Should I Buy a Food Processor?

ChihiroSen

I have some gift card money and I am thinking of buying a food processor. I have never had one before. I am disabled and standing for long periods to cook is difficult, so I thought maybe a food processor would speed things up and allow me to cook more fresh and healthy food, cheaply and quickly,  as I often buy ready meals. 

However’ I have been caught in the pointless gadget trap before (hello George Forman grill) and wonder if they are really useful or not? 

All advice and opinions welcome. Thanks.

Longwalker

Yes and no 

If you are a serious cook from scratch and batch cook - go for it, thats their strength - processing large amounts quickly. If not then good knife skills would be the best option

Cloth_of_Gold

I think that it depends what you want to cook. I cook most of our meals from scratch and do a fair amount of baking but don't have a food processor. I have an electric mixer which I use when making cakes. I also have an electric whisk which I use on the rare occasions when I have to whisk egg whites. You can use the body of it to drive a grinder/chopper too. I rarely use that though.  What sort of meals are you thinking about?

Emmia

We have one, but mostly use our blender (the spice jar attachment mostly) and the electric whisk.

Food processors are great for things like chopping, slicing and grating large volumes though (but you won't get Michelin star style cubes) but if you wanted to make a soup or smoothie, then a blender is what you need.

A word of warning, food processor bowls with the stick bit in the middle where the blade goes can be an absolute PITA to wash up - blenders often have self cleaning functions and mixers are a bowl + attachment which are easier to separate and clean.

bouicca21

How many in the household? As a singleton, I bought what was then called a mini processor and now is sold as a mini chopper. It’s useful for chopping/grating, making hummus, pesto, falafel.  A full size processor would be too big both in terms of quantities and size on the worktop. Is there any way OP can organise things so they can sit while doing the prep?

elsien

I have a full size food processor and it is barely used. I might make a bit more use of it if I have the space to do lots of batch cooking and freezing, but I don’t.  I find that at the time I’ve got it out used it cost to put it away, the one meal it’s just as easy to use a knife.

thistlely

I use mine more, since I found space on countertop for it and wash most parts in dishwasher. Not sure I would make use of food processor, if in cupboard and had to hand wash. It does save time standing to chop or grate, so yes useful. 

WickedLady4

I have a cheapie supermarket one but it lives in the cupboard and only comes out for recipes where I would do a lot of rubbing in. 

I have a small chopper which is also used infrequently, mainly to make specific things like smoked mackerel pate. My hand mixer is my most used thing and I wouldn't want to be without that.

DiamondLil

Coincidentally, yesterday I cleared a corner cupboard and found my food processor hidden away at the back. It's now on the dining table ready to pack away in another cupboard "just in case I might need it one day" or, more likely, give away. I do cook from scratch but find cleaning a knife and chopping board is much less faff than cleaning all the parts of the food processor. I have a tiny electric chopper for the rare times I have a lot of chopping to do.

PollyWollyDoodle

I mainly use mine for grating cheese, or carrots for coleslaw - as others have said, The effort of getting it out and washing it up, means just using a knife is sometimes quicker. However, if you can’t stand for long, it could be a big help - in that case, I would want it out on the counter all the time.

A friend generously gave me her used Moulinex processor, and it was like a racehorse compared to a pony. However, it took up a lot of space, and I already have a stand mixer for making cakes and pastry - if I hadn’t had that, I might’ve kept the Moulinex because it would have done both jobs. I passed it onto another friend. It was lovely to try it, because I would never have afforded something like that. I think it depends on what sort of meals you do, how many in the household, and how much budget you have

Florenceem

I have 2 Kenwood stand mixers and a Magimix food processor out on my worktops - medium size kitchen. I use the processor for chopping/slicing and making pastry. I use my Kenwood beast for very large mixes when baking. My other Kenwood does take an 8 egg mix. I use both at a time when batch baking for SA. I have a blender/liquidizer that lives in my baking cupboard that I only use to grind granulated sugar to caster.
I wouldn't part with any of them.