[0 - 1] - Food processors.
[5 - 6] - I do too. I agree.
[6 - 10] - I really like mine. (upbeat music)
[11 - 14] In the test kitchen we love food processors.
[14 - 18] They can make a wide range of recipes faster, easier,
[18 - 19] and more approachable.
[19 - 21] - These machines are hugely helpful
[21 - 23] for everything from shredding pounds of cheese,
[23 - 25] and veggies, to grinding hamburger,
[25 - 27] making pesto, mayo, you name it.
[27 - 29] But there's a lot to know about what to look
[29 - 31] for when buying one, how to use them,
[31 - 33] how to care for them, how to clean them and more.
[33 - 35] - Hannah and I are gonna give you our full guide
[35 - 36] to food processors,
[36 - 37] and we'll answer some of your
[37 - 39] most frequently asked questions
[39 - 40] so you can get the best results at home.
[40 - 46] - First up, Lisa, with our buying guide. (upbeat music)
[46 - 49] - So to start, how do food processors even work?
[49 - 51] All the models we tested operate really similarly.
[51 - 53] The bowl sits on a motorized base
[53 - 56] and the blade is in the bowl on a central stem
[56 - 58] that passes through the bowl to the motor
[58 - 59] and spins the blade.
[59 - 62] Safety features keep that blade immobile
[62 - 64] if this lid isn't fully secured.
[64 - 66] Now for chopping, there's an S-shaped blade
[66 - 67] that's positioned in the bowl.
[67 - 71] You add the food, and then you secure the lid in place.
[71 - 72] For slicing and shredding,
[72 - 75] you put on a disc shaped blade with the little stem,
[75 - 77] and it either has the raised holes for shredding
[77 - 79] or an edge for cutting,
[79 - 81] and you put them right at the top of the stem.
[81 - 82] You secure the lid in place,
[82 - 84] and then you're pushing the food down
[84 - 87] through this feed tube onto that blade to be cut.
[87 - 88] This has been our long time winner
[88 - 90] and we've used it for years in the test kitchen.
[90 - 93] We've periodically retested against new competitors.
[93 - 95] I just recently pit it against models from Breville,
[95 - 98] KitchenAid, and Ninja, and it still won.
[98 - 101] Here's what to look for in a good food processor.
[101 - 102] The Cuisinart had all these features.
[102 - 105] You want a well-designed feed tube.
[105 - 107] It should be big enough so that you minimize
[107 - 109] pre trimming and waste,
[109 - 111] but narrow enough to hold food upright.
[111 - 113] And so here's an insert where you can put skinnier foods.
[113 - 116] Different size inserts like this are a plus
[116 - 117] because they let you get a real custom fit
[117 - 119] for a variety of foods.
[119 - 121] Now be aware this model is a little bit unusual.
[121 - 123] It has the feed tube here in the back,
[123 - 124] and that's actually a good thing
[124 - 127] because you get a view into the work bowl as you use it.
[127 - 129] Another feature it has in this central tube,
[129 - 130] there's a little tiny hole,
[130 - 133] so you can put oil in there and you're making mayonnaise.
[133 - 135] It will drizzle it in at a nice steady rate.
[135 - 138] You also want minimal gaps between the blade
[138 - 139] and the side of the bowl,
[139 - 141] and the blade and the bottom of the bowl.
[141 - 143] Our lowest performing models had gaps
[143 - 145] that were twice as big as this model.
[145 - 148] As the blade starts to turn, food is escaping.
[148 - 150] You can often find that food is unevenly chopped.
[150 - 153] You also want a weighty compact base.
[153 - 156] Compact so it saves space on your counter,
[156 - 158] and you want it to be heavy so the machine stays anchored
[158 - 160] when you're doing heavy mixing.
[160 - 162] This base is about 12 and a half pounds,
[162 - 164] and that really matters.
[164 - 165] You don't want the lightweight ones
[165 - 167] that have the suction cups on them
[167 - 169] because every time you wanna shift it by a few inches,
[169 - 171] you have to rip the whole thing off the counter
[171 - 172] and move it a few inches.
[173 - 175] You also want a very responsive pulse button.
[175 - 177] This is an underrated feature.
[177 - 180] A responsive pulse button gives a big burst of power,
[180 - 182] tosses all the ingredients, and then cuts out.
[182 - 186] The bad ones run very gently for a long time.
[186 - 188] Food rides on the blades so you can end up
[188 - 189] with pieces that are huge,
[189 - 192] and pieces that are liquified at the same time.
[192 - 193] Another thing that's kind of important.
[193 - 195] When you're looking at most food processors,
[195 - 197] you get this machine,
[197 - 199] but then you get a sidecar of accessories.
[199 - 201] All kinds of extra blades and attachments
[201 - 203] that seem really enticing.
[203 - 204] It feels like more is more.
[204 - 206] Lemme tell you why it's really not.
[206 - 209] You're gonna dedicate literally twice the space
[209 - 210] to the food processor.
[210 - 213] If you don't, you're never going to use those blades.
