The Three Bears Shop for a Food Processor

A few weeks ago, I decided I needed some type of processor. I had started cooking more (New Year's Resolution) and, while a sharp knife and hand copper were doing okay, I figured it was time to start the hunt for a food processor.

Within a few days, my head was spinning. 11 cup? 7 cup? Feed tubes--what size? Will I shred more, or puree more, or make bread? The more gadgets and attachments I saw, the more I was sure that I was moments away from making my own bread and grinding my own meat. I found a full-size processor at a mid-range price and brought it home. Yikes! No real seal between lid and bowl, the food chute sprayed my kitchen with cabbage--just awful. Food got caught between the blade and the underside of the lid--ick.

Back to the store: this time, a 2 cup chopper/grinder. Well, it didn't chop; it liquified, and it didn't grind; it spun stuff around. This one went back, as well.

I gave up until today, when I found the Kitchenaid mini-food processor. Hmmm...Kitchenaid--I had been sorely tempted by their larger products, (but they were too pricey) so I knew this was a good name. 3 cups--not too big, not too small...and the blades are angled and cut in a reverse motion, so food is pulled down into the blades like a blender, instead of being flung against the sides like the other mini I tried. One covered, easy-to-clean button that says "Pulse" (no on or off button; you either push it or don't push it--can't get much simpler than that).

Now, this can't knead dough or slice veggies, but the more I got into this, the more I realized that it's important to be realistic about how you're going to use it. I'm happy with slicing veggies myself, and I don't bake, so the fancier processors with these features would have been a waste.

So I bought the Kitchenaid and shopped for ingredients to make hummus (the instruction book had some great-sounding recipes that were perfect for this gadget---stuff you can acutally imagine eating). The processor minced one clove of garlic, then handled a 15 oz. can of garbanzo beans, and processed it all like a champ. When it looked like the mixture was too thick, I used the handy openings (there are two: a larger one for dry ingredients, and a small one for liquids) in the cover to add more liquid without having to remove the cover. The blades really do pull everything in and down, so everything got pureed evenly. I pulsed about 8 times, 2-3 seconds each, and it was done. NO scraping the sides needed during the whole process! No lumps and chunks of unprocessed food around the edges of the bowl, either.

As the other reviewer noted, this is somewhat loud, but that didn't bother me. It can be tricky to figure out the locking on the top and the bowl, (it doesn't help to be left-handed), but it doesn't seem like anything that you couldn't get used to. Pouring stuff into a bowl is no yuckier than with any processor, and the bowl is seamless, so there's not a bunch of crannies to trap food. The spatula (included) worked fine to get food from around the blades and center spindle.

A damp cloth cleaned up the base, and everything else is in the dishwasher.

The cord stores inside the bottom, and the whole thing is nice and compact.

Lesson learned: identify your needs before you start buying, and don't let the intriguing possibilities convince you that after 40 years, you're going to start making your own sausage. And look at what else you have in your kitchen. I don't feel like I'm duplicating other gadgets. This goes great with my other chopping and cutting implements.

Next is the mango puree sauce!