With the touch of technology, work in the kitchen has been made a lot easier. A food processor is one such appliance that is designed for a lot of kitchen work including slicing, dicing, mixing, cutting, etc. There are different types of food processors depending upon the operations and applications.
If you plan to buy one, you might face the dilemma of which type of food processor to buy. There are generally three variants of food processors available in the market. These are manual, mini, and full-sized food processors. Out of these, the latter two require electric power to operate.
This article will shed light on the different food processors. We will take a look at the different food processor and their uses along with the advantages and disadvantages.
Types of Food Processor based on Operation
1. Manual Food Processor
A manual food processor is the least expensive and the most common food processor that you can find in many kitchens. Manual labor is essential to work with the appliance without the application of any electric power. It is ideal if the cooking requires few ingredients.
Depending on the design of the appliance, you can either pull a cord or use a turning handle for the workings. It is the most portable and easy-to-store type of food processor that you can find. The blades of the machine form the heart of its operation.
The appliance is very capable of slicing, dicing, mincing, and even blending ingredients in little amounts. You can even beat eggs and mix ingredients in small quantities using the device. You can progress with these workings at your own pace with ease.
Advantages of Manual Food Processors
There are quite a few advantages when it comes to using a manual food processor. Some of these are as follows.
- Since the device works with manual labor, you can stop the operation in between to check the progress. This is an advantage that is not present in the electric models.
- The manual nature also allows you to work at your own pace. Take your time with the processing or even do it in between your household works if you want.
- The capacity of the kitchen appliance is ideal if you have a family of 3-4 members which is less than the mini and full-sized ones. This is ideal if the cooking requires little ingredients and also helps to handle the appliance easier.
- It is comparatively less expensive than the other food processors.
Disadvantages of Manual Food Processors
A manual food processor also has its fair share of disadvantages. Some of these disadvantages are listed below.
- As mentioned before, the capacity of a manual food processor is smaller than the other variants. This can be an issue if the cooking requires quite a lot of ingredients. The processing in these instances need to be done in batches or the ingredients need to be stuffed forcefully into the bowl. This might affect the efficiency of the appliance and the quality of the output produced.
- A manual food processor consumes the most time and effort in its working. The time required for the processing depends solely on the individual operating the appliance. Hence, the processing might affect the overall preparation time of the food.
- There is an issue that the machine might not result in the required sizes after cutting. This is because of the blade type. Although some models come with a set of different blades, it is extremely rare. When it comes to cutting, the manual food processor might fail to keep up with the consistent size of the cuts.
- Users have reported issues with the blade as well. The blades are attached in the inside of the bowl. In some cases, users have reported that the blade attachment gets out of place when larger ingredients are added. This propels the user to manually reset the blade, which for certain is a risky deal.
These advantages and disadvantages play their part in decorating the reputation of the product. You can find manual food processors in many households. Wonderchef Turbo dual-speed food processor is one such product.
It is also efficient when it comes to whipping, eggs, yogurt, mixing dough, etc. The chopper provided in the package is also pretty efficient in its working. If you like to eat meat frequently or prepare it on a large scale, you may like a meat slicer.
2. Mini Electric Food Processor
The next type of food processor is the mini food processor. It has an increased capacity than a manual machine and its usage of electric power saves a lot of effort and time. For this reason, this food processor is preferred by most families.
The product has a motor enclosed in a shaft. A durable and transparent bowl is present over the shaft while a lid with a feeder tube is placed over the bowl. Ingredients are added using this tube. The device can be connected to a power source using a cord. Different speed options are also provided in the model for the ease of the user.
The product is capable of cutting, slicing, dicing operations. Additional apparatus provided in the package makes it capable of beating eggs, mixing dough, preparing mixtures, etc. You can use a kitchen appliance like a smoothie maker to make delicious smoothies as well.
Advantages of Mini Electric Food Processors
Like every other appliance, mini food processors have certain advantages and disadvantages. Let us first take a look at the advantages.
- The capacity of the machine is ideal for an average-sized family. The capacity is generally larger than that of a manual variant. This makes it easier for the user to work with more ingredients.
- Since the working does not require any manual labor, it saves a lot of time and effort. You can simply add the ingredients to the bowl and trust the food processor to do its work. This helps a lot in speeding up the cooking process.
- The kitchen appliance, if manufactured from a reputed brand, can easily be trusted to be durable. These models have better motors and are crafted using durable materials. This helps in improving the lifespan of the product.
- Some models even come with accessories for mixing dough, slicing, and dicing. You can simply attach these accessories to the processors for efficient working. This reduces a lot of tedious work in the kitchen.
Disadvantages of Mini Electric Food Processors
There are certain disadvantages as well when it comes to mini food processors. These are listed below.
