Everything You’ve Ever Wanted to Know About Can Blenders Be Used As Food Processors:
Blenders and food processors have many similar functions and if you don’t require the extra attachments and cutting of different sizes then a regular blender or one with some extra attachments will work fine for you as a food processor.
Most of the recipes of soups and sauces are available to be prepared by both blenders and food processors. Dough making, nut butter, shakes, or smoothies all are easily made via blender and if you are not a baking enthusiast or professional chef then your blender can be used as a food processor most of the time.
In normal households, the common need of a food processor is for chopping vegetables or making sauces and purees. With a hand blender or a blender with a slow blend option or pulse operation, you can get similar results.
If you want a blender for your smoothies and shakes and also don’t have a budget to buy a food processor too then you can invest in a good blender with additional attachments and enjoy the double function of blender cum food processor.
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The functionality of blender usage as a food processor
Talking on a general level there are many functions of a food processor that can be done with a blender, although the result may not be as great as a food processor, for normal use and cooking you don’t need that level of efficiency. Food processors are very expensive than a blender and if you can save that much by only buying one then a slight difference in quality is a great bargain. Some of the prominent functions of food processor that can be achieved by blender are:
1. Purees for babies
The most common use of a food processor in the house is to make purees for babies or mash the chicken or potatoes smoothly and evenly for babies to consume. With a hand blender you can easily blend purees for babies, also using the jug blender you can blend porridges, fruit shakes, vegetable purees evenly and with smooth textures more conveniently.
2. Bread crumbs
Well this one is tricky, making the bread crumbs in a food processor is quite easy, but with a blender, you can achieve similar results quickly. Just add pieces of bread to the blender and use the pulse option, in case there is no pulse option just blend at high speed for 20-3- seconds or until desired consistency is achieved.
3. Chopping vegetables
If you want finely chopped vegetables for cooking, like onion and tomatoes for curry can be achieved in a blender, for a bit bigger pieces you can use the slow setting on the blender combined with a tamper to keep the vegetables down near the blade. For general cooking, the blenders work fine and give acceptable chopping of vegetables.
4. Cheese shredding
If you don’t want to use the food processor for grating cheese just cut the 2 inch big slices of hard cheese and put them in the blender at high speed for 20 seconds and you will get the perfect consistency of grated cheese. Make sure the cheese is very hard otherwise you may get a cheese paste instead of a grated one.
5. Dips and Sauces
Dips and sauces are made best in the blender, usually, all the recipes have a blender option too, either you want a thick consistency or a thin mayo sauce all can be made in a blender. For getting the desired texture a hand blender is more preferred but the jug blender gives great results too.
6. Crushing ice
Crushing ice is hard to achieve a task and for that food processor is more preferred due to strong blades and machine power. But with a strong blending jug and sharp blades, you can crush ice evenly with a blender too. Choose a more powerful and strong jug blender before using it to crush ice. Here are 7 Best Personal Blenders for Crushing Ice Mostly the general blenders are okay for crushing ice as they are used to make smoothies with frozen fruits and ice.
7. Butter
To make nut butter you need to run the blades faster and for a longer period to extract the fat and make butter with a smooth and uniform consistency. In small batches and with the longer running blender you can make nut butter easily for common home use.
8. Dough making
Blenders nowadays have quite advanced functions and can handle the thick texture very efficiently, for kneading doughs and crusts for baking you can use a blender without a doubt. Just make sure the blender you are using have a wide jug and the dough doesn’t have too much air in it as it will rise too much during balking and won’t be good enough
9. Cake mixture
This one is the most commonly used function of a food processor and with a blender, you can eliminate the hand beater easily, just add the ingredients in the blender one by one starting from eggs, then flour, sugar, etc. the blender can run continuously while you add the ingredients and won’t cause any lumps in the batter.
Benefits
Some of the benefits that using a blender as a food processor implies are:
1. Both functions
You can use a blender for many food processor functions along with making shakes, juices, and smoothies. While only buying a food processor won’t give you the option of making smoothies or shakes. In this case, the use of blender as both is beneficial as it gives you functions of both in one.
2. Cost-saving
Normally no one needs too many gadgets and buying a whole food processor kit may be useless for you. With an investment in a high-end, blender not only the shakes and smoothies are great but with their added feature you have all the general functions of a food processor without having to buy the whole food factory.
3. Handy and compact
Blender is compact machinery and doesn’t have many parts to use and keep, you can easily place it in your cupboard or kitchen counters and use it whenever you want. While in cade3 of food processor it has too many parts, that need to space to keep and then you have to assemble them every time you need to use.
4. Easier to use and clean
Blenders are far easier to clean and use than food factories. The parts of the food processor are separate and complex to assemble and use. After using the cleaning of too many parts is a separate hassle too. With a modern blender that comes with self-clean options too, it is very convenient plus they only have a jug and top to be washed.
Seeing from the professional’s point of view food processor is essential in the kitchen but for a normal household buying both machines is a wastage of money, plus if you never use the food processor to the full extent then keeping one in your cabinet is useless. Just buy Best Blenders Under 200 and any additional attachment needed and you will have all the cutting, and baking at the home level without any hassle.
So, the answer to this Can Blenders Be Used As Food Processors question is simple that Yes, Using a blender as a food processor is a wise and budget-friendly decision that one must take unless you need a professional level cutting or perfect nut butter for your meal.