First time food processor owner

determined_new_ms · 26 November 2016 at 2:34PM

My oh got me a fp for my birthday yesterday. I'm I love it sooooooooo much! So far have made hummus, whizzed up some cheese scones which oh & nipper had for lunch and have french bread proving on the side at the moment.

For years I have been doing everything by hand and there is no comparison. It literally is water to wine!

So happy :j

jackyann · 26 November 2016 at 2:37PM

That's great! I have had one for over 40 years, and think it wonderful (my current one is over 20 years old and the new ones are even better)

WantToBeSE · 27 November 2016 at 11:16AM

I adore mine too!
I cannot for the life of me get proper pastry by hand, but can make it in seconds using my FP!
Mine is used to make veggie burgers, meatballs, sauces, bliss balls, brownies etc.

paddy's_mum · 27 November 2016 at 11:52AM

I believe that mine actively helps me avoid waste.

I no longer throw away bread but make breadcrumbs for other recipes and usually make my own coleslaw-type salads which is far cheaper and nicer than a pot of vinegary stuff from the supermarket.

Casserole leftovers rarely make it into the dogs' tummies any longer but into the fridge as tomorrow's soup for lunch.

Herbs from the garden get blitzed and frozen away in stuffing balls (see breadcrumb making above!)

Gluts of vegetables (especially roots such as carrot, parsnip, swede, onion, leek, celeriac) get sliced and open frozen so that a handful of this and a handful of that can get slung into the slow cooker with little effort or time wasted.

Similarly, in high season, I often see bags of tomatoes for sale at some keen gardener's gate for 20p and brought home and liquidised, that's cheaper by far than even the best priced passata or can of tomatoes.

One thing I have found though is that hand washing of the bowl etc is likely to make the whole machine last longer as I have twice had the bowl split after being in the dishwasher. I suspect that the plastic doesn't like the heat.

maddiemay · 27 November 2016 at 12:28PM

I have painful, swollen joints and my K*nwood Ch*f and my FP have been lifesavers:D My FP broke a few months ago after 30 years service, I did not replace it straight away as we spend so much time away from home through the summer and early autumn a) it would not have got much use and b) it was nice to have the money to spend while we have been gallivanting:D An ace bl*ck Fr*day deal from the store never knowingly undersold means that I should take delivery of a new one in a few days time.

I am sure that you will continue to have great fun and save lots of £££ with yours. I would agree with not putting bowls into the DW, hot soapy water and a washing up brush make short work of cleaning the bowls and discs/blade etc anyway.

purpleybat · 27 November 2016 at 1:52PM

I'm quite opposite to you all, I rarely use mine.
breadcrumbs and pastry seems to be the only things I use it for.
I do however love my stick blender for soups and sauces and use that every couple of days.

Mohawk_3 · 27 November 2016 at 2:36PM

I go through phases with mine - it all depends on what sort of cooking mood I'm in.

I get a lot of value out of mine when it comes to batch cooking, so slicing, or chopping large quantities of onions becomes a breeze. I also like to add very finely chopped (using the main blades and pulsing) carrots to sauces such as a bolognaise for the multiple benefits of thickening the sauce, adding fibre, and counter-acting the acidity of tomatoes.

I make veggie 'meatballs' in mine, and every now and then make a pancake batter. You don't have to leave it to rest so long as if you are mixing by hand!

Doing the washing up is a faff, but if you are cooking in bulk, or using recipes where you can use it for several things in one go - it's easily worth the hassle.

Grating cheese too. You can grate in bulk, and freeze it. Much cheaper, and IMO nicer, than the shop bought grated stuff that they cover in potato flour.

sillyvixen · 27 November 2016 at 8:34PM

I replaced mine last year, as it had done 26 years stunning service, the motor was running progresivly slower, some of the attachments had worn out and the lid had to be held on tightly for it to work as the plastic clips were damaged through age. I would not be without one and had been looking for a long time for one I wanted to be on offer at the right price.

suki1964 · 27 November 2016 at 10:42PM

Mine sits on the counter within reach at all times, not just because it's a thing of simplistic beauty, but I use it near enough daily

The only thing I get the Kenwood out for now is bread. Although the magimix is supposed to make bread, I guess I tried to make too big a loaf and the dough ended up squidging down the spindle hole and I thought I'd killed it

Mind I just found the recipe book recently so might try again

hanb · 28 November 2016 at 4:46PM

This has made me want to learn more about my FP! I was given one a few years ago by my gran as she didn't use it and I'd just moved out. I don't think it's every been used. It's hidden away in the back of the cupboard and I have no idea what I'd use it for.

I'll have to educate myself and see if it's something I could utilise - chopping onions sounds a good one to me! I hate doing them by hand.

Mohawk_3 · 28 November 2016 at 5:08PM

There's a bit of extra washing-up if you use the food processor, but over a certain quantity, it becomes worth it. Especially if you hate chopping them. I am a fan of batch cooking, so end up doing large quantities, but less often.

I sometimes do a quick calculation of how much I've spent per use of my food processor, and in the early days I wasn't convinced it was a particularly cost effective purchase, but there are some dishes I only cook because I know I will be using the food processor.

I like to cook batches of caramelised onions, which involves slicing a whole load of onions in the FP, and these days leaving them to cook for hours in the slow cooker. You can use an ordinary pan for that, but it means hanging around, watching them cook for hours on end, then having them burn because you got impatient.

My other dish I'd never bother with is broccoli/parmesan 'meatballs'. Very yum, and handy if you are cutting down on meat.

http://ohmyveggies.com/recipe-broccoli-parmesan-meatballs/

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First time food processor owner

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