- The machine works with electricity. Unavailability of electric power will stop the working of the appliance. This can be a problem if your location is prone to power cuts or you are facing a power cut at the time of cooking. Such a situation can completely stall the cooking process.
- Since electrical power is used, the product needs proper maintenance for your safety. If water somehow reaches the underlying electrical components, it can cause the product to malfunction and even injure some with an electric shock.
- In the case of an electric mini food processor, you cannot pause the processing in between to check the progress. You can either wait until the entire process is finished or completely switch off the machine in the middle of processing. The latter can have a toll on the machine’s durability.
Many reputed brands manufacture a mini food processors. From the many options available in the market, users find the Philips Daily Collection 650-watt mini food processor as the ideal one for the kitchens.
The product has a 650-watt power consumption with about 240V power requirements. The product has a 2.1-liter bowl capacity along with a jar capacity of 1-litre. Stainless steel blades add to the efficiency of the food processor. Stainless steel disc inserts are also present in the body of the machine. The power chop technology is ideal for cutting operations while the product is also ideal for mixing, beating eggs, etc.
3. Large Electric Food Processor
Next is the full-sized food processor with the largest bowl capacity amongst the lot. This food processor needs electrical power to operate and the increased capacity of the others makes it ideal for larger families and restaurants. These types of food processors are also pretty expensive because of its additional features than the others.
The structure of a full-sized food processor is quite similar to the mini-sized variant. The motor is the most crucial component while the blades, the bowl, and the lid with the feeding tube make up the rest of the body.
Additional apparatuses are also provided for mixing, blending, dicing, etc. Most variants have different speed settings as well for efficient working. The different speed options in the processor also help to efficiently make shakes, mixtures, etc. Some of the models are even ideal for grating coconuts and other vegetables.
Advantages of Large Food Processors
When it comes to advantages, a full-sized food processor has almost the same ones as that of a mini food processor. Some of these are as follows.
- The increased bowl capacity makes the machine for cooking with more ingredients. Even the feeding tube has an increased size so that the ingredients can be added with ease. This makes the food processor ideal for large families or restaurants.
- These types of food processors generally have quite a lot of speed options. These allow the processing to be carried out seamlessly within a shorter time.
- Good quality material used to craft the body of the device makes it durable. If proper maintenance is provided, most of these processors can last a long time.
Disadvantages of Large Food Processors
There are a few disadvantages as well when it comes to full-sized food processors. They are as follows.
- The products have significant power consumption. Hence, you are working with little ingredients, it might be deemed a misuse of capacity and energy.
- Its electrically-operated nature propels it to stop working when power is not available thus stalling the cooking process.
- Improper maintenance can easily lead to the device malfunctioning and in worse cases injuring the user with an electric shock.
With a lot of options available in the market, one can easily get confused as to which full-sized food processor to choose. Inalsa 700-Watt Wonder Maxie Plus V2 food processor is a large food processor.
It has a 1-liter bowl capacity along with an RPM speed of 3000. Several additional apparatus like grinding jar, chutney jar, egg whisk, etc. are provided with the package. Stainless steel blades decorate the device along with a wide feeding tube. The model has a 3-speed setting and works amazingly to save time and energy.
Food Processors types based on application
Food processor for mixing Grinding Whisking
1. Hand Mixer
A hand mixer is one of the most useful kitchen appliance to mix, blend, whip, and beat various foods. This versatile kitchen tool is often called an electric beater since it has two metal beaters attached underneath Versatility makes hand mixers unique.
For example, you can whip cream or eggs, mix cake batter and cookie dough. You can even make mashed potatoes using hand mixers (or electric beaters).
However, every tool has its limitations, no matter how good it performs. Being unable to mix food and batter with heavy consistency is a hand mixer’s primary limitation.
However, if you deliberately use hand mixers for the same, the motor can get burned, and you may end up with some severe injuries. It’s always a good idea to thoroughly read the instructions before use.
2. Stand Mixer
A stand mixer can be a great addition to your kitchen, especially if you find it cumbersome to use hand mixers for mixing or beating ingredients. Stand mixers, as the name suggests, works in a standing position. It has a sturdy base made to provide stability. You can move around and carry out other tasks while the stand mixer does the job for you, providing you with the added convenience that hand mixers lack.
Unlike hand mixers, stand mixers are excellent at mixing dough for bread or roti. Simply add a suitable quantity of flour and water to the mixing bowl and turn on the mixer. It will complete mixing within some minutes. If you have a medium or large-sized family, a stand mixer is an ideal food processing device for you.
3. Mixer Grinder
A mixer grinder falls into the category of must-have appliances that every modern kitchen needs. Reduced manual work and dramatic time savings are enough to describe the importance of a mixer grinder in your kitchen.
At the same time, for mixing and grinding purposes, the practical application of mixer grinders far exceeds an average user’s expectations. It is one of the most versatile appliances ever made for processing food in modern kitchens. A mixer grinder can do it all in a breeze, from pureeing, mixing, grinding, chopping, and mincing.