[213 - 214] You're gonna put those underneath somewhere
[214 - 216] and you'll think of other things to do
[216 - 218] than use your food processor.
[218 - 221] Most recipes you can do in a food processor
[221 - 224] are fully covered by the S blade for chopping,
[224 - 227] the slicer and the shredder.
[227 - 228] And this model,
[228 - 232] you can store everything inside this work bowl.
[236 - 239] It's hard to do this backwards. There we go. (laughs)
[239 - 241] I bought one of these for myself and I love it.
[241 - 242] I use it all the time.
[242 - 245] I keep the base and then I keep the jar with the blades
[245 - 246] right behind it on a shelf.
[246 - 248] There's a very low barrier to taking this out,
[248 - 250] using it and putting it away.
[250 - 251] The other thing that is really important
[251 - 254] is that your food processor be easy to clean.
[254 - 257] Underneath the top of the bowl is very simple
[257 - 259] and there's no places where food gets stuck.
[259 - 262] The bowl itself is very, very plain and simple.
[262 - 264] There's very few pieces to care for and to clean.
[264 - 266] You can really come to appreciate
[266 - 269] a very simple one piece blade that you just drop in.
[269 - 271] A lot of the other machines that I found,
[271 - 274] especially the ones with the giant sidecar of accessories,
[274 - 276] have three or four pieces
[276 - 277] you have to assemble for the blade.
[277 - 279] First of all, you have to remember what those all are
[279 - 280] and how they go together.
[280 - 283] Second, food tends to kind of get stuck in between them.
[283 - 285] So if in your heart of hearts
[285 - 287] you want all of those accessories,
[287 - 290] we also recommend a model by Breville,
[290 - 292] the Sous Chef 16,
[292 - 294] which comes with every possible attachment.
[294 - 296] But honestly, the Cuisinart was still better,
[296 - 298] and it was half the price.
[298 - 301] We also recommend this small size food processor.
[301 - 304] It's a four cup model by Cuisinart.
[304 - 308] It can do small jobs like chopping Parmesan, herbs,
[308 - 310] making small sauces, doing mayonnaise.
[310 - 311] This is really a nice one
[311 - 313] because there is a little hole in the lid
[313 - 315] where you can drizzle in the oil.
[315 - 318] Most small food processors don't have a lid
[318 - 319] where you can drizzle oil in,
[319 - 321] so you can't make things like mayonnaise.
[321 - 323] It can't shred, it can't slice.
[323 - 325] But if you just wanna pull out something really quickly
[325 - 326] and make something small,
[326 - 329] this is a wonderful size and this is a really good model.
[329 - 330] Another question we get
[330 - 334] is how does this food processor stack up to a blender?
[334 - 335] Do you need both?
[335 - 337] A food processor is terrific at chopping
[337 - 339] and processing food,
[339 - 341] but it will never be as fine a puree
[341 - 343] as you'll get in a blender.
[343 - 344] The blender has that narrow jar
[344 - 347] so all the food gets down to the blades,
[347 - 349] that will make a smoother smoothie than you
[349 - 351] could ever make in a food processor.
[351 - 354] This has a liquid maximum, right about here.
[354 - 355] The central stem is open,
[355 - 357] but you can do a certain amount of liquid in here
[357 - 359] without it spilling out.
[359 - 360] And there are food processors
[360 - 362] where you can do a little more liquid,
[362 - 364] but it will never be a really smooth liquid
[364 - 366] as you will get in a blender.
[366 - 368] Okay, so those are all the most important factors
[368 - 370] to consider when you're buying one of these.
[370 - 371] Now, Hannah's going to show you
[371 - 378] how to get the most out of your food processor. (upbeat music)
[378 - 379] - Like we said earlier,
[379 - 383] food processors can make a ton of kitchen tasks easier.
[383 - 385] It's like having your own personal little sous chef.
[385 - 388] You can shred or slice cheese, potatoes, and tomatoes.
[388 - 390] You can make all different kinds of doughs.
[390 - 394] You can ground meat, make breadcrumbs, all kinds of things.
[394 - 396] Here are some of our favorite food processor tips.
[396 - 398] First, you wanna cut things down to size.
[398 - 400] You wanna make sure they can fit in the tube
[400 - 401] and engage the blade.
[401 - 403] If you cut them, you know, say in half or a quarter
[403 - 405] to smaller even chunks,
[405 - 407] the blade can do their specific work even better,
[407 - 410] chopping things nice and fine and even.
[410 - 412] These are also great for chopping herbs.
[412 - 413] You don't really have to pre chop those.
[413 - 415] You can put them in, buzz, buzz, buzz.
[415 - 418] They should be nice and fluffy and not wet and bruised.
[418 - 420] Next, go slow with the pulse button.
[420 - 422] You cannot un-puree food,
[422 - 424] which I've learned the hard way several times.
[424 - 426] A great example of this is
[426 - 428] Cristie Morrison's shrimp burgers,
[428 - 430] which is a favorite recipe of ours.
