The 8 Greatest Meals Processors, In accordance with Cooks

In the case of kitchen necessities, the chef’s knife will get all of the glory; it’s romantic, exact, even a bit of harmful. But when there’s one instrument that quietly does the heavy lifting in {many professional} kitchens, it’s the meals processor. Meals processors are maybe the least attractive of the kitchen home equipment. They don’t demand the identical stage of talent as a knife, nor gleam when the sunshine hits them simply so, however for a lot of cooks, they’re indispensable — a machine that saves hours of prep and transforms your kitchen’s capability for effectivity.

Cooking is actually a litany of small, exact, and seemingly countless duties. It’s in these duties — the chopping, the blending, the mincing — that the meals processor shines. Just about each ingredient of mise en place may be expedited with an important meals processor. I spoke to 4 Los Angeles cooks about their favourite meals processors — and what they use them for.

Our specialists:

What ought to I exploit my meals processor for?

What shouldn’t you employ your meals processor for? Relying on the scale and energy of your meals processor, it may be used for the whole lot from making dips, sauces, spreads, and soups to finely mincing greens and herbs, mixing batters, and chopping nuts.

“We make a ton of aioli,” says Strauss. “Three sorts at OyBar and two at Jeff’s Desk. We additionally shred a ton of cheese for burgers and quesadillas, and cabbage for sauerkraut.” At his eating places, the meals processor is an in reliable helpmate, a machine that streamlines prep work in methods no knife ever might. He’s not alone in that sentiment.

Turner’s crew at Extremely Doubtless makes use of their meals processor to prep sizzling sauce for fermentation each week. Pittol has cracked the code on making all her butter crust doughs in a meals processor, a shortcut that has saved her untold hours of labor. Orozco, who usually prepares meals for giant occasions, depends on it for sheer effectivity, saying, “For an occasion of 60, 100, or 400 individuals, I’ll use a meals processor as a result of it’s extra environment friendly.” Orozco even depends on his for drying and breaking down herbs for kombucha manufacturing. Meals processors aren’t nearly saving time; they will additionally unlock efficiencies and methods that may be troublesome or impractical by hand.

Getty Photos

Past their practicality, meals processors additionally carry a sure nostalgia. Turner’s first reminiscences of a meals processor date again to her baby. “Rising up, my mom had a particular cupboard made with a swing shelf the place our meals processor lived,” she says. “That was over 4 many years in the past, and it’s nonetheless the identical meals processor that I exploit each time I go to dwelling.” Strauss remembers the same childhood second. “I bear in mind my mother getting her first one within the Seventies—a Cuisinart. When she opened the field, there was this glow on her face like she was staring into the briefcase in Pulp Fiction.”

What are the very best meals processors that cooks suggest?

For a lot of cooks, the Robotic Coupe R2 is the undisputed king of meals processors. Practically each chef interviewed swore by it because the business customary. “It’s an absolute workhorse and saves my crew a ton of prep hours,” says Kat Turner, chef-partner at Extremely Doubtless in Los Angeles.

“If I’m cooking for a pal at dwelling, I would use a mortar and pestle, however for large-scale work, I at all times use a Robotic Coupe,” Oroczo provides.

One other large hitter? Breville’s line of Paradice and Sous Chef meals processors; Strauss has one in his lineup of every day drivers. The Paradice fashions are finest for large-batch dicing with precision and constant sizing, whereas the Sous Chef line is extra versatile for slicing, grating, and shredding.

What are the very best reasonably priced meals processors?

Whereas a Robotic Coupe R2 could also be a must have for industrial kitchens, the overwhelming majority of us don’t have a $1,200 price range for including a meals processor to our arsenal.

Cuisinart’s meals processors are maybe essentially the most ubiquitous of any model’s, present in kitchens minimal and splendid, lowbrow and intellectual. That’s doubtless as a result of they’re dependable, versatile, uncomplicated, and super-affordable, with the smallest fashions beginning at underneath $30. Plus, the bowl may be thrown within the dishwasher for straightforward cleansing.

