Food Processor - What you really use it for?

beemuzed

Cakes, crumbs, slicing, all of those uses. We also mince up the leftover joint in the processor when making shepherd's pie, or indeed liver etc. for really smooth pates. I'm sure you'll find lots of use for one - and I'd also recommend going for the best you can afford.

zippychick

Hi Maggie

this thread discusses the very same thing. Hope it helps and we will merge this later

Zip

MaggieBaking

Awesome - thanks for the tips everyone. It makes my hubby so happy to hear of other people with food processors lasting years!!

Thanks too for the link zippy - I'll be busy for a while now! :rotfl:

I'm so very excited!

zippychick

What h ave you used it for Maggie? I only ever use mine for pastry and grating veg! Cant help feeling I'm missing a trick!

RachelS

I used to use mine to puree food for my babies...in fact it blew up and I got a new one. I think it was overuse!

Now I make soya and berry smoothies...soya milk, frozen berries, whizz it up. Homemade houmous and homemade nut and seed butter. Ground seeds to put in cereal. Breadcrumbs. That's about it these days.

zippychick

Ahhh ok , i have a mini chopper i use for alot of those things. I use my hand blender for hummous and smoothies. It does seem like a waste of cupboard space for my particular cooking style

I did make a cake in it once AKA hairy bikers lemon drizzle, but i felt like i was cheating:o:rotfl:

MaggieBaking

Not used it yet Zippy - but it arrived today!!! Am not allowed to use it till my birthday (mid July) which I think is just plain unfair! I'm not even allowed to open the box!!

We've set aside a whole DAY before my birthday to play - so we're going to buy lots of things just to chop it up :rotfl: (Not moneysaving I know!! :eek: )

I really like the idea that I can make my own stir fry mix which I imagine will be cheaper than buying it at the supermarket. And coleslaw... I hand made this last week and it was yummy http://www.topsecretrecipes.com/KFC-Cole-Slaw-Recipe.html

Jamie Oliver does a "granita" where he whizzes up ice and things - recipe can be found at the beginning of this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=refOHmZe63A

That looks too like too much fun and also someone said here that they use it to home-make chicken nuggets which sound fun!

Not sure what on earth I'll use it for most though. Time will tell! Yes I can understand the theory it's cheating to make a cake. I used to make all of mine with a bowl and a wooden spoon as it seemed "proper". I use an electric whisk now then, ever since someone said you get a much lighter mix of butter and sugar (which is true.)

zippychick

Sounds like fun! This link to thriftladys vegetable hash may be useful

Yes Jamie uses his a lot - especially for salads etc. It just depends on what you eat how much you use it. He does encourage it a lot in the 30 min series

I dont think i could wait for Mid july he he he!

MaggieBaking

Hi Zippy, the vegetable hash sounds good but it appears her link doesn't work any more?

cat4772

I've had a kenwood food processor that my parents bought 13 years ago. We used it for the first two years (chopping, grating, slicing, blending, making smoothies etc) then when we moved house it remained in a box for just over 8 years. When DD was born 2 years ago and I was on maternity leave, I started to use it a lot more; making cakes and butter icing, breadcrumbs, grating vegetables, grating cheese, pureeing fruit / vegetables when weaning DD, pulsing small portions of our meals when we needed a slightly coarser texture to the weaning food. I also use it for chopping fruit ready to go into HM ice cream etc. Now I have gestational diabetes, I'm not making as many cakes or sweet things, but once baby arrives, I'll be back to making at least one cake a week and preping vegetables for stews, casseroles and soups. I tend to prep food / cook in big batches so my processor might not get used for 3 weeks but then I'll spend a weekend cooking and using the FP almost constantly. I've had to replace the blade and the whisk (apparently it isn't good to leave a metal teaspoon in the bowl and then puree some carrots; nor should I have made a cake with the whisk attachment which can only really cope with liquids or egg whites - then again if I had read the instructions again I would have read this).

Kenwood website is quite good at providing downloads of manuals from years ago and for ordering spare parts. I dread the day my FP dies as it really is a time saver.