Introduction
In the contemporary modern times, many appliances have been developed to make the work easier and efficient in every single domain and the kitchen is not an exception.
There are a number of appliances which have become part of our daily cooking routines. But the problem arises when the decision needs to be made regarding which appliance needs to be purchased, especially for the budding chefs.
This problem arises because there is a huge variety of appliances in the market which almost serve the same purpose. The question which remains is that Which appliance will be best suited for your purpose?
This article will help solve one such confusion by answering the question Can you use a Blender as a Food Processor?
There is a very common confusion regarding whether the Food Processor can be used as a Blender and vice-versa or not. This confusion arises because these two appliances have many features that could be compared to be similar in the two. However, this doesn’t mean that there aren’t any differences.
This article will clarify this confusion by stating the difference between the two appliances and will hence, provide an answer to the question of whether Blender can be used as a Food Processor and vice-versa or not.
So, what are we waiting for???…Let’s begin!
To begin with, let’s first have a look at the description about both of the appliances in consideration i.e. the Blender and the Food Processor.
Blender
Blender is a kitchen appliance which is basically used to mix food and other substances. The main purpose of it is to blend the liquids. This appliance does it by creating a vortex which ultimately pulls ingredients towards the centre and causes them to blend together.
The size of a full-sized blender ranges from 8 to 22 inches in height and 4 to 19 pounds in weight. If you are very fond of making smoothies and soups, then Blender is the best option for you.
These appliances doesn’t offer the option to slice, grate and chop as the Food Processor offers but Blenders excel at blitzing ingredients into smooth mixtures and most Blenders can also crush ice and make dips. Some blenders also come with additional attachments for grinding things like coffee, nuts etc.
There are basically two types of Standing Blenders: Jug Blenders which can make the larger batches in one go and the Mini-Blenders which can only make 1-2 portions at a time. The Blending cup of these mini blenders can also be used as a cup. The prices of these Blenders can range from $20 to $500.
Hand or stick blenders are best at quick jobs like making a dip or blending soups and smoothies. But this can be a tiring task if held for a longer time. The size of these Blenders is smaller. However, the expensive ones come with the extra attachments and increased food processing abilities.
Food Processors
Food Processor, as an appliance, serves to be the best savory cook. These appliances can be really versatile with different attachments for the tasks like baking, chopping, grating, pureeing and slicing etc.
These appliances come with the 2-cup choppers suited for 1-2 people to about 20-cups choppers that I suited to be used in the Restaurant Kitchen. Price of these ranges from $40 to $700 with the expensive range including attachments like grinding mills, citrus presses, blender jugs and different sized bowls etc.
This appliance is surely more versatile but it also adds up to the things that needs to be cleaned and also it will take more storage space then a blender.
So, if you are the one who regularly cook in big batches, Food processor will be the best. However, if you just looking for appliance for minor tasks like chopping the onion or making the dip, in that case you should go ahead with the Mini-Chopper.
Now, having read about both the appliances, let’s move ahead and check whether they can be used interchangeably or not.
Can you use a Food Processor for a Blender?
The soups can be blended using a Food Processor but in small batches, but one must be careful about hot liquids. However, the final product of blending will not be as smooth when done through the food processor. Crushing ice can be done from either of the appliances but a high-quality blender will surely do a better job.
Can you use a Blender instead of a Food Processor?
The answer to this question will depend upon the dish which needs to be made using the appliance.
Let’s see how the job of Food Processor can be done in Blender by considering several dishes:
- Vegetables
Some level of chopping can be achieved using a Blender with the help of a tamper. To cut vegetables, run your blender on the lowest setting and use a tamper to force the vegetable downwards towards the blade.
- Baby Food
If you wish to make the Baby food at home using the blender, you can do that by adding a maximum of one cup of freshly cooked vegetables in the jar and use the Blender at the highest speed so as to get a smooth mixture.
- Bread Crumbs
To get the Bread Crumbs, use a maximum of 2 slices of dried bread and add pieces of it to the blender. Use the pulse option for 30 seconds until you get the required consistency. If the appliance doesn’t have a pulse option, run it on high speed for 30 seconds and the work will be done.
- Shredded Cheese
To get the Shredded cheese, cut the cheese into a 2 inch piece each and then add it to a blender. Then, keep the pulse on high for 30 seconds till you get the required consistency.
- Ice
To get the ice crushed using the blender, add 5-6 ice cubes at a time in the blender and set the Blender on high speed until you get the right consistency of the crushed ice.
- Pesto
To make pesto, all you need is 3/4 cup of olive oil, 3/4 cup cheese, about 1 ½ cups of basil, 3 cloves of garlic, and 1/4 cup of pine nuts. Add all of it to the blending jar and use it on the medium speed until the pesto sauce turns smooth.
- Dough
Dough can be prepared only using the industrial blender. A blender suited for household purposes is not suitable for making dough because of its slender shape and sharp blades. This will not allow the dough to turn properly to rise with air permeation.
So, the above stated are some of the ways in which the Blenders and the Food Processors can be used in place of one another.
Experts Advice for using the Blender
In this section of the article, I’ll be stating some of the advice which must be considered while using the Blender. So, following are some of the important points:
- Some of the Blenders have the accessories which can also be bought to make the work even more efficient. These accessories may include tamper sticks, serving cups set, ice blades jars and more.
- Most blenders have 3 speed settings while the expensive ones have 6 speed settings. For pureed food, you must use the blender with the highest setting. If you want the food to be textured and chunky, turn on the lowest settings.
- If you are not sure about the settings that are needed to cook something, add the ingredients one-by-one so as to ensure that you can stop if it doesn’t work out well. It will prevent the wastage of all the ingredients.
- The volume handling capacity of the Blender is much less than a Food Processor. So, add only ¼ th of the ingredients you would have added in the food processor and make food in the batches.
So, I hope your confusion regarding the interchangeable usage of Blender and Food Processor is much clearer.
With this we can move towards concluding the article.
Conclusion
We can conclude this article by saying that your preference of purchase between the Blender and the Food Processor would depend upon the task you want to do the most.
If you wish to make a full range of recipes, you will need both of these appliances. If you are only dealing with soups and the smoothies, then Blender would work and if you want to use it for more purposes like chopping etc., you must go ahead with purchasing the Food Processor.