I need Food Processor "Technique"

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pacanis

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I'd like to use my FP to chop some cooked meat and some raw onion and green pepper. The last time I tried to chop veggies I ended up turning them into puree. That was following the instructions; to chop into 1" pieces, pulse a couple times, then turn to on until chopped. Obviously I could have gotten away with just a couple pulses, but I'm anal and tend to follow directions even if I think they are wrong. So I just reread the instructions and also checked out how to chop meat. Other than telling me it had to be very cold, it said the same thing, starting with chop into 1" cubes......

Now I'm thinking, this can't be right. If I'm going to take the time to chop everything into 1" pieces, what good is the FP? They are practically the size I am looking for anyway at that stage.

So, not wanting to practice on any more food and ruin it again, is there a technique that will give me coarsely chopped food (around 1/2") using a FP without coarsely chopping it with a knife beforehand? Which way might be better to cut an onion and a bell pepper, into rings, chunks, quarters? Or, am I asking too much of my FP and I should always expect some pieces smaller than I want and larger than I want?
 
You do want to use your knife to rough chop into manageable pieces first. There are a few reasons I can think of to do this. one is the food needs to be able to fit into the feed tube. the other is that if you start with big hunks then the blades will break the food down, but not evenly. The food that hits the blades first will continue to get chopped while the center of the food that has not yet hit the blades will remain whole. You will end up with an uneven end product.

For what you are looing to do I would follow the instructions you have except do not progress beyond pulsing. The machine should not be turned "on". Just do quick pulses for a second at a time until you reach the desired result.
 
Thanks GB.
I gotta admit, I didn't realize I had to "process" the food before using the food processor on it :huh:
I need to get that VCR hooked up so I can watch the vid that came with it.
 
I have a queez 14 cup FP, and I only cut things that are going to be chopped into pieces small enough to fit in the feed tube, OR, I just put 'em in whole, put on the lid and pulse a few times. Big onion? Cut it to fit the feed tube. That's plenty enough.
 
I gotta admit, I didn't realize I had to "process" the food before using the food processor on it :huh:
Well it all depends on what you want the end product to be. Sometimes you can get away with throwing large chunks in, other times you can not.
 
Pacanis, it seemed in your other food processor thread you were looking for a knife replacement. There really isn't one. Yes, the FP has it's place in a kitchen, but you can't rely on it for everything. Follow some recipes that it came with to get an idea on it's uses.

Unless you like slaw-sized veggies.
 
Pacanis, it seemed in your other food processor thread you were looking for a knife replacement. There really isn't one. Yes, the FP has it's place in a kitchen, but you can't rely on it for everything. Follow some recipes that it came with to get an idea on it's uses.

Unless you like slaw-sized veggies.


I agree. It's not a very good device to chop vegetables no matter what technique you use.

Chopping veggies is best done with a knife. Or one of those cheapo chopper thingies.
 
img_708583_0_2520a2aedc1df2b632a83027c9679ac1.gif
I just had an idea of a new kitchen gadget.....or maybe a tool.

Think of a 1/4" diced size grid, kind of like those potato mashers but with cutting blades.

.....attatch that to a hammer handle and "WHACK" ...you have diced whatever.
img_708583_1_4f8be0ccf64a86d2939761da0d4e2ff6.gif
 
Ackkk! I could have gotten away with one of those cheapo chopper thingies?
:LOL:
 
Pacanis will be my side kick demonstrating the frustration of a FP and the ease of use of the Food ......... haven't thought of a name yet. But it also doubles as a stress reliever, which saves you money on booze. lmao
 
Hey now..... :ermm:
Iz jest sayin'.... I thought these things could chop food somewhat uniformly. It's only for chili, so I'm going to give it a go anyway.
That contraption looks more like a french fry maker anyway. Let me know when you design the motorized version :wacko:
 
Try it with just the pulse again. It will never be uniform, but might be a little bit bigger pieces.....mostly.
 
LOL - Noooo! It needs to be a hammah! :hammer: Stress reliever!

Picture a couple bell peppers and an onion lined up on your cutting board, then "Whack, whack, whack." Wouldn't it be fun?

A refined version of Gallagher.
That would be fun, but cleaning up all the bits of pepper and onion that go flying all over the place would not. Have you been watching Gallagher?
 

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