In relation to kitchen necessities, the chef’s knife will get all of the glory; it’s romantic, exact, even just a little harmful. But when there’s one instrument that quietly does the heavy lifting in {many professional} kitchens, it’s the meals processor. Meals processors are maybe the least attractive of the kitchen home equipment. They don’t demand the identical degree of talent as a knife, nor gleam when the sunshine hits them simply so, however for a lot of cooks, they’re indispensable — a machine that saves hours of prep and transforms your kitchen’s capability for effectivity.
Cooking is basically a litany of small, exact, and seemingly limitless duties. It’s in these duties — the chopping, the blending, the mincing — that the meals processor shines. Nearly each component of mise en place may be expedited with an excellent meals processor. I spoke to 4 Los Angeles cooks about their favourite meals processors — and what they use them for.
Our specialists:
What ought to I take advantage of my meals processor for?
What shouldn’t you employ your meals processor for? Relying on the dimensions and energy of your meals processor, it may be used for all the things from making dips, sauces, spreads, and soups to finely mincing greens and herbs, mixing batters, and chopping nuts.
“We make a ton of aioli,” says Strauss. “Three varieties at OyBar and two at Jeff’s Desk. We additionally shred a ton of cheese for burgers and quesadillas, and cabbage for sauerkraut.” At his eating places, the meals processor is an in reliable helpmate, a machine that streamlines prep work in methods no knife ever may. He’s not alone in that sentiment.
Turner’s crew at Extremely Seemingly makes use of their meals processor to prep sizzling sauce for fermentation each week. Pittol has cracked the code on making all her butter crust doughs in a meals processor, a shortcut that has saved her untold hours of labor. Orozco, who typically prepares meals for big occasions, depends on it for sheer effectivity, saying, “For an occasion of 60, 100, or 400 individuals, I’ll use a meals processor as a result of it’s extra environment friendly.” Orozco even depends on his for drying and breaking down herbs for kombucha manufacturing. Meals processors aren’t nearly saving time; they’ll additionally unlock efficiencies and methods that will be troublesome or impractical by hand.
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Past their practicality, meals processors additionally carry a sure nostalgia. Turner’s first reminiscences of a meals processor date again to her youngster. “Rising up, my mom had a particular cupboard made with a swing shelf the place our meals processor lived,” she says. “That was over 4 a long time in the past, and it’s nonetheless the identical meals processor that I take advantage of each time I go to residence.” Strauss recollects an identical childhood second. “I keep in mind my mother getting her first one within the Nineteen Seventies—a Cuisinart. When she opened the field, there was this glow on her face like she was staring into the briefcase in Pulp Fiction.”
What are one of the best meals processors that cooks advocate?
For a lot of cooks, the Robotic Coupe R2 is the undisputed king of meals processors. Almost each chef interviewed swore by it because the business normal. “It’s an absolute workhorse and saves my crew a ton of prep hours,” says Kat Turner, chef-partner at Extremely Seemingly in Los Angeles.
“If I’m cooking for a good friend at residence, I would use a mortar and pestle, however for large-scale work, I at all times use a Robotic Coupe,” Oroczo provides.
One other large hitter? Breville’s line of Paradice and Sous Chef meals processors; Strauss has one in his lineup of every day drivers. The Paradice fashions are finest for large-batch dicing with precision and constant sizing, whereas the Sous Chef line is extra versatile for slicing, grating, and shredding.
What are one of the best inexpensive meals processors?
Whereas a Robotic Coupe R2 could also be a must have for business kitchens, the overwhelming majority of us don’t have a $1,200 price range for including a meals processor to our arsenal.
Cuisinart’s meals processors are maybe probably the most ubiquitous of any model’s, present in kitchens minimal and opulent, lowbrow and intellectual. That’s seemingly as a result of they’re dependable, versatile, uncomplicated, and super-affordable, with the smallest fashions beginning at underneath $30. Plus, the bowl may be thrown within the dishwasher for simple cleansing.
Ninja, identified for its highly effective blenders, has additionally launched a preferred, highly effective line of meals processors. At underneath $150, its 1200-watt Skilled XL processor might be one of the best bang on your buck for a machine of its dimension (12 cups!), with ultra-sharp blades that uniformly combine batter, whip up purees, or slice paper-thin greens for ratatouille.
Already personal a Vitamix and don’t need to add one other equipment to your crowded cabinets? Vitamix makes a meals processor attachment to transform your blender right into a processor in seconds, and it’s geared up with Self-Detect know-how for secure, seamless integration. Utilizing your Vitamix’s personal highly effective blades and motor, it will possibly shred, cube, chop, knead, and extra.
In the event you’re nonetheless salivating over the Robotic Coupe, eager for its energy, we have now a professional tip: the extra inexpensive Magimix is identical model — Robotic Coupe is simply the identify of the skilled line. For smaller batches and duties, you may decide up the Magimix Le Micro for simply $137, and whereas the 4200XL mannequin remains to be a cool $449, that’s a major worth dip from the R2 (with comparable energy and options).
care on your meals processor
For many who do maintain a meals processor of their kitchen, cooks have just a few tricks to take advantage of it. Strauss recommends a easy cleansing hack: use the machine itself to assist clear sticky sauces by pulsing a little bit of soapy water earlier than washing. Pittol warns that plastic bowls take in sturdy odors — garlic, turmeric — and may stain, so if attainable, it’s finest to have separate bowls for candy and savory purposes. She additionally stresses the significance of obeying the utmost fill line: Ignore it at your peril.
Do I actually want a meals processor or can I get away with doing all the things by hand? When ought to I simply use a blender?
Whereas meals processors completely make meals prep faster and simpler for a lot of functions, they’re not excellent. Ask a chef what they don’t use their meals processor for, and also you’ll seemingly get the identical reply: slicing, effective chopping, and making something that must be really {smooth}. You’d assume for precision the machines would have us beat however in terms of getting issues excellent, the well-trained chef with knife-in-hand nonetheless reigns supreme.
Turner avoids utilizing hers for onions, garlic, or shallots as a result of “the blade bruises these delicate infants and may trigger bitterness within the closing product.” And in terms of silky-smooth purées? That’s blender territory. Orozco doesn’t hassle utilizing a meals processor for purées in any respect. “I do know lots of cooks do, however I take advantage of it for tough chopping. If I want one thing {smooth}, I’ll use a blender.” And positively don’t attempt to whip up a smoothie or soup in a meals processor; your blender will provide a superior texture for true liquids.
For residence cooks, the query of whether or not a meals processor is a must have instrument is extra divisive. Some cooks insist that each kitchen, skilled or not, ought to have one. Strauss calls it “completely” important, notably for making aioli or do-it-yourself mayo, which he considers a game-changer. Pittol loves its time-saving potential, particularly for shredding cheese, whereas Turner depends on hers for chopping nuts, making pie dough, and whipping up compound butters.
However not everyone seems to be satisfied. Even Turner, who swears by hers in a restaurant setting, acknowledges that some issues are merely higher achieved by hand. “There’s one thing witchy and magical about grinding spices and aromatics by hand,” she says.
On the finish of the day, meals processors are precisely what the title suggests—a workhorse. They don’t change knife expertise, they received’t offer you excellent slices, they usually received’t create silky-smooth textures. However for professionals, they’re indispensable, and even for residence cooks, they’ll release time and make cooking extra joyful by taking up probably the most tedious duties—if you understand how to make use of them proper.
To completely misquote a line from Man Ritchie’s 1998 gangster traditional movie Lock, Inventory and Two Smoking Barrels: “It’s knives for present, and meals processors for a professional.”
