Food processor for veg prep

[Fat Guy]

Today I had to dice a whole lot of onions, carrots and celery. Could I have done this with the Cuisinart? There doesn't seem to be a blade to achieve a dice. It doesn't have to be pretty -- this is for use in mirepoix-type applications. Can it be automated?

[heidih]

If it is going to cook down for some time as in a soup or stew I have used the courser grating blade. I push hard on the veggies so they pass through quickly without getting too fine and mushy.

[LindaK]

For what you're describing, I use the "pulse" button. Cut each veg into a few rough chucks first. If the veggies are of different densities (carrots=hard, onions=soft) I'll pulse them separately, or add them in sequence hard --> soft.

[Will]

How big a quantity are we talking about? Generally, I don't find it that time-consuming to dice these kind of things by hand, especially if it doesn't have to be perfect. Just think of it as a good opportunity to practice your knife skills. How big a knife are you using?

As someone else said, if you're really averse to doing it by hand, you can chop everything in the food processor. The results will be somewhat different; whether the difference is evident in the final product is probably a matter of opinion. Personally, I always chop onions and garlic by hand, because, rightly or not, I've always been taught that chopping in the food processor will result in uneven size, and also may not make as "clean" a cut, which may affect the taste.

Edited July 9, 2011 by Will (log)

[Fat Guy]

It was about 20-30 minutes of effort. I was just wondering if it could be shaved down to 2-3 minutes.

[Kerry Beal]

I suppose if you cut them in one direction only and put them through the julienne blade on the Cuisinart you might get something approximating a dice. I've got a variety of sizes of julienne blades for my DLC-7 and my DLC-X.

[djyee100]

I always chop onions, celery and carrots for mirepoix in the food processor. My method is more elaborate than the super-quick method you're looking for, though. My results are always good for an even, coarse chop.

- Cut the vegs in coarse dice or coarse slice by hand. Keep the different vegs separate. Big even-sized pieces will mean smaller even-sized pieces in the food processor.

- Chop each veg separately in the food processor. Put a moderate amount in the container, and hold down the Pulse button to the count of 5. Look. Scrape down the sides. Hold down the Pulse button to the count of 5 again for a finer chop. Keep going with these steps until you like the texture.

I always chop onions and garlic by hand, because, rightly or not, I've always been taught that chopping in the food processor will result in uneven size, and also may not make as "clean" a cut, which may affect the taste.

Food processors tear as much as they cut, that's why. To chop garlic in the food processor, set the processor on while the container is empty, so the blade is whirling around in there. Toss a peeled clove of garlic down the food tube. The clove of garlic should jump around and chop against the whirling blade, to land as chopped garlic against the sides of the workbowl. It ain't elegant as a knife chop, but for some applications it's fine.

Edited July 9, 2011 by djyee100 (log)

[Edward J]

F.G., I have to confess that after 30 years in this biz, I am lazy and don't like to clean. My choice--at home or at work, is still a knife and cutting board.

Food processors don't excell at dicing. Shredding, slicing, julienne, yes, faster than by hand, but dicing is lousy. Some have a grid that you jam down the vegetable over to cut into strips, where it gets cut into cubes by the whirring blade. This is kind of like splitting a log with a dull axe.

The only exception to this is a contraption called a "power dicer" made by Hobart, to fit onto 30 qt to 80 qt mixers. The vegetable sits on a chute that is is driven by a worm gear and is forced into a grid, directly behind this grid is a whirring blade. All sorts of configurations for dices. Horrendously expensive plus you need an actual mixer. On the other hand, with this contraption, a potato becomes french fries in a matter of seconds and an onion into 1/2 dice in a matter of seconds.

BTW onions jammed down a grid or battered around in a food processor get bruised easily, and start to stink pretty bad within hours.

[Borgstrom]

Today I had to dice a whole lot of onions, carrots and celery. Could I have done this with the Cuisinart? There doesn't seem to be a blade to achieve a dice. It doesn't have to be pretty -- this is for use in mirepoix-type applications. Can it be automated?

It can be automated if you're willing to part with $1100

http://www.robotcoupeusa.com/products/product-info.php?id=19

[gpark]

A good mandoline to create "matchsticks" with knife work for me is fastest way to achieve perfect dice. By time I pull out the Cuisinart and switch between ingredieants with cleaning, etc., the amount of time and work is not worth it.

[lowonthehog]

It depends on what you're using the mirepoix for, including what size you want, how long you're going to cook the dish, and how much juice can come out in the prep. I'm assuming from the question that reasonable, but not fanatical uniformity is the goal.

If you're making a soup or stew without caramelizing the mirepoix or if you're going to simmer the dish for a longer time, you have more flexibility in how the flavors can come to the party. At the other end of the spectrum, if I'm doing something like a stir fry, I'm much more careful in how I chop. Nathan (volume 2) has convinced me that smaller pieces release more flavor, so I'm cutting things much smaller these days.

Most often I'm looking to practice knife skills, but otherwise I pulse each veggie separately, as a couple of folks have mentioned. The Cuisinart does more violence to onions (and shallots) in realeasing juice, which you typically don't want to happen early, so I generally do those by hand. In contrast, I've had good success with pulsing the Cuisinart to get a fine mince of garlic.