I have a food processor and a blender, both are permanent fixtures on my bench although if one was to be relegated to a cupboard it would be the food processor. Not because I don’t use it but with smoothie obsessed children our blender is used daily.
While both machines are similar and have a degree of overlap they do have some quite different functional abilities and I would be pushed to pick one over the other in terms of usefulness.
What about you, do you own one or both and do you have a favourite?
A blender’s main function is to puree or mix soft foods and liquids, whereas a food processor is designed to finely chop and also using the extra attachments to shred, grate and slice.
I have heard others say that they find their food processor essential for making pizza dough and also tortilla dough – has anyone else tried this?
I leave that task to my cake mixer with dough hook.
For anything that has a substantial liquid component I use a blender as opposed to the food processor. Has anyone else noticed how quickly the liquid in a food processor leaks out even though it didn’t look that high in the first place?
10 uses for a food processor
1. Finely chopping large quantities of vegetables
2. Making coleslaw using the shredding and grating attachments
3. Making pesto, hummus and salsa
4. Using the pulse mechanism to make short pastry.
5. Making bread crumbs
6. Pulsing praline into small pieces (if you have a strong machine).
7. Turning biscuits into crumbs.
8. Grating large quantities of cheese.
9. Finely chopping nuts (think macarons)
10.Making peanut butter
10 uses for a blender
A blender is idea for converting soft food into a smooth liquid.
Blenders need liquid to work at their best so leave the dryer chunkier mixtures to your food processor.
1. Smoothies
2. Emuslified sauces such as mayonnaise, hollandaise and aioli. While these can also be done in a food processor, unless you have a very small food processor bowl you will find it is easier to make domestic quantities in a blender.
3. Pureeing soups
4.Vegetable purees such as cauliflower.
5. Make slushy drinks and frozen cocktails such as margaritas
6. Crush ice (make sure your blender is up to it though).
7. Making smooth dips.
8. Blending custard type tart fillings
9. Removing lumps from gravy
10. Making pancake batter
Some of our favourite smoothie combinations are
- Banana, maple syrup, yoghurt and milk (best with frozen bananas due to chill and texture)
- Frozen berries, banana, vanilla and milk
- Chocolate syrup, banana, ice cream, milk
- Mango, yoghurt, coconut milk
- Banana, rolled oats, LSA, yoghurt, vanilla and milk (great for breakfast)
- Peanut butter, chocolate syrup, ice cream, milk (think peanut butter cups)
- Peach, raspberry, yoghurt, apple juice and ice (use canned peaches)
- Blueberries, ice cream, milk and vanilla
- Banana, coconut milk, coconut, vanilla ice cream and pineapple juice
What are some of your best smoothie mixes?
For those that have wanted a blender but don’t have one or need an upgrade we happen to have 2 of these top notch Breville Kinetix Control Blenders to give away.
These are model: BBL605BS and the colour is black sesame.
Recommended retail is $349.95 each!
Very nicely written. I would actually prefer a mega kitchen system which acts both as food processor and a blender.
Keep up the good work.
Thank you
Tim
I have a food processor. I love the thought of being able to win a Blender, not sure if the kids or I would use it the most!
I love, love Frozen raspberries with fresh or tinned pineapple, some fresh mint, nice tart unsweetened yoghurt. Soooo simple but sooo good!
you want a good smoothie….try this…great stiuff
1 can pineaplle 410g
1 tin peaches 410g
3 frozen bananas (or fresh)
three quarters can of mountain dew passionfruit frenzy from the one and half litre bottle
then blend on full speed …give it heaps..then pour into jug and into fridge for about an hour…or make night before for morning…..not sweet, a great breakfast drink or anytime
I had a dual F/P and Blender but the Blender died about a year ago. I miss it for certain things, including say making a milkshake/smoothie. I would be really nice to have one dedicated to the job.
At some point I bought a hand held mixer especially for creaming butter/sugar because frankly the F/P (well mine anyway ) doesn’t do that job well. It came with a dough hook but I haven’t used it.
I mainly try to use my F/P for all of that, find it’s easier to mix up tortilla – scone dough as long as I don’t over process it all…finishing it off by hand.
I have problems with my hand/wrists – neither of them very strong and have other problems…so whisk/kneading is not something that happens well for me.
Looks great, versatile machine, replace my old one slowly dying after years of use.
Definitely a blender, more versatile and in dire need of a new one.
My family loves a spinach, spirulina, banana, pineapple juice and yoghurt with a bit of vanilla in it!
When I am whizzing a very liquid mix in the food processor (I make a chocolate cake which comes to within an inch of the top once blended), I put in all the other ingredients, switch it on and (quickly) add the liquid through the top. It seems to stop the overflow.
PS: Don’t have a blender now, so that’s my only option. Would love a new one.
I only have a processor,would dearly love a blender as my hubby is on a liquid diet at the moment & it would be so handy!
I use my old Breville blender for milkshakes particularly banana, milo, icecream & milk. Just delicious!
Would love to win the new Breville blender to give to my daughter as she has not got one.
I use my blender a lot for kale and banana and berry smoothies and my food processor for homemade hummus – pumpkin, kale and kumara my fav!!
Forgot to say that my blender is on it’s last legs – opps no legs – last breath?? Would LOVE a new one!!
Have both but never use my blender.
I’ve a stick blender, food processor and an upright blender but never thought of using the blender for soup. I’ve only ever used it for smoothies but of course, I now realise it makes perfect sense to use it for soups also. Thanks for that!
My favourite smoothie is a combination of fresh or frozen strawberries, banana, honey, milk, yoghurt (or ice cream) and a hint of fresh mint – delicious.
I have neither a blender nor a food processor. I had a blender with my old English-made Kenwood but it doesn’t fit the new Kenwood that I bought. I have bought 2 food processors in the past and never liked either of them. The blades seemed to be too far from the bottom of the bowl and nothing ever mixed properly, so I got rid of them.
These days I use mostly a stick blender and its accompanying jugs with blades, a Moulinex for small jobs and a coffee grinder for very small jobs. My Kenwood Mixer seems to be redundant now that I’ve stopped making (and eating) so much bread.
Griz, if you tip your stick blender on an angle before lifting it, it won’t splash the contents everywhere.
I only have a food processor. I use it for soup pureeing, pastry, pesto, hummus, and milkshakes as I don’t have a blender!!
I don’t have a blender just a food processor and a stick blender and I do manage to do most things without. But I do find that liquids tend to escape my food processor very easily. This leads to scenes of me draping my food processor with a towel in an attempt to stop the liquids flying out and redecorating my kitchen. I have similar problems with my stick blender, which seems to suction itself to the bottom of the container, if I lift it to break that suction then inevitably I get hot soup (or whatever I’m blending) all over my kitchen.
Berries and yoghurt. Never banana!
Love the taste of the tropics in my smoothies. Coconut cream, pineapple, paw paw, star fruit ★