| Today's Message | 21-Day Meal Plan | Nutrition Webcasts | Celebrity Tips | Community Forum | Resources |
| New Topic Reply Subscription Options |
Page:
1
2
|
| Forums: January 2011 Kickstart Forum: Blender or food processor? | |||
|
|||
| peasandrice
Joined: 12/29/10 Posts: 77 |
Blender or food processor? Posted Tuesday, January 11, 2011 at 2:17 PM I notice some recipes list one of these and some the other. What exactly is the difference? Are they interchangeable? I destroyed a blender once by putting spinach in it (the stings got wrapped around the base of the blades and I couldn't figure out a way to remove them). Can spinach only go in a food processor, or did I do something wrong with the blender? Thank you so much for the help! I really want to make the easy bean dip + spinach, but am afraid to put it in my new blender, but I don't want to buy a food processor if I don't have to. I did google this, but the answers just confused me... |
||
|
|||
mollyhorn
 Location: Fort Worth, TX Posts: 582 |
RE: Blender or food processor? Posted Tuesday, January 11, 2011 at 2:29 PM It depends on the blender or food processor. If you spend enough money to get a quality machine, you shouldn't have problems. With a blender, you usually need to add a liquid if you're blending anything solid. I.e. if you're blending spinach and beans, you would have to add some water or salsa or something very 'wet' to help the blades move around. With a food processor, you don't have to do this, but you can't blend liquids as well. Food processors are meant mostly for solid/paste foods. I purchased a Kitchenaid 5-speed blender off Amazon and a Cuisinart 7-cup Prep-7 Food Processor and I absolutely adore both of them. LOVE. Molly Horn |
||
|
|||
| peasandrice
Joined: 12/29/10 Posts: 77 |
RE: Blender or food processor? Posted Tuesday, January 11, 2011 at 2:36 PM Mollyhorn: Thank you for the suggestions! Are either of these hard to clean and/or have you ever had an issue with fiber/strings from things like spinach? I didn't know about the liquid thing, although I have noticed blenders work faster with more of it. |
||
|
|||
| Bugsmom
Joined: 09/13/10 Posts: 2068 |
RE: Blender or food processor? Posted Tuesday, January 11, 2011 at 2:42 PM Hubby generally uses our blender most of the time, even when a food pro is mentioned in the recipe. When we bought this one, he specifically got something with an all-metal assembly (if you look at where the blades attach many blenders are plastic). It can handle just about anything we throw at it - spinach and navy beans for quiche filling, hummus ingredients, etc. However, there are some things that have too much volume in the recipe for the blender to handle and then we use the food pro (he wants to upgrade that to industrial quality!) The food pro we have is simple to clean because it all comes apart - the lid, bowl, blade assembly are each separately washable (even dishwasher safe). The blender isn't too hard to clean - he just puts warm soapy water in, puts the lid on, and hits blend and lets it swish itself clean. --Deb R |
||
|
|||
| peasandrice
Joined: 12/29/10 Posts: 77 |
RE: Blender or food processor? Posted Tuesday, January 11, 2011 at 2:51 PM Bugsmom wrote: Hubby generally uses our blender most of the time, even when a food pro is mentioned in the recipe. When we bought this one, he specifically got something with an all-metal assembly (if you look at where the blades attach many blenders are plastic). It can handle just about anything we throw at it - spinach and navy beans for quiche filling, hummus ingredients, etc. However, there are some things that have too much volume in the recipe for the blender to handle and then we use the food pro (he wants to upgrade that to industrial quality!) The food pro we have is simple to clean because it all comes apart - the lid, bowl, blade assembly are each separately washable (even dishwasher safe). The blender isn't too hard to clean - he just puts warm soapy water in, puts the lid on, and hits blend and lets it swish itself clean. --Deb R What brand is your food processor? Easy to clean is very appealing. I tend to buy really cheap because I keep destroying things, but don't mind spending more it it will last. Plus hubby is all on board with any purchase that equates more cooked food, lol. |
||
|
|||
| Bugsmom
Joined: 09/13/10 Posts: 2068 |
RE: Blender or food processor? Posted Tuesday, January 11, 2011 at 2:53 PM I'll have to check - hubby keeps track of all that since he's the head chef at home. Thus, as many of the kitchen tools as possible are "manly" power tools - lots of shiny metal, sharp things, etc. He hates kitchen tools/small appliances that are mostly plastic. --Deb R |
