Getting an even consistency with a food processor

[jessicacarr]

when i got my food processor, i was eager to use it.
The first time i used it i tried to make salsa,
then later i tried to make chicken salad.
i realize pulsing helps to not turn it into mush/soup,
so i pulsed with each,
but here is my problem each time...
for me, it doesnt get to all the food in there, so i keep pulsing it
and my experiments turned out to be mush chicken salad and soupy salsa!
i saw one time where someone on tv/food network stopped half way thru to scrape the sides...,
but it seems to me this shouldnt have to be done with such a sophisticated machine.
am i missing it somewhere?
a better question..where am i missing it???!!!
this is frustrating
any helpful advise is appreciated, i will then dust off the fp and use it i again.

 

[Teleri]

Maybe you're already doing this but I'd suggest starting with pieces of a uniform size, not filling the bowl too full and chopping individual ingredients bowl by bowl. Sometimes I make chicken salad in my food processor if I'm in a big rush and I'm not serving it to company. I chop onions that I've quartered and dump them out into another bowl. Then I chop celery that I've cut into 4-inch sections and dump that out. The chicken meat gets cut up into about 4-inch sections and I pulse that just to break it up. Then I add mayo and the onions and celery back into the bowl for a couple pulses to mix everything.

 

[Gretchen]

Not all things are good for the food processor. Chopped chicken is one--do it with a knife.
Tailor your FP use to proper foods/chopping/mincing/pureeing--and the correct "attachment" for the FP.
You have to scrape the sides of a mixer and blender--why not a food processor. food gets thrown up on the sides.
The slicing attachment can be really terrific. I have gotten wonderfully uniform slices of even a soft veggie like mushrooms.
If there is too much ingredient to do the job correctly for the size of your FP bowl, do it in two or more batches.

 

[ChefJune]

I wouldn't atry to chop chicken for chiken salad with the food processor unless I wanted mush! not being sarcastic, just realistic.

I worked for Cuisinart for many years, eaching folks how to get the most use out of their food processors. even tho the machine IS sophisticated, you do still need to stop and push the food down to where the blades can reach it.

You also need to start with pieces of uniform size. I'd be glad to answer any questions you might have about it. Feel free to pm me!

 

[FryBoy]

You also need to stop, remove the lid, scrape down the sides, and stir up the contents from time to time. Pulsing won't do that -- it just keeps making the pieces in the bottom of the bowl smaller and smaller.

I've had several different CuisinArt food processors almost since they first appeared on the scene, which must have been in the mid- to late-1970s. When I got my first one, I followed the advice of the experts and bought a sack of cheap potatoes to practice with until I learned to get the results I wanted.

I can pretty much make my Cuisinart Power Prep Plus to do anything I want, but I rarely use it -- unless I'm making something that calls for a ton of chopped or minced veggies, I find that knives are faster and a lot less hassle. For blending sauces and so forth, I like my KitchenAid hand blender -- it does a better job and is much faster. And for small jobs, like mincing a cup of parsley or grinding nuts, I like my Cuisinart MiniPrep -- just a bowl, a lid, and a blade and extremely simple to operate.

 

[jessicacarr]

so many people willing to help and advise!

that's what i LOVE about this site!

 

[Corey123]

Also, follow the instructions of the manual that came with the machine.

You'll more then likely get good results!


~Corey123.