Food Processor vs Blender

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hwilson18

Assistant Cook
Joined
May 20, 2009
Messages
8
Hi everyone,

I am new to the forums and just a person who loves to cook...I've been doing a lot of reading and watching to learn techniques, recipes etc lately and I have noticed on certain shows, sometimes they use a food processor and sometimes a blender. I thought that the 2 appliances did things differently, so I am confused on when to use what or if it really matters. I have a small food processor and a blender, so I am lost.
 
They do different things. The food processor slices and chops and can reduce onions and so forth to very small pieces. It also can make dough, mix cakes, etc. A blender, OTOH, isn't as good as a processor at any of those things, and indeed it can't do some of them, but it excels at liquefying ingredients, mixing drinks, crushing ice, etc.

BTW, I very rarely use my regular blender, but I love my Kitchenaid Wand Blender (a.k.a. an immersion blender) for tasks such as pureeing soup.
 
Blenders are really meant for liquids or very wet ingredients. They are unsurpassed in pureeing to a smooth consistency. They suck at doing dry ingredients.

The FP can do both but is not the best for liquids.

If you do s lot of pureed soups and smoothies, etc. you need a blender. If not, buy a FP. Look for a Cuisinart or Kitchen Aid.
 
I have a full size FP that rarely gets used as well as a full sized blender that is gathering dust. I almost exclusively use my mini chopper and immersion blender for 90% of my cooking. They are easy to use, quick to clean, and don't take up much time pulling out, setting up and such. If I'm doing a big recipe (I sometimes cook for homeless so make meals for 100) then I'll pull out the big guns but for everyday cooking my 2 little appliances work well.
 
I couldn't live without my FPs. I actually have a large one (11qt) and a small one. I use both all the time -- not every time I cook but close to it. I hardly ever use my blender but when I do, it's for liquids. All three sit on my counter.

My immersion blender isn't used much, but it's a good tool to have.
 
I have had the same food processor (a Cuisinart 14-cupper) for 25 years. still going strong, and I use it almost every day for something.

I was given a blender by a client I did some recipes and demos for, and after the demos were over, it stood on my counter for 2 years until I sold it at a yard sale last summer. :LOL: Back in my 20's, I used to use a blender to make Brandy Alexanders. no more. :ROFLMAO:

I do use an immersion blender to puree soups. It beats either of the stationary objects you have to pour the stuff into and out of, as you can stick it right into the pan. Love it. :)
 
one thing i wanted to add

i wouldnt put frozen things in a FP...if you plan on making frozen smoothies or anything with ice, i think a blender is better....not only because a smoothie is a "liquid" like the others mentioned, but i feel that the blades in a FP are too fragile to handle those hard items....if anyone else has tried a FP with success, let me know
 
one thing i wanted to add

i wouldnt put frozen things in a FP...if you plan on making frozen smoothies or anything with ice, i think a blender is better....not only because a smoothie is a "liquid" like the others mentioned, but i feel that the blades in a FP are too fragile to handle those hard items....if anyone else has tried a FP with success, let me know
Agreed -- ice or frozen foods would undoubtedly damage the blade of a food processor; not a problem for a blender, but aside from drinks, I can't imagine why you would want to do that.

I have two food processors, a 14-cup Cuisinart and a Mini Prep Cuisinart. I don't use the big one very often as I much prefer to chop and slice and dice with knives, but there are some things it does best (e.g., making huge quantities of something). I use the Mini Prep more often, but mainly for one task: making bread crumbs.
 
thanks so much for all the info guys! I feel much more confident now...

Maybe another question you can help me out with...I only have a small FP, I can't remember if its 4 or 7 cup...and I only have me and my husband so most of the time it should suffice, but we have friends over often. SOOO maybe I was thinking to look for a FP at a yard sale, because they are pricey. Any tips on what to look for to know its not completely junk??

And an immersion blender, is that the little handle majig that has blades on the bottom and you just stick it in whatever your blending? My husband uses one of those things to make his protein drinks I think...I never knew what it was lol!
 
I suspect there are a lot out there that have never been used. They make great wedding gifts, but how many new brides cook these days?
 
thanks so much for all the info guys! I feel much more confident now...

Maybe another question you can help me out with...I only have a small FP, I can't remember if its 4 or 7 cup...and I only have me and my husband so most of the time it should suffice, but we have friends over often. SOOO maybe I was thinking to look for a FP at a yard sale, because they are pricey. Any tips on what to look for to know its not completely junk??

And an immersion blender, is that the little handle majig that has blades on the bottom and you just stick it in whatever your blending? My husband uses one of those things to make his protein drinks I think...I never knew what it was lol!

Look on the internets for a refurbished Cuisinart. You can find them at very reasonable prices and they come with warrantees. I got a refurbished blender which I suspect was actually new.

I'd look for an 11 cup, which is a pretty standard large size. It can do a lot more than the smallone. Not only larger quantities, but things like doughs.
 
I suspect there are a lot out there that have never been used. They make great wedding gifts, but how many new brides cook these days?

haha. It is a rare thing I guess...I am a newlywed and when I mention cooking dinner I get some of the craziest looks/comments.
 
Check Ebay. There are currently 319 listings for Cuisinart food processors (although many are just for attachments) and 79 for Kitchenaid food processors, plus a slew of lesser brands.
 
Scotch, I had actually just came from there and it sparked another question!
I noticed on ebay, cuisinarts were higher, by a good amount, than kitchenaid. Is cuisinart a better brand byfar or is kitchenaid still worth looking into??
 
I've always had Cuisinart processors, but never a Kitchenaid. However, I have several other products by each manufacturer, and I think they both make good things. The price difference is probably mostly due to name recognition -- Cuisinart is sort of synonymous with food processor.

I know QVC sells a lot of Kitchenaid processors, so I'd check their user comments, as well as those on Amazon. (Neither site censors user comments, except for bad language and the like.)

The comments on QVC are very positive: CLICK ME and CLICK ME TOO

Same on Amazon: CLICK ME and CLICK ME TOO
 
I could not cook Mexican specialties without a blender. It is the most-used appliance here because so many sauces use dried chiles that have been reconstituted. Lots of good things start with some chiles, some chopped tomatoes or tomatillos, some garlic, some onion...all whipped up in the blender. When I make my homemade chile seasoning/"powder", I find that the blender does a better job of turning the dried chiles into a powder than the FP.
 
Agreed -- ice or frozen foods would undoubtedly damage the blade of a food processor; not a problem for a blender, but aside from drinks, I can't imagine why you would want to do that.

I purchased yesterday wolfgang's 7 cup FP and it crushed ice made ice cream and slice coconuts with no problem from watching the live show at HSN.
 
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