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Does your food processor come with various attachments and accessories? Make use of them to get the most out of your food processor. Here’s a list of food processor attachments and accessories you might be interested in using and you can always buy them separately as long as they fit with your food processor model.
S-blade
Every food processor has this blade to shred, cut, slice and grind food. It has two blades on opposite sides of the center shaft and they curve towards different directions to make an S shape. Metal blades are better than plastic ones because they stay sharp and last longer.
Dough hook or dough blade
Looks like the S-blade but with straighter metal or plastic blades. Mixes dough for bread.
Egg whip
The one with large paddles at the end of two straight arms. This is used for beating eggs, but I don’t use it because the normal whisked egg for cooking can easily be done by hand with an egg whisk without going into all the trouble of washing the food processor, while the beaten eggs for baking cakes should be done with a mixer which will give better results. Maybe one can use this attachment for whipping egg whites for small size desserts like mousses.
Julienne disc
The metal disc with a row of narrow teeth that can cut food into long and thin strips.
French fry disc
The metal disc that looks like the Julienne disc but with larger teeth that cuts food into fatter strips.
Citrus juicer
A dome-like attachment to fit on the shaft and juices citrus fruit like oranges, lemons and grapefruit while it turns on the shaft.
Non-citrus juicer
Lets you juice fruits or vegetables by feeding through the feed tube. The juice is strained to the bottom of the bowl while the pulp is kept in the middle.
Extra bowls
To alternate between tasks if you don’t want to wash the bowl each time.
A food processor is very useful in the kitchen and saves a lot of food preparation time. You can shred, slice, dice, grind, puree and even mix dough with a food processor. Here’s how to do it:
1. The blades
Most food processors come with a variety of blade attachments, and each of these has a different function. You need to choose the right blade for the right work, or otherwise the result will differ. Usually the manual will tell you which does what, but if you’re still unsure, check out my post on Food Processor Attachments and Accessories to read more about them.
Attach the blade you choose to the food processor. Be careful while handling the blades and be sure to attach them correctly to avoid accidents. The edges of food processor blades are very sharp; that’s why they do a good job in shredding and slicing.
2. The food
If it’s vegetables you want to shred or slice, wash them and get rid of any parts you don’t want. For example, if you only want to cut the stalks, pluck off the leaves first; and if you want to dice potatoes or carrots, peel the skin before putting them in. You get the idea.
Then place the food into the attachment bowl, filling it up until the marked level. Close the lid and place the bowl onto the food processor if you haven’t already done so. When the food processor is working and the food inside has subsided a little, you can add more food inside by pushing them through the feed tube (which is available with most food processors now) with the pusher.
3. The speed
Chop with the pulse button instead of just turning the food processor on, one pulse at a time until the food is at the exact consistency (you should be able to see it through the plastic bowl). If you just turn it on, you might get puree instead.
You can grind nuts to go from big pieces to small pieces, then to thick butter and finally thin butter. Just turn it on and let it grind until it becomes the consistency you want. Keep an eye on it as not to overdo it. You can turn it off just before it’s right and use the pulse button a few times.
Shred cheese with the pulse button. Freezing the cheese for 15 – 20 minutes before shredding will make them easier to shred.
If you’re unsure about which speed to use, or whether to use pulse, just remember that the longer the blades are kept turning, the finer the food will become.
I’ve gone through it, washing a food processor means taking apart everything, then soaking and cleaning each part under the sink, and then putting them back together, and it takes ages to do. I didn’t like to use the dishwasher for it because that takes a long time as well, and it’s not like I’m only using the food processor once a day. So I’ve devised two very fast and easy ways to clean a food processor.
One is for cleaning after processing the usual food like meat, veggies and so on, while the other is for nut butters.
After Usual Food
What you need: Two small tubs, dish detergent or mild soap, dish cloth or sponge.
1. As soon as you’ve finished using the food processor, don’t let it sit around. Immediately take apart all the removable parts (except the base) and place them in a small tub. The parts should be placed loosely and not stacked together too much.
2. Take the tub to the bathroom or garden hose and hose down the parts with a strong spray of water to get rid of loose food residue. Try to loose as much residue as possible.
3. Move the now less dirty food processor parts into another clean tub. Drain the original tub and fill it with clean water.
4. Use the dish cloth or sponge to rub through each part with dish detergent or soap. Be careful with the blades.
5. Once you’re done pour the clean water from the first tub into this tub. The rush of a large amount of water will be able to wash away the rest of the dirt and partly rinse the food processor parts.
6. At the end just drain away all water and rinse the parts clean of any detergent or soap.
7. Dry the parts with a clean towel or let them air dry if you are not using the food processor immediately afterward.
After Nut Butters
What you need: Paper towel, dish detergent or mild soap, dish cloth or sponge.
1. Again, clean the food processor immediately after use. Remove all the parts from the base which needed to be cleaned.
2. Use a paper towel (or two) to wipe the parts clean of nut butter. Remove as much residue as possible.
3. Use the dish cloth or sponge to rub through each part with dish detergent or soap. Be careful with the blades.
4. Rinse the parts clean of detergent or soap. If any of the parts are still dirty, repeat with step 3 and 4.
5. Dry the parts with a clean towel or let them air dry if you are not using the food processor immediately afterward.
The Base
The base cannot be submerged in or poured with water. Just wipe it down with a wet cloth. If there are stubborn stains, use baking soda paste. But there shouldn’t be stubborn stains if you clean your food processor after each use.
I found this on BBC Good Food Magazine, try it, it’s wonderful and very easy to prepare. This roasted pepper soup is great for lunch with some good bread and cheese, yummy!
Ingredients
6 red bell peppers, cut in half and seeds removed
2 garlic cloves, peeled
2 red onions, peeled and roughly chopped
3 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large potato, peeled and cubed (Use a sweet potato if preferred)
ground black pepper
salt
3 tablespoons ketchup
600 ml water
Directions
Put the vegetables into a large roasting pan, along with the thyme leaves.
Drizzle with the olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Roast in a 450 degree F oven for 20 minutes or until tender.
Put the vegetable mixture into a food processor along with the water and ketchup.
Pulse until smooth.
Strain if you like, then chill
To serve, microwave in heatproof bowls on high for 2 minutes, or bring to a boil in a pan on the stove.
