You can prepare delicious smoothies, purees, and soups with blenders. However, you can’t use them for other tasks like chopping or shredding vegetables. A food processor is the best kitchen appliance for these activities. Food processors are multi-tasking devices that perform various tasks like chopping or dicing vegetables and even kneading dough. But can food processors be used as blenders?
Food processors cannot be used as blenders. They don’t do everything that a blender does. Although food processors have sharp blades for chopping, shredding, and cutting ingredients, they don’t deliver the same results as that of a blender when you use it to crush ice or blend and puree ingredients.
Let’s talk about this in detail now.
What Is A Food Processor?
The main parts of a food processor are the bowl, blade, and motor unit.
The bowl has a chute through which you add the ingredients.
Depending on the make and model of the food processor, it has different blades to perform different actions.
By changing the blade, you can use this device to chop, grate, mince, and puree different ingredients.
The main benefit of using a food processor is that you can use it to process big batches of ingredients at a time.
Hence, it saves you time and effort.
Some food processors can also perform advanced actions like spiralizing and kneading dough.
Now, food processors can puree ingredients.
However, they may not achieve the same results as a blender. These appliances are better suited for thick and dense foods.
What Is A Blender?
Blenders are specialized kitchen appliances for liquifying and blending ingredients into homogenous liquid mixtures.
They have very sharp blades that pulverize ingredients.
Blenders are perfect for blending ingredients for smoothies, soups, and purees. You can also crush ice in blenders.
Blenders have a tall, pitcher-shaped jar. The blades are at the base of the jar and are usually fixed.
The jar will usually have a spout for easy pouring.
The lid of the blender will have a removable cap. You can insert ingredients into the jar by removing this cap.
You can use blenders to puree and liquefy both hard and soft ingredients.
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Are Food Processors And Blenders The Same?
Although there are various similarities between food processors and blenders, they are not the same.
There are significant differences in how they look, operate, and the results they produce.
Differences Between Food Processors And Blenders
Some of the main differences between food processors and blenders are as follows:
- Shape of the bowl: Blenders have tall pitcher-shaped jars with a spout for easy pouring. The lid of the jar fits tightly against the mouth of the jar to form an airtight seal. The lid will also have a removable cap through which you can add extra ingredients into the bowl. The shape and height of the jar allow for an even and thorough mixing of ingredients. Moreover, food processor bowls are wider. They hold more ingredients than blender jars. Hence, food processors can work with a large batch of ingredients. If you have a food processor, you can easily prepare large batches of vegetables and fruits at a go.
- Arrangement of blades: A blender has only one set of fixed blades. These blades are sharp and angled to blend ingredients thoroughly. They are usually attached to the base of the jar. Regardless of how hard the ingredients are, a blender’s blades will easily cut through them to create homogeneous purees or mixtures. You may, however, be able to adjust the speed setting of a blender. Food processors have multiple blades that perform different functions. By switching out the blades, you can chop, dice, shred, or puree ingredients. Some food processors will also knead the dough, whisk batter, and stir ingredients. Additionally, they also have discs at the top of the bowl.
Similarities Between Food Processors And Blenders
On a fundamental level, there are similarities in the way food processors and blenders operate.
Both appliances have sharp blades. So, you can use food processors and blenders interchangeably for at least a few tasks.
Some food processors have blending blades. However, these blades are usually suitable for blending soft ingredients only.
Even if you add enough liquid, it may not produce a silky soft, and homogenous texture like a blender.
Related Further Reading:
- What is the Impact of a Rice Cooker on Water Consumption?
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Are Food Processors Better Than Blenders?
Food processors and blenders are specialized kitchen equipment. Each is designed for a different purpose.
Hence, we can’t say that one appliance is better than the other.
The suitability of either device would depend on the result you desire.
Food processors are suitable for chopping, grating, shredding, or dicing food.
Meanwhile, blenders are a better choice for liquefying food.
Depending on your need, you may prefer one appliance over the other.
Although you can use them interchangeably for some tasks, a food processor is not a direct replacement for a blender.
Blenders are suitable for making just one kind of food. However, food processors perform a range of actions.
If a food processor has additional blades for blending, you may be able to achieve similar results using this appliance, as you would with a blender.
Can A Cuisinart Food Processor Be Used As A Blender?
Cuisinart food processors are very popular because of the extensive range of actions they perform.
But can you use it like a blender?
Yes, you can use a Cuisinart food processor as a blender to make smoothies, soups, and purees. However, you can’t just toss all the ingredients in at once and blend it as you would do with a blender.
To use the Cuisinart food processor as a blender, you must follow these steps:
- Use the large metal chopping blade attachment to chop the ingredients.
- Next, use the pulse setting on the motor to puree the ingredients.
- Once the ingredients turn into a thick and smooth mixture, pour the liquid through the feed tube.
- Continue to run the processor until you achieve the desired consistency.
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Can A KitchenAid Food Processor Be Used As A Blender?
KitchenAid has a product line of blenders that produce excellent results.
However, their food processors can’t match the performance of their blenders, as they aren’t explicitly designed for blending.
Nonetheless, you can use Kitchenaid food processors to blend smooth and soft ingredients when you don’t have access to a blender.
The KitchenAid food processor will produce comparable results when you use smooth ingredients like soft fruits in your smoothie or puree.
However, the food processors will not produce the same results as a KitchenAid blender if you use ingredients like leafy greens or nuts.
When using a KitchenAid food processor for blending, here are a few factors to keep in mind.
- You can chop, shred, or finely process large ingredients that aren’t easy to liquefy, like nuts, leafy greens, and hard vegetables. Finely chopping the ingredients first will improve the final texture to a great extent.
- Use the low setting on the food processor when adding soft ingredients into the feed tube. This will ensure that the ingredients mix well.
- Once you achieve a uniform texture, you can add any sweeteners or liquids into the bowl.
- Switch to the high setting to blend all the ingredients thoroughly. You may like to scrape down the sides and mix again to ensure that all the ingredients mix well.