||
|
|||
cch22
 Location: New York State Posts: 999 |
RE: Blender or food processor? Posted Tuesday, January 11, 2011 at 2:54 PM i have the same cuisinart 7 cup model that molly owns.. i love it!! i almost have to giggle at the amount of time it saves me in the kitchen.. It just does the work so fast!! |
||
|
|||
| mollyhorn
Location: Fort Worth, TX Posts: 582 |
RE: Blender or food processor? Posted Tuesday, January 11, 2011 at 3:00 PM peasandrice wrote: Are either of these hard to clean and/or have you ever had an issue with fiber/strings from things like spinach? I've never had an issue with strings from spinach, but I've only used baby spinach – I wonder if that makes a difference? Also, when I blend any other leafy greens, I remove the stems and chop them into rough pieces first, making sure to add at least 1/2-1 cup of water or plant milk before blending. The blender is really easy to clean – just add a few drops of dish soap, some water, and blend! You only have to wash the lid separately. The food processor is more of a pain to clean, so I tend to save up all my processing recipes for one day, so that I only have to get it really dirty once every week or two, and can just rinse it out between recipes. Molly Horn |
||
|
|||
| Bugsmom
Joined: 09/13/10 Posts: 2068 |
RE: Blender or food processor? Posted Tuesday, January 11, 2011 at 3:02 PM yup, hubby is very specific about what order he adds certain things whether blending or processing to make things go more smoothly I think the food pro is a cuisinart but I'm not sure --Deb R |
||
|
|||
| Bugsmom
Joined: 09/13/10 Posts: 2068 |
RE: Blender or food processor? Posted Wednesday, January 12, 2011 at 8:16 AM Bugsmom wrote: I'll have to check - hubby keeps track of all that since he's the head chef at home. Thus, as many of the kitchen tools as possible are "manly" power tools - lots of shiny metal, sharp things, etc. He hates kitchen tools/small appliances that are mostly plastic. --Deb R Black & Decker (yes same company that makes the power tools!) Quick & Easy food pro. Oster 12 speed blender. Hubby says he really doesn't like the food processor so much - he wants a larger non-plastic bowl and heavy duty motor (he wants more power! <grunt grunt grunt> a la Tim the toolman Taylor) Oh, and we also have a really nice coffee/seed/spice grinder as well. We had a simple coffee grinder but that basically died when we started grinding lots of seeds and spices with it. Now it's a nice Proctor Silex model grinder that is designed more for seeds, nuts, spices but also does coffee. And a simple blue glazed ceramic mortar and pestle for doing really small amounts of things (like crushing up 1/4 tsp of cloves) |
||
|
|||
| chickadee
Joined: 01/12/11 Location: North Eastern Ontario, Canada Posts: 52 |
RE: Blender or food processor? Posted Wednesday, January 12, 2011 at 9:52 AM I have a Vitamix and couldn't get by without it. It takes the place of a blender and food processor, as well as a juicer, grinder, etc. It is also very easy to clean, put in some water and dish detergent, turn it on for a minute and its clean. |
||
|
|||
| peasandrice
Joined: 12/29/10 Posts: 77 |
RE: Blender or food processor? Posted Wednesday, January 12, 2011 at 10:10 AM mollyhorn Bugsmom cch22 and chickadee: Thank you for all the information! I have the cheapest versions of a coffee grinder and a blender and that might be why things tend to break. Also the order I put things in, not having enough water, etc. I think I see the value of having decent equipment. I need to see exactly what we can afford and go from their. The appeal of having one appliance that can do it all is nice... also doing everything on something that is hard to clean on the same day is wise. Thank you so much for the brand recommendations, I really hate throwing money away, so I appreciate the tips! |
||
|
|||
| cjewell
Joined: 01/01/11 Location: new england -- ct Posts: 10 |
RE: Blender or food processor? Posted Wednesday, January 12, 2011 at 12:44 PM I have a cuisinart and I love it. I think mine is 7 cup, as well. These things last forever if you take care of them. There are several parts to clean, but it's usually fairly easy. We don't use our blender much, but when we do it's for smoothies. |
||
|
|||
| philocrates
Joined: 03/18/10 Posts: 47 |
RE: Blender or food processor? Posted Wednesday, January 12, 2011 at 2:12 PM My rule of thumb is Immersion blender [I have a really good powerful one from Phillips] for recipes that say blender and Blender for recipes that say Food Processor. Why is simple. It is a nightmare to clean my processor. |