[430 - 432] Shout out to Christie. We love her.
[432 - 435] Christie literally dictates four pulses for this,
[435 - 437] eight pulses for this, 12 pulses for this,
[437 - 439] and that's because she wants to make sure you are not
[439 - 441] going to over-process it.
[441 - 442] A couple pulses too far
[442 - 445] and you're getting gluey homogenous bouncy burgers,
[445 - 447] versus what Christie intended,
[447 - 449] which are tender, juicy, and rich.
[449 - 450] This recipe really is awesome.
[450 - 452] We'll link it down below in the description.
[452 - 453] The pulse button is right here.
[453 - 455] You wanna hold it down and then release.
[455 - 457] You have enough for the blade to get to its top speed
[457 - 458] and then stop.
[458 - 461] The food processor is a dough's best friend.
[461 - 462] We do pizza dough, we do pie dough,
[462 - 464] all different kinds of dough.
[464 - 467] The blade can chop fat evenly,
[467 - 468] and incorporate it nicely into pie dough
[468 - 469] without a ton of work
[469 - 471] and it also really mixes everything efficiently.
[471 - 472] This will knead for you.
[472 - 474] Our thin crust pizza dough recipe,
[474 - 475] one of my all-time favorite recipes.
[475 - 477] It is made in a food processor.
[477 - 479] It is so easy and so good.
[479 - 481] For extra flaky pie dough,
[481 - 483] freeze your butter and then use a food processor
[483 - 485] to cut it into the flour.
[485 - 486] It's easier. You make the machine do the work,
[486 - 488] and then you get those delicious,
[488 - 489] nice flaky pie dough layers.
[489 - 491] Make use of that freezer.
[491 - 493] If you wanna make ground burgers, for example,
[493 - 495] we put the meat in the freezer first,
[495 - 496] which firms up the surface
[496 - 498] and helps it grind up nice and evenly.
[498 - 500] When it comes to cheese, same thing,
[500 - 501] you wanna put it in the freezer to firm up
[501 - 503] for about 15 minutes.
[503 - 505] Next up, do not forget the blades.
[505 - 507] A good food processor, like Lisa said,
[507 - 508] comes with three blades,
[508 - 510] a slicer, a chopper, and a shredder.
[510 - 512] The shredding blade alone
[512 - 514] earns my food processor spot in my kitchen.
[514 - 518] Next, use the adjustable feed tube for even cutting.
[518 - 520] Make sure things are standing up nice and straight
[520 - 523] and the different sized feed tubes can help you with that.
[523 - 525] It's like it's tailored to different sizes.
[525 - 527] Alright, now I shouldn't have to say this,
[527 - 529] but never put your fingers or any of your utensils
[529 - 530] down the feed tube.
[530 - 531] ATK test cooks,
[531 - 534] I see the chopped up silicone spatulas in the dish room.
[534 - 536] No putting them down there!
[536 - 537] We also get a ton of questions
[537 - 539] on how to best clean food processors.
[539 - 541] So you don't wanna put the jar
[541 - 543] and the lid in the dishwasher.
[543 - 545] Obviously you don't wanna put the base in the dishwasher,
[545 - 546] but you know that.
[546 - 548] The jar and the lid, it will get foggy in the dishwasher.
[548 - 550] You really wanna be able to see through
[550 - 551] so you can see what you're doing.
[551 - 552] It'll also dull the blade.
[552 - 554] So dishwasher, no, no.
[554 - 556] You wanna wash this with hot soapy water. That's fine.
[556 - 560] A little hack we like to do is to get the blade clean,
[560 - 562] like if you've done something really stick or gluey,
[562 - 563] you can actually put a little bit of soap
[563 - 565] and hot water in here.
[565 - 566] Buzz, buzz, buzz.
[566 - 567] It'll help clean the blade up
[567 - 569] and it'll start cleaning the interior.
[569 - 571] It's too wide to really fully clean it.
[571 - 572] You still wanna do that by hand.
[572 - 574] When it comes to the base, wipe it down,
[574 - 576] or you can spot clean with like a little dish rag
[576 - 578] and hot soapy water.
[578 - 579] I like to use all purpose spray.
[579 - 581] You know I just spray mine down, wipe it down.
[581 - 582] You don't wanna risk anything,
[582 - 584] so best to have it unplugged when you're cleaning it.
[584 - 586] If you're in the market for a food processor,
[586 - 587] we hope our buying guide helped you out.
[588 - 589] We love these things.
[589 - 590] As you can probably tell,
[590 - 592] they make your life easier in the kitchen
[592 - 594] and they can actually make you produce more beautiful food.
[594 - 596] - For more information on food processors
[596 - 597] and other kitchen gear,
[597 - 599] check out the links below,
[599 - 601] or go to AmericasTestKitchen.com.
[601 - 603] - What do you use your food processor for?
[603 - 605] Any tips for us? let us know in the comments.
[605 - 607] Make sure to like this video and hit subscribe.
[607 - 611] We'll see you next time. (upbeat music)