If you don’t completely love it, cooking can be challenging for some people. Some consider it an art, some people consider it a drag, but no matter how you see it, rest assured that there will be an appliance out there to make the experience more pleasurable. One of these is the food processor. Although its actual functionality can be a bit confusing at first, once you have that down, it makes everything so much easier.

Why is it not a juicer?

When you work with a juicer, you are actually actively separating the solid and liquid components of the fruit or vegetable that you’re working with. The juice is split to one side and the solid to the other, from where you can discard it when you’re done. Conversely, a food processor deals with several types of food in one go, and combines them to a certain desired end result consistency. It doesn’t remove or add anything to the end result; it simply processes what you give it into a different form.

Why is it not a blender?

A blender and a food processor both work with the sum total of the ingredients you add to it. The blender’s job is to break the content down into what is effectively a semi-solid state. There is very little control over the end result’s consistency, as the function of the blender is not to create variety, but simply to blend. While you can still get some great flavors from using a blender, Beginner Food recommends a food processor if you’re looking for one main device that can deliver on both excellent flavors and various textures.

The new world of fast food

A food processor gets you to where you’re heading in a fast and very accurate way. Anyone who has ever attempted to chop vegetables manually will understand how difficult it can be to get vegetables, specifically onions, chopped into uniform pieces, particularly when they’re making you cry! A food processor takes the pain out of everything, by chopping up the onion in a couple of seconds.

Decisions decisions

There is a huge selection of small appliances available on the market, with many performing only one job at a time. If you are on a hunt but have a limited budget, why not look for something that gives you better value for your money?

If you are looking for versatility, a food processor is an excellent choice. From mincing foods to chopping, mixing batter and even grinding coffee, the versatility of food processor makes the money you spend on it well worthwhile, so go for the best model you can afford under your own circumstances.

What should you look out for?

As with any other appliance, food processors are available from basic entry-level models to very high-tech and even industrial models. The best advice I can give you would be to analyse your needs and make the decision based on that. If you’re only going to use the  food processor very occasionally, you might get away with a cheaper model, but if it is something with a solid future in your kitchen, you might want to get a more solid version that is less likely to burn out with lots of use.