Ways to Use Your Food Processor More Often
I have plenty of the “essential” kitchen gadgets and small appliances that have become popular over the last few years, ie: air fryer, Instant Pot, a high-powered blender, etc. I have loved all of these, but a lot of the time these small appliances sit unused, collecting dust, feeding my guilt like crazy for not using them!
My husband surprised me for Mother’s Day with a food processor I had had my eye on for years, and it is incredible! It is the Ninja Professional XL Food Processor--it is huge and it is amazing! It is everything I hoped for and more. At first I felt a little guilty to have yet another small kitchen appliance, but I am using this thing like crazy! I cannot believe all the things you can use it for.
For example, just this last weekend, I was using it nonstop to shred cheese quickly for scrambled eggs for a weekend breakfast, then I had two desserts to make for birthdays in our family: chocolate lasagna and my keto dessert, which was carrot cake cheesecake. I pulsed all the Oreos for my Oreo crust in about 13 seconds, shredded carrots for my carrot cake in 27 seconds, whipped up the cheesecake layer in under a minute and each of these items have never turned out better! It was a dream! I cannot believe how much time it saves with prepping and preparing meals and desserts.
Here are a few ways you can use your food processor, if you’ve got one, to use it more frequently, for more things than you might think.
Homemade Nut Butters
All of the nut butters--not just PB. Two words: cashew butter! Have you ever had cashew butter? Oh my goodness it is out of this world. Trader Joe’s used to make it and they have since discontinued it so this is where I need to get my fix.
Meat Mixer
You can grind up things like raw salmon for salmon burgers, for example. Or you could grind up your own meat from purchasing a roast for meatballs and burgers.
Homemade Mayo
I am on a quest to clean up some of the oils I am eating and keep things as simple with as few ingredients as I can. Mayo is one of those things I have been making on my own in my food processor. I use avocado oil and my schmancy free range organic eggs and now I know exactly what is in my mayo! It’s pretty awesome. And then you know me--I take that mayo and naturally use a good chunk of that to make my own ranch dressing. Ranch dressing is the sauce of the gods, I tell ya!
Fixins for Salads
Of course food processors are fantastic for chopping up all kinds of veggies to bring tons of textures and flavors to salads. Easily grate carrots, thinly slice cucumbers and onions. Chop up celery for a pot pie or soup. This thing will cut your preparation time at least by half! I was so amazed at how quickly it shredded 2 carrots for my carrot cake in less than 20 seconds! Amazing!
Doughs and Quick Bread Mixes
You can whip up dough for a pizza with the dough hook, or batter for pancakes, or quick breads like banana breads and it will never be faster or easier. I made a cheesecake and I have never made a better one. It whipped up that custard part so well. My cheesecake was silky smooth and I owe it all to this baby!
Smooth as Can Be Cauliflower Crust
Using your food processor to finely grind up that cauliflower like nobody’s business for a cauliflower pizza crust. This thing makes any dough smoother than butter!
Potatoes Two Ways
The food processor can quickly and easily slice potatoes to your desired thickness--super thin to make homemade chips--yum! Or a little thicker to make cheesy scalloped potatoes. Either way, you can’t go wrong! My specific food processor has a way to adjust the thickness for sliced items like potatoes and cabbage and I can’t wait to try it for both of these items.
Make Butter from Cream
Speaking of butter, did you know you can actually whip heavy cream to the point it actually becomes butter? It might make your ancestors cry a little bit when they find out it takes you like one minute to what took them an hour of hand churning--not to mention the calluses!
What are some of your favorite ways to use a food processor? Is it a kitchen appliance you think is worth the money and gets a lot of use in your home? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
My husband surprised me for Mother’s Day with a food processor I had had my eye on for years, and it is incredible! It is the Ninja Professional XL Food Processor--it is huge and it is amazing! It is everything I hoped for and more. At first I felt a little guilty to have yet another small kitchen appliance, but I am using this thing like crazy! I cannot believe all the things you can use it for.
For example, just this last weekend, I was using it nonstop to shred cheese quickly for scrambled eggs for a weekend breakfast, then I had two desserts to make for birthdays in our family: chocolate lasagna and my keto dessert, which was carrot cake cheesecake. I pulsed all the Oreos for my Oreo crust in about 13 seconds, shredded carrots for my carrot cake in 27 seconds, whipped up the cheesecake layer in under a minute and each of these items have never turned out better! It was a dream! I cannot believe how much time it saves with prepping and preparing meals and desserts.
Here are a few ways you can use your food processor, if you’ve got one, to use it more frequently, for more things than you might think.
Homemade Nut Butters
All of the nut butters--not just PB. Two words: cashew butter! Have you ever had cashew butter? Oh my goodness it is out of this world. Trader Joe’s used to make it and they have since discontinued it so this is where I need to get my fix.
Meat Mixer
You can grind up things like raw salmon for salmon burgers, for example. Or you could grind up your own meat from purchasing a roast for meatballs and burgers.
Homemade Mayo
I am on a quest to clean up some of the oils I am eating and keep things as simple with as few ingredients as I can. Mayo is one of those things I have been making on my own in my food processor. I use avocado oil and my schmancy free range organic eggs and now I know exactly what is in my mayo! It’s pretty awesome. And then you know me--I take that mayo and naturally use a good chunk of that to make my own ranch dressing. Ranch dressing is the sauce of the gods, I tell ya!
Fixins for Salads
Of course food processors are fantastic for chopping up all kinds of veggies to bring tons of textures and flavors to salads. Easily grate carrots, thinly slice cucumbers and onions. Chop up celery for a pot pie or soup. This thing will cut your preparation time at least by half! I was so amazed at how quickly it shredded 2 carrots for my carrot cake in less than 20 seconds! Amazing!
Doughs and Quick Bread Mixes
You can whip up dough for a pizza with the dough hook, or batter for pancakes, or quick breads like banana breads and it will never be faster or easier. I made a cheesecake and I have never made a better one. It whipped up that custard part so well. My cheesecake was silky smooth and I owe it all to this baby!
Smooth as Can Be Cauliflower Crust
Using your food processor to finely grind up that cauliflower like nobody’s business for a cauliflower pizza crust. This thing makes any dough smoother than butter!
Potatoes Two Ways
The food processor can quickly and easily slice potatoes to your desired thickness--super thin to make homemade chips--yum! Or a little thicker to make cheesy scalloped potatoes. Either way, you can’t go wrong! My specific food processor has a way to adjust the thickness for sliced items like potatoes and cabbage and I can’t wait to try it for both of these items.
Make Butter from Cream
Speaking of butter, did you know you can actually whip heavy cream to the point it actually becomes butter? It might make your ancestors cry a little bit when they find out it takes you like one minute to what took them an hour of hand churning--not to mention the calluses!
What are some of your favorite ways to use a food processor? Is it a kitchen appliance you think is worth the money and gets a lot of use in your home? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Mary Richardson
Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2014
Email the author! mary@dvo.com