Ninja, recognized for its highly effective blenders, has additionally launched a well-liked, highly effective line of meals processors. At underneath $150, its 1200-watt Skilled XL processor might be the very best bang to your buck for a machine of its dimension (12 cups!), with ultra-sharp blades that uniformly combine batter, whip up purees, or slice paper-thin greens for ratatouille.

Already personal a Vitamix and don’t wish to add one other equipment to your crowded cabinets? Vitamix makes a meals processor attachment to transform your blender right into a processor in seconds, and it’s outfitted with Self-Detect expertise for protected, seamless integration. Utilizing your Vitamix’s personal highly effective blades and motor, it will possibly shred, cube, chop, knead, and extra.

If you happen to’re nonetheless salivating over the Robotic Coupe, eager for its energy, we’ve got a professional tip: the extra reasonably priced Magimix is identical model — Robotic Coupe is simply the title of the skilled line. For smaller batches and duties, you possibly can decide up the Magimix Le Micro for simply $137, and whereas the 4200XL mannequin remains to be a cool $449, that’s a big value dip from the R2 (with comparable energy and options).

Tips on how to care to your meals processor

For many who do maintain a meals processor of their kitchen, cooks have a number of tricks to take advantage of it. Strauss recommends a easy cleansing hack: use the machine itself to assist clear sticky sauces by pulsing a little bit of soapy water earlier than washing. Pittol warns that plastic bowls take in sturdy odors — garlic, turmeric — and may stain, so if attainable, it’s finest to have separate bowls for candy and savory purposes. She additionally stresses the significance of obeying the utmost fill line: Ignore it at your peril.

Do I actually want a meals processor or can I get away with doing the whole lot by hand? When ought to I simply use a blender?

Whereas meals processors completely make meals prep faster and simpler for a lot of functions, they’re not excellent. Ask a chef what they don’t use their meals processor for, and also you’ll doubtless get the identical reply: slicing, positive chopping, and making something that must be really {smooth}. You’d assume for precision the machines would have us beat however in the case of getting issues excellent, the well-trained chef with knife-in-hand nonetheless reigns supreme.

Turner avoids utilizing hers for onions, garlic, or shallots as a result of “the blade bruises these delicate infants and may trigger bitterness within the closing product.” And in the case of silky-smooth purées? That’s blender territory. Orozco doesn’t trouble utilizing a meals processor for purées in any respect. “I do know loads of cooks do, however I exploit it for tough chopping. If I want one thing {smooth}, I’ll use a blender.” And undoubtedly don’t attempt to whip up a smoothie or soup in a meals processor; your blender will supply a superior texture for true liquids.

For dwelling cooks, the query of whether or not a meals processor is a must have instrument is extra divisive. Some cooks insist that each kitchen, skilled or not, ought to have one. Strauss calls it “completely” important, significantly for making aioli or do-it-yourself mayo, which he considers a game-changer. Pittol loves its time-saving potential, particularly for shredding cheese, whereas Turner depends on hers for chopping nuts, making pie dough, and whipping up compound butters.

However not everyone seems to be satisfied. Even Turner, who swears by hers in a restaurant setting, acknowledges that some issues are merely higher executed by hand. “There’s one thing witchy and magical about grinding spices and aromatics by hand,” she says.

On the finish of the day, meals processors are precisely what the title suggests—a workhorse. They don’t exchange knife expertise, they received’t offer you excellent slices, they usually received’t create silky-smooth textures. However for professionals, they’re indispensable, and even for dwelling cooks, they will unlock time and make cooking extra joyful by taking up essentially the most tedious duties—if you know the way to make use of them proper.

To completely misquote a line from Man Ritchie’s 1998 gangster basic movie Lock, Inventory and Two Smoking Barrels: “It’s knives for present, and meals processors for a professional.”