Food processor

A food processor is an electric machine with a wide bowl, a lid with a feed tube, and a fast motor under the bowl. The main tool is an S-shaped blade that chops, grinds and purees. Most also come with discs that slice and grate food as you push it down the tube. It is best for thick mixtures and dry or chunky food, where a blender would jam.

How to use it

1. Lock the bowl and the blade in place before adding food, then lock the lid. Most models will not run otherwise.
2. Cut food into roughly even pieces, about 2 to 3 cm (1 in), so it chops evenly.
3. Use short pulses for chopping. Check after every few pulses and scrape down the sides.
4. Run it continuously only when you want a smooth paste or puree.
5. Add liquids slowly through the feed tube while the motor runs.

Good jobs for it include pesto, hummus, breadcrumbs, nut butters, chopping onions in bulk, and rubbing butter into flour for shortcrust pastry. With the discs, it shreds a head of cabbage or a block of cheese in a minute.

Substitutes

A sharp knife and a board for chopping, a box grater or mandoline for slicing and grating, and a blender or immersion blender for purees with more liquid.

Common mistakes

• Overfilling the bowl with liquid. Soup leaks out around the center post. Check the liquid fill line.
• Holding the switch down to chop. Onions turn to a watery mush. Pulse instead.
• Mixing bread dough in a small model. It can overwork the motor. Check the manual for its limit.
• Overworking pastry. Stop as soon as the dough forms clumps, or it turns tough.
• Reaching into the bowl near the blade, or washing the blade loose in a sink of soapy water. Handle it by the plastic hub.

In recipes

"Pulse in a food processor" means short bursts of a second or two. "Blitz" means to run it until smooth. Recipes that say "process" usually mean the S-blade unless they name a disc.