I'm looking for a new food processor. I've recently started exploring veganism and have found that the old Hinari MB280 that I was given for a present some time ago just isn't up to the job in terms of chopping things like garlic, chickpeas etc finely. It says it can handle those type of tasks but it's one of those tall, narrow jugs where, unless you put in the very tiniest amount at a time things just pile up and nothing happens. I was going to try a mushroom and chickpea rolls recipe I saw recently in a vegan magazine tonight - mushrooms, garlic, onion and chickpeas needed finely chopping - but it was so tortuously slow doing the tiniest bit, emptying, adding more that I just gave up. I guess you get what you pay for but I can't afford hundreds of pounds. Maybe £200 max but if there's anything a lot cheaper it'll be a bonus. Thanks
Food processor recommendations?
- Thread starter ChristineHart
- Start date
If you are only planning to buy a FP for chopping, why don't you buy a manuel chopper ? The following link show one that's made by KR and you can buy it much cheaper if you shop online.
If you really prefer a FP Cuisnart has an excellent one but It is a little over £200.
If you really prefer a FP Cuisnart has an excellent one but It is a little over £200.
I have an older model of this one, and it does a great job with making hummus and chopping in general. Mine is 13 years old, I believe. I use it for making vegan ice cream, too. It whips up frozen bananas in a jiffy. I've never had much luck with the tall cylinder-type blenders or food processors.
Lou
Forum Legend
I have an immersion blender with a food processor attachment. Its great but may not be exactly what you want.
The immersion blender is great for making soups.
I have the Breville, but there are much less expensive models out there
The immersion blender is great for making soups.
I have the Breville, but there are much less expensive models out there
Lou
Forum Legend
Oh, BTW. When I got the IB I sent my old FP to Good Will. I bet there are a few nice ones there you can probably buy one for under $20
The immersion blender is such a great tool. Mine doesn't have any other attachments, but that thing is boss for making creamy soups.
silly question coming up.... why don't you just chop it by hand? those 4 items laid out on a board would take about 5 minutes to chop by hand...
We add 3 of 4 of those items to almost every meal we make and the cutting board and a knife are the best tools in the kitchen and we do have a food processor with all the attachments.... used the 'chopper' once and never again.
Emma JC
I don't know the OP's situation, but some people have trouble with their hands, so they aren't able to chop by hand. My mom, for instance, can't use a garlic press (one of the greatest tools ever!) anymore because of arthritis, so she buys minced garlic in a jar because she loves fresh garlic, or at least as fresh as she can get it. :-D
and that is a very valid reason and for many people it feels clumsy until you practise a lot
I think basic laziness is my issue, lol, I dislike washing garlic presses and graters and food processors especially and so if I can get away with a knife and the board then I do.
Emma JC
LOL, that's why I love my food processor because I can be lazy as well. I could easily chop up onions, for instance, but I use the processor for that a lot. I'm bad: I actually have a mini-prep processor as well for smaller batches.
LOL, that's why I love my food processor because I can be lazy as well. I could easily chop up onions, for instance, but I use the processor for that a lot. I'm bad: I actually have a mini-prep processor as well for smaller batches.
ahaha that only goes to show that laziness comes in all shapes and sizes.... I do wash all dishes by hand, do not use dishwasher other than for storage, so maybe I would be lazy in a different way if I used it....
Emma JC
Thanks for the replies. It's a matter of convenience really. For example, today I had six people to cook for, was a bit late and had a pile of mushrooms, chickpeas, onion and garlic to chop finely.
ah ha I just looked up a recipe for mushroom and chickpea rolls and you may need a food processor or an immersion blender to make the end product after all the chopping and sauteing etc is done - ours is a Cuisinart
If I didn't have a processor or an immersion blender I would chop and saute, as per the recipe, and when it came time to put the veggies and the chick peas together I would rinse the chick peas under warm/hot water so that they are more easily mashed and then use a fork or potato masher to mash them up and then add the veggies/spices and mix together.
Emma JC
If I didn't have a processor or an immersion blender I would chop and saute, as per the recipe, and when it came time to put the veggies and the chick peas together I would rinse the chick peas under warm/hot water so that they are more easily mashed and then use a fork or potato masher to mash them up and then add the veggies/spices and mix together.
Emma JC
yours looks good, you'll have to let us know how they taste
this is one that I saw, just pulled it up quickly
Emma JC
this is one that I saw, just pulled it up quickly
Emma JC
beancounter
The Fire That Burns Within
We've had a lot of luck with our Cuisinart over the years.
Lou
Forum Legend
I don't know why but I have a small aversion to chopping. And onions i absolutely can't do. I even put my swim goggles on when I chop onions. but it doesn't help. just inhaling makes my eyes tear. So for the onions, I always use my food processor.
If I'm cooking for one I just chop on a cutting board. For four mushrooms and a cup of broccoli it isn't worth the effort to take out the food processor, then clean it, and put it away. But mostly I cook in batches and as long as I have a bunch of chopping to do it saves effort and time to use the FP.
I have so many garlic devices. But one day at the grocery store I found that the minced garlic in the jar is exactly the same price per oz as a clove. So that is all I use now.
And what ever you do don't buy one of these. The Mandolin is fine but nothing else really works.
If I'm cooking for one I just chop on a cutting board. For four mushrooms and a cup of broccoli it isn't worth the effort to take out the food processor, then clean it, and put it away. But mostly I cook in batches and as long as I have a bunch of chopping to do it saves effort and time to use the FP.
I have so many garlic devices. But one day at the grocery store I found that the minced garlic in the jar is exactly the same price per oz as a clove. So that is all I use now.
And what ever you do don't buy one of these. The Mandolin is fine but nothing else really works.
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Val
Forum Legend
Oho, it's a super useful thread!
I'm now amidst deep contemplations about what kind of food processor to buy. I already have a few kitchen tools,- like a juicer, a spiralizer, a sandwich maker, a blender, a slow cooker, a dehydrator, etc.; but i need a thing that would chop ingredients for my salads and that would prepare (chop, slice, mince) veggies for pickling e.g.... I don't think i would chop very firm veggies (like raw beets), but this chopper (food processor) has to have good sharp knives (so that they wouldn't fall off), and the engine has to be more or less powerful...
They are so expensive...
But i have to do something, because prepping big portions of salads, of veggies for pickling, for making soups, etc., is driving me mad. I dunno... maybe i'll buy a cheap version first - to see how it works and if i really need it. And if it breaks, then let it be so....
I'm now amidst deep contemplations about what kind of food processor to buy. I already have a few kitchen tools,- like a juicer, a spiralizer, a sandwich maker, a blender, a slow cooker, a dehydrator, etc.; but i need a thing that would chop ingredients for my salads and that would prepare (chop, slice, mince) veggies for pickling e.g.... I don't think i would chop very firm veggies (like raw beets), but this chopper (food processor) has to have good sharp knives (so that they wouldn't fall off), and the engine has to be more or less powerful...They are so expensive...
But i have to do something, because prepping big portions of salads, of veggies for pickling, for making soups, etc., is driving me mad. I dunno... maybe i'll buy a cheap version first - to see how it works and if i really need it. And if it breaks, then let it be so....
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@Lou I find that if I use a sharp knife I get no onion blowback whatsoever - occasionally I forget and use the larger knife that isn't so sharp - boom tears de oignon...
Emma JC
Emma JC
