On The Hob

Food processors come in all shapes and sizes and it can be difficult to decide which is the right one for you.  Here we discuss the features to look for when choosing a food processor.

What is a Food processor?

A food processor is a electrical appliance used to make repetitive food preparation tasks easy.  A key feature of food processors is that they have interchangeable blades so that one processor can have many functions.

What can a Food Processor do?

Different food processors will have different blades and functions, which may include

• Slicing / Chopping Vegetables
• Grinding – Eg Nuts and Spices
• Shredding / Grating
• Puréeing
• Mixing and kneading Doughs

How to choose

When shopping for a food processor consider the following.

• Size - Make sure the food processor is the right size for your uses, ideally you want the capacity to take all of your food in one go.
• Attachments - Does the model have the attachments that you need?
• Washing options - Are the parts dishwasher safe for easy cleaning?
• Power – The power of the machines is measured in wattage.  Obviously the more powerful the easier it will cope with more strenuous tasks, however as power increases so does price.  Also look out for induction motors, these directly drive blades (no gears or belts) so are much hard wearing and often come with extended guarantees.
• Speed Controls - Does the processor has variable speeds or a pulse function.
• Warranty - How long is the machine guaranteed for?

What are the options

So you’ve decided what features you’re looking for in a food processor, here’s several food processors with different features which we feel are worth consideration.

Kenwood Compact FP116 Food Processor

Kenwood Compact FP116 Food Processor. The Kenwood Processor FP116 is a good entry level affordable processor.  It only has a 0.8 litre capacity so is more suited for smaller portions but for the price has many attachments which include – Shredder, Juicer, Stainless Steel Blades, Whisk.  The motor is only 300Watts.  Click here for more information and to buy the Compact FP116

Kenwood FP580 Food Processor

Kenwood FP580 Food Processor – This is a more versatile machine than the FP116 as you can change out the bowl for a liquidiser, great for soups and smoothies.  This machine has a 500 watt motor and a 2.9 litre bowl.

Features include

Click here for more information and to buy the FP580

Magimix 5200 Food Processor

Magimix 5200 Food processor – Magimix are makers of quality food processors, if you are going to use a food processor regularly I would always recommend a magimix.  The have a range of processors, which differ in size.  The 5200 is their largest with a 3.7 litre capacity.  The Motor is a 1100 watt induction motor which directly drives the blade.  The Machine has a 3 year guarantee and the motor is guaranteed for 12 years.

Features include

AnySharp make the bold claim that this is the World’s Best Knife Sharpener.

AnySharp The World's Best Knife Sharpener

Whether you’re slicing meat, cutting fabrics, or mowing the lawn, you’ll want your blades to be at their sharpest. Regular use of even the highest quality blades will dull their edge, resulting in a loss of accuracy or the need for more effort when cutting.

The AnySharp Knife Sharpener uses new, patented knife sharpener technology, making it superior to any knife sharpening steel or stone. Unlike other knife sharpeners, AnySharp is totally safe to use, because your hands are always away from the blade.

The PowerGrip suction cup means you can attach the AnySharp Knife Sharpener to almost any surface, horizontal or vertical, without the need for tools. And since it is so small and light, it can be easily tidied away in a drawer, cupboard, or tool box when not needed.

Click here to buy the AnySharp Knife Sharpener.

Heres a Youtube clip showing how the AnySharp Knife Sharpener works.

Click here to buy the AnySharp Knife Sharpener.

Global Knives have received many awards and are renowned for their quality.  The Guardian Newspaper said that Global Knives are One of the few knives that cut all the foods cleanly at the first attempt glides through meat and cuts cabbage like butter

Global knives are also used by all Rick Stein’s restaurant employees.

Global knives are made of the finest stainless steel and their razor sharp blade stays sharp longer than other steels.  The hollow handles are weighted for the perfect balance.

A Global Knife Set

There are over 100 global knives available for every possible task.  From standard vegetable knives to bread knives, boning knives, butchers knives and many more.  All the global knives have the distinctive global handle design.

Click here to shop Global Knives at Amazon UK

This is a You Tube clip showing how to carve a chicken using a global knife.  What how easily and precisely the knife cuts through the chicken.

Click here to shop Global Knives at Amazon.co.uk

The Dualit conical coffee grinder comes in professional-looking black and steel and has a bean capacity of 250g. Its one to ten portion control switch makes grinding more efficient if you want to make just one cup and it has a choice of settings, ranging from fine to coarse.

Dualit Burr Coffee Grinder 75002

Click to buy the Dualit Burr Coffee Grinder

What is a Burr coffee grinder and why should you buy one?

There are two main types of coffee grinders on the market.  Blade grinders and burr grinders.

Blade Grinders – These grinders use a spinning blade to cut coffee beans.  You control fineness by the length of time that the grinder is turned on.  The positives are that blade grinders are relatively inexpensive.  However because fineness is controlled by the time the machine is operating the ground coffee uneven in size resulting in an inconsistent brew.  Also the machine can get hot, if you are grinding beans finely this could give them a burnt flavour.

Burr Grinders – Burr Grinders crush rather than cut.  The fineness of the coffee is done by the closeness of the burr and therefore the coffee is ground at a conisitant size.

Click to buy the Dualit Burr Coffee Grinder

Click to buy coffee grinders from Amazon