do things like partly blend soups in the pan.

Bexstars

I have a magic bullet and it doesnt work well as a juicer. I bought a juicer off ebay which works well but when I tried juicing with my new magic bullet there was little juice and lots of mush. Would be good for making smoothies though

kay41_2

I have a food processor and used it this morning to make lovely fresh fruit smoothies for a pick me up after last night. It has a juice extractor as an attachment which I used to juice the oranges, then poured that out and put the blade attachment in and pureed bananas, tinned peaches and juice and then added some strawberry and raspberry puree I had frozen in ice cube containers and it was lovely.

I don't use my food processor as much as I thought I would. It makes great bread dough and is good for making coleslaw and grating large quantities of cheese and making breadcrumbs. I make much more use of my hand held mixer and my stick blender (which I have just upgraded to include one that goes in the dishwasher, and had a small chopper and larger blender attachment). The stick blender (my Braun has lasted 20 years but I dropped it recently and the shaft has cracked) has been the most used item, from whipping cream and making batter to pureeing baby food and making soup and sauces. The food processor has so many bits to wash up (just washed up after this morning's juicing exercise) that I don't use it much at all. I've also got a Pampered Chef handy chopper which is brilliant for chopping herbs, onions, mushrooms and any veg which you want to put in soups. I use that several times a week and makes light work of chopping large quantities of veg. They are about £20 but it has been worth it's price in time and effort saved.

charlies_mum

I bought a Moulinex blender with ice crusher 1/2 price in Homebase - £19.99. Be careful if you buy one with a glass jug, mine exploded last week when I put hot soup in it to blend.