Furthermore, as if the versatility wasn’t high enough, juicer mixer grinders do an excellent job juicing fruits and vegetables. However, the juice extracted using a mixer grinder is more like a smoothie. This is because mixer grinders are unable to separate the pulp of the ingredients, unlike juicers.
Juicing and Blending processor
1. Cold Press Juicer
A cold press juicer can be beneficial for you if you’re highly conscious about your health. Juices extracted from cold press juicers are packed with more nutrients since these juicers gently press the ingredients to extract the juice. This ensures no loss of nutrients in the process. Cold press juicers work differently than your usual juicers. These are expensive, but more reliable, and offer great benefits as compared to other types of juicers.
Cold press juicers use a hydraulic press to crush and press the fruits and vegetables delicately but repeatedly to extract the juice. This is also by far the most efficient approach towards extracting juice by a food processor. Thanks to the absence of heat and oxidation in the process of extracting! However, one significant drawback of cold press juicers is that they’re slow compared to centrifugal juicers.
2. Centrifugal Juicer
Centrifugal juice extractors are the cheapest and the most common types of juice extractors available in the market. These juicers use a sharp, curved blade that spins at extreme RPMs against a mesh filter to extract the juice via centrifugal force.
However, the fast-spinning blade encounters friction and produces heat which is not ideal for the nutrients present in the fruits and vegetables. The process also involves oxidation which reduces the quality of juice even further. In that case, it’s always recommended to consume the juice instantly to prevent further reduction in nutrients.
These types of juicers involve cheap parts and simple mechanics to process and extract the juice. This straightforward juicing mechanism is ideal for users who occasionally extract the juice and don’t care much about the quality of the juice.
3. Hand Blender
Hand blenders exist to make your easy kitchen chores even more accessible, thanks to their compact nature and versatility. They have significantly reduced the market share of heavy and bulky blenders. These can do the same task while occupying a fraction of the space. Also, hand blenders can do a lot more than just blending (e.g., Chopping).
A hand blender can do it without hiccups, whether you want to blend ingredients or chop food items. Hand blenders are extremely quiet and easy to work with. This is due to silent food processing that muffles most of the noise. This is way better than the noisiest kitchen appliances. For this reason, hand blenders are more desirable than their full-blown counterparts.
4. Citrus Juicer
Citrus juicers are considered the simplest juicers of all, having a basic design and an essential operation. As the name suggests, citrus juicers are exclusively made for extracting juices from citrus fruits only, such as lemon. It’s an essential food processor having a ridged cone attached to a handle. The user holds the half-cut piece of citrus fruit in the hand while pressing the conical part of the juicer against it, effectively extracting juice from the fruit.
However, extracting large quantities of juice from a citrus reamer can be a bit exhausting, which is why you can also find electric citrus juicers in the market. They are ideal for extracting large quantities of juice without putting in a lot of effort.
Chopping and Grating processor
1. Vegetable Chopper
While being primarily manual itself, a vegetable chopper reduces the manual labor required to cut vegetables by dramatic margins. This affordable yet convenient food processor involves steel blades to cut and chop vegetables seamlessly. Vegetable choppers especially suit those who don’t want to spend thousands of rupees on expensive mixer grinders.
The body of a typical vegetable chopper is made chiefly of decent-quality plastic with a non-skid base to provide good stability. In addition, it comes with a handle to provide a firm grip and enable a more straightforward operation. Today, electric vegetable choppers are also available in the market.
2. Grater
Graters are the perfect and the most cost-effective food processors to shred food items into tiny pieces. While graters are primarily utilized to shed cheese, these tools can also grate other fruits and vegetables, such as carrots and potatoes. Graters work by moving a large block of food (e.g., a carrot) against small blades that shed the food pile into tiny pieces.
Even being extremely cost-effective, graters can’t replace mixer grinders or blenders in any case. However, at the same time, graters require significantly less cleaning and are ideal for processing small quantities of food.
Different Food Processors & their uses – Final Words
Those were the different types of food processor and their uses available. Today, many brands compete to produce the best products for users. Among the various options available in the market you can select anyone to be the ideal one. You can buy these food processors online or from the market in person. Before buying you must check the reviews the product has garnered.
There might be some confusion among customers regarding a blender and a processor. While both these appliances have an almost similar working, they are widely different. A hand blender works best using liquids and is used to create smoothies, pastes, etc. A food processor is ideal for cutting, mincing, dicing, and even mixing operations. Additional apparatuses are also provided with the machine to help in further operations.
Each food processor has its unique features and can be ideal based on the need of the user. So, before buying, you must analyze your requirements properly. By following this procedure to buy a processor whose aspects and features may satisfy your requirements.
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