Getting the Most Out of Your Food Processor

[Lindacakes]

As suggested by Anna N in the I Hate My Food Processor thread, a counter-balance.

 

What it works well for:

 

Turning graham crackers into graham cracker crumbs, very quickly and very evenly.  Mostly used for key lime pies, but mine have their fans and I make many during the summer.

 

Cutting butter into flour for a piecrust, and then adding the ice water and bringing the dough together.  I am perfectly capable of doing this well with a pastry blender.  I took a pie-making class with Carole Walter, and she suggested it was the optimal way to create a crust.  She's right, it's very effective; the butter doesn't have a chance to get warm.

 

I have not made my own hummus because Costco carries a good one, and it is inexpensive.  But I'm going to try it.  I like a silky hummus.

 

I have not made my own coleslaw, because I don't love it, but I imagine I would if I made it myself.  

[chromedome]

12 minutes ago, Lindacakes said:

 

Cutting butter into flour for a piecrust, and then adding the ice water and bringing the dough together.  I am perfectly capable of doing this well with a pastry blender.  I took a pie-making class with Carole Walter, and she suggested it was the optimal way to create a crust.  She's right, it's very effective; the butter doesn't have a chance to get warm.

 

I use my FP for pie crust and biscuits, though I incorporate the liquid by hand. I tend to make those by touch and eyeball, so I rely a lot on my fingers to tell me when I've added as much liquid as I should.

[Tropicalsenior]

I seem to use my FP for breadcrumbs most of the time. I make my own bread and it just kills me to see any of the bread get moldy. Also I like my bread crumbs to be quite coarse, more like panko. I sift out the finer ones and use them to coat cake pans instead of flour. I find that the cakes don't stick as much.

[Alex]

I'm almost, but not quite, too embarrassed to admit that we have four food processors: large and medium KitchenAid units, a Cuisinart Mini-Prep, and a Sunbeam Oskar I've had since forever. I hardly use the Cuisinart but we haven't had a garage sale in a while, so it just sits in a cabinet awaiting its next home. The big KA gets the most use.

• Peanut butter! I stock up on Planter's unsalted when it goes on sale at our local supermarket—like this week, when they're $2.49 each if you buy five (can combine with other items, like Philly Cream Cheese).
• Bread crumbs
• Some cookie dough
• Cheesecake batter
• Pie crust (I haven't for a long time, but that's how I'd do it)
• Hummus (although I, too, usually eat Basha from Costco)
• Falafel (a future project)
• Grate potatoes for latkes or rösti
• Coleslaw for a crowd
• A quick coarse grind for meat
• Grind the whitefish for Joan Nathan's gefilte fish pâté
• Grate larger amounts of hard cheese
• Some salad dressings, mainly a Caesar-ish with roasted garlic

[Maison Rustique]

Since I have limited space, I think I need to try to change my cooking plans. If I get out the Cuisinart to do a bunch of stuff and have the Food Saver right there next to it, I can make up a bunch of stuff ahead, then put the appliances back in the cupboard until I run out.

 

 

[jedovaty]

@Lindacakes You may already know this, but just in case if not: if you try to make hummus in a FP from canned chickpeas, de-skin them first for a smoother product, otherwise, ymmv (I really prefer a high powered blender for silky hummus).  It takes 10-20 minutes for a small can once you figure out the popping technique.  It's one of those weird worldly things that's irritating, monotonous, creates an awful crick in the neck, yet is extraordinarily satisfying.  More like a fffplüp than a pop I think.

 

I use the FP to make bagel dough, pasta dough, falafel, dog treats, and food for the pet bird.  Have tried it for other popular things but I think this thread is about the positive merits of a FP so let's leave it at that 😁

Edited December 24, 2022 by jedovaty (log)

[Darienne]

I would add: making prune and other spreads, cucumber salads and pepper salads, cheese pie, and pureeing soups and sauces.  My FP sits out permanently.  

[Alex]

6 hours ago, jedovaty said:

@Lindacakes You may already know this, but just in case if not: if you try to make hummus in a FP from canned chickpeas, de-skin them first for a smoother product, otherwise, ymmv (I really prefer a high powered blender for silky hummus).  It takes 10-20 minutes for a small can once you figure out the popping technique.  It's one of those weird worldly things that's irritating, monotonous, creates an awful crick in the neck, yet is extraordinarily satisfying.  More like a fffplüp than a pop I think.

 

Absolutely. Unless I'm feeling extraordinarily lazy or am in a rush, I always de-skin no matter how they'll be eaten. Of late, I've been using chickpeas for a vegan take on shakshuka and a Tunisian-style carrot + chickpea salad. 

[Lindacakes]

Thanks to Lynne Rosetto Kasper, I know about skinning chickpeas.  Once you've seen a pile of chickpea carcasses it's very difficult to not skin them.  It does make the flavor cleaner.

[Lindacakes]

@jedovaty  I actually started this with the I Hate My Food Processor thread, so ok to throw eggs at the shiny Windex-hungry Chrome.

 

This morning I went to touch a little 4 cup model at Williams Sonoma.  I want six cups, no slicing blades.  

 

@Darienne  Ah, spreads, good one.

[dtremit]

On 12/24/2022 at 4:18 PM, Lindacakes said:

Thanks to Lynne Rosetto Kasper, I know about skinning chickpeas.  Once you've seen a pile of chickpea carcasses it's very difficult to not skin them.  It does make the flavor cleaner.

 

I actually like to use a food mill as an intermediate step for hummus — or frankly anything else where there's an annoying skin that needs removing. Still needs to go into a blender or FP for later but the food mill with a coarse blade does a good job on the skins.

 

Adding to the list, I love the FP for anything that requires a huge quantity of thin slicing or grating, particularly of potatoes. A gratin goes from a huge pain to a five minute dish — the FP takes care of slicing the potatoes and shredding the cheese. Years ago, we bought my grandmother a food processor* when she'd just about sworn off making potato pancakes because of the pain of grating the potatoes; from then on she made them all the time.

 

*It was a Sunbeam Oskar — @Alex, thanks for jogging my memory! Maybe it's a Michigan thing.

[EatingBen]

I've a Breville something something heap of attachments. It's big and very powerful and I do love the thing but man is it big BUT

 

All sorts of dips, pesto (no I'm not using a mortar and pestle) grating, slicing, dough, mixing flours (if it's out and already being used) whipping huge amounts of cream and egg whites. 

 

I have in the past used it for blending soups as well, when the blender has been unavailable. 

 

I will admit that since I got my thermomix I've used my food processor far far less but thankfully the room it takes up isn't needed for anything else. 

 

I have a problem, I haven't enough money for all the gadgets I want!