||
|
|||
| Bugsmom
Joined: 09/13/10 Posts: 2068 |
RE: Blender or food processor? Posted Wednesday, January 12, 2011 at 7:34 PM philocrates wrote: My rule of thumb is Immersion blender [I have a really good powerful one from Phillips] for recipes that say blender and Blender for recipes that say Food Processor. Why is simple. It is a nightmare to clean my processor. We've killed two or three immersion blenders. We're going to have to find a commercial kitchen version before hubby even looks at it again. --Deb R |
||
|
|||
| vegteacher
Joined: 03/02/10 Posts: 10 |
RE: Blender or food processor? Posted Thursday, January 13, 2011 at 10:41 AM How about the Magic Bullet? I just ordered one, and it's on its way. Any recipe suggestions specifically for this tool? |
||
|
|||
| Katherine Lawrence
Joined: 01/12/11 Posts: 24 |
RE: Blender or food processor? Posted Friday, January 14, 2011 at 10:34 AM Hello, I teach for the Cancer Project and we often have students who decide to purchase a blender or food processor in the hopes of preparing more homemade recipes. I have a large Cuisinart (16-cup) that i use in class, but many of my students have found that the Cuisinart "mini prep" 3-cup will suffice for the majority of our recipes. I actually bought one and find myself using it more often than the large one! Its just so small and easy to clean - the price tag is around $25, so its also easy on the pocketbook. I think a blender is vital for preparing healthy green smoothies. Most any brand of blender will work for breaking down the fruits and greens - the only challenge my students have expressed is using the Magic Bullet. For that blender, if you freeze the kale or green you're using ahead of time, then it will break down much easier when its time to make the smoothie. I hope this helps! Katherine Lawrence Katherine Lawrence |
||
|
|||
| philocrates
Joined: 03/18/10 Posts: 47 |
RE: Blender or food processor? Posted Saturday, January 15, 2011 at 5:28 AM Bugsmom wrote: philocrates wrote: My rule of thumb is Immersion blender [I have a really good powerful one from Phillips] for recipes that say blender and Blender for recipes that say Food Processor. Why is simple. It is a nightmare to clean my processor. We've killed two or three immersion blenders. We're going to have to find a commercial kitchen version before hubby even looks at it again. --Deb R I've been lucky with my Phillips. It has 5 or 6 attachments and it will even mix thick cookie dough without a blink. It might be commercial grade. I got it at Goodwill for $5. I spend a LOT of time in the cooking section of thrift stores. |
||
|
|||
| lori852
Joined: 09/22/10 Posts: 16 |
RE: Blender or food processor? Posted Sunday, January 16, 2011 at 3:04 AM I burned out the motor on my Cuisinart combo blender/food processor. It couldn't handle all the frozen fruit I use in smoothies. I invested in a vitamix. It handles anything and will last me a lifetime. |
||
|
|||
| peasandrice
Joined: 12/29/10 Posts: 77 |
RE: Blender or food processor? Posted Sunday, January 16, 2011 at 11:02 AM I haven't purchased a food processor yet, my kitchen was poorly designed with only 4 feet of counter space (which is further taken up by microwave,dish rack, coffee maker, etc). I didn't care about this when I bought the house because I was single and didn't cook. Since I've been learning how to cook, I realized this won't work so we have spent the last few days remodeling our kitchen. We added a 6.5' counter + cabinets and are replacing the flooring and painting everything to make it all match/look nice. Despite how much we are doing ourselves it was still a chunk of money. I think I may start with the $25 cuisinart to make sure I will use it regularly. Plus it would be much less upsetting if it were to break. Most people seem to like cuisinarts and I can always upgrade later. At $25 it would probably pay for itself quickly just in no longer having to buy hummus. My husband keeps teasing me that I'm becoming so domestic, but he's really excited that someone is making food. He's pretty much encouraging me to buy whatever I want if it equals more food, lol. |
||
|
|||
It's how I get all my chef's grade stuff.| New Topic Reply Subscription Options |
Page:
1
2
|
| Subscription Options |
| Subscription options are available after you log in. |
There are 65 active user sessions right now.
|
home | contact us | about us | support us | full disclaimer | privacy policy PCRM Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine |