Things to do with a food processor?

Puggles

Puggles

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I gave in and bought a food processor. I never had/used one before. I know you can make homemade mayo, but what are other things to do with a food processor? I want to get my money's worth.
 
Puggles said:
I gave in and bought a food processor. I never had/used one before. I know you can make homemade mayo, but what are other things to do with a food processor? I want to get my money's worth.
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What type did you buy? I'm no help here as I don't have or use one. A stick blender will make mayo very easily. If you have a large food processor I'd think you will have to make a large quantity of mayonnaise as you won't be able to make a small amount given the size of the container. Hence my question.
 
Things I do with my food processor:

Pizza dough (bread dough as well) - I think it excels at pizza dough, as 10 minutes by-hand kneading takes about 45 seconds.

Hummus and other bean dips, pestos and salsas, and I make a fantastic cheese spread that’s different every time because it uses up all the little bits and bobs of cheese left over in the fridge, churned up with a little wine.

The usual shredding, slicing, dicing, and chopping, of course. I also use it to make bread crumbs.
 
Morning Glory said:
What type did you buy? I'm no help here as I don't have or use one. A stick blender will make mayo very easily. If you have a large food processor I'd think you will have to make a large quantity of mayonnaise as you won't be able to make a small amount given the size of the container. Hence my question.
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This model
 
TastyReuben said:
Things I do with my food processor:

Pizza dough (bread dough as well) - I think it excels at pizza dough, as 10 minutes by-hand kneading takes about 45 seconds.

Hummus and other bean dips, pestos and salsas, and I make a fantastic cheese spread that’s different every time because it uses up all the little bits and bobs of cheese left over in the fridge, churned up with a little wine.

The usual spreading, slicing, dicing, and chopping, of course. I also use it to make bread crumbs.
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Pesto is the first thing that comes to mind, for me. I have a mortar and pestle, but the food processor is so much quicker and easier. The model you bought is pretty big, but things like pesto can be made in a large batch, and frozen.

CD
 
^I also make pesto in my food processor when my garden basil is in season - freeze it in ice cube trays and pull it out as needed.

I use mine for making falafels, hummus, or anything that I don’t want completely smooth - I have a Vitamix blender, but frankly it’s a bit too powerful for some jobs.

My parents frequently use their food processor for making pickles (slicing cucumbers) and relishes.
 
Pie dough, pasta dough. The slicing and shredding blades are great, make quick work of veges. You can make mayo or other emulsions, even small batches. Pureeing as has been mentioned. Read the material that comes with as it will give you ideas.
 
Morning Glory said:
What type did you buy? I'm no help here as I don't have or use one. A stick blender will make mayo very easily. If you have a large food processor I'd think you will have to make a large quantity of mayonnaise as you won't be able to make a small amount given the size of the container. Hence my question.
Click to expand...
I have a small food processor, a larger food processor, and a stick blender. I use the small food processor the most.
TastyReuben said:
Things I do with my food processor:

Pizza dough (bread dough as well) - I think it excels at pizza dough, as 10 minutes by-hand kneading takes about 45 seconds.

Hummus and other bean dips, pestos and salsas, and I make a fantastic cheese spread that’s different every time because it uses up all the little bits and bobs of cheese left over in the fridge, churned up with a little wine.

The usual shredding, slicing, dicing, and chopping, of course. I also use it to make bread crumbs.
Click to expand...
Yes, I used my little food processor yesterday to puree some roasted garlic and an onion for my gyro meat blend. I had 2 pounds of meat plus a bunch of spices so I transferred the puree to my stand mixer to blend everything together after that (2 pounds of meat would not have fit in my larger food processor). I also used it to make tzatziki sauce (chopped the cucumber in it) for last night's dinner and the day before that I used it to make hummus. A few days ago I used it to puree some oven roasted garden tomatoes and roasted garlic into a sauce. Last week I made chimichurri and pesto in my larger food processor. So yeah, I use it pretty regularly, especially when we have an abundance of herbs and tomatoes from the garden.

I usually use my stand mixer for making dough, but glad to know if I am only making a small amount I can just do it in the food processor. Also loved hearing about your cheese spread, great way to get rid of odds and ends of cheese! What kind of wine are you using, white?
 
TastyReuben said:
A few more things that popped into my head: you can make butter from heavy cream, and you can make your own peanut butter.

I also “grind” meat in it for hamburgers.
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Yeah, I used it to grind meat for burgers before but I found that chunking the beef into cubes and partially freezing them before grinding in the food processor made for a rougher grind. Otherwise one might end up with a meat paste instead. Would probably be great for blending meat into meatloaf though.
 
JAS_OH1 said:
I usually use my stand mixer for making dough, but glad to know if I am only making a small amount I can just do it in the food processor. Also loved hearing about your cheese spread, great way to get rid of odds and ends of cheese! What kind of wine are you using, white?
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I think I have both a FP pizza dough and that cheese spread posted on the forum:

Recipe - Basic Same-Day Pizza Dough

Recipe - Fromage Fort (Strong Cheese)

That’s not the only pizza dough I do in the FP, just about all the ones I use can be done that way. I don’t know why, but I get unusually excited when the dry ingredients instantly transform into a dough ball zipping around the bowl after streaming in a little water. :laugh:
 
TastyReuben said:
I think I have both a FP pizza dough and that cheese spread posted on the forum:

Recipe - Basic Same-Day Pizza Dough

Recipe - Fromage Fort (Strong Cheese)

That’s not the only pizza dough I do in the FP, just about all the ones I use can be done that way. I don’t know why, but I get unusually excited when the dry ingredients instantly transform into a dough ball zipping around the bowl after streaming in a little water. :laugh:
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Thanks! I had seen and used the pizza dough recipe before and I will be doing that again soon!
 
  • Pesto, tapenade, hummus, babaghanoush, M´hamarra
  • Pepper jelly, smooth jams (eg. strawberry, apricot, blackberry, etc.)
  • Salsa Roja, Salsa Verde, smooth pasta sauces, Mojo Canario, refried beans
  • Shredding cabbage, courgettes, onions, sweet potatoes, potatoes, cucumber
  • Gazpacho, green soup, roasted vegetable soup, pumpkin/squash soup, lentil/bean soups.
 
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