Meals Processor vs. Blender: Which Should I Buy?

The Variations

Blenders have small blades that spin very fast. The sharp bits are solely in contact with a small amount of meals instantly, nonetheless they really pulverize that meals (or ice, throughout the case of blended drinks). This works biggest with principally liquid contents, and the tall, slim type of a blender cup helps the spinning blades create a vortex that sucks supplies on the prime all the way in which all the way down to be mixed in evenly. An immersion blender (aka stick blender) has the an identical small blade, nonetheless attaches it to the tip of a water- and heat-proof publish you can put instantly proper right into a pot of scorching soup, bowl of cooked fruit, measuring cup of eggs, or primarily wherever else you need it.

It’s the exact reverse with meals processors, which have large blades that spin additional slowly. Because of the blades are in contact with numerous meals instantly, they’re ready to cut whole fruits or veggies into evenly sized objects with just a few pulses. Most meals processors embrace an assortment of further blades and totally different attachments designed for slicing, grating, and even kneading dough.

The Duties

Make a Smoothie

Winner: Blender

To crush juice, latest or frozen fruit, and ice proper right into a tasty smoothie that’s, successfully, straightforward, a blender is the clearly higher possibility. Meals processors are prone to have trouble with watery mixtures as their slower blades merely kind of push sturdy chunks spherical throughout the liquid instead of chopping or grinding efficiently. If there’s adequate liquid throughout the jar, a blender’s blades sort a vortex that sucks in any stray solids and retains your smoothie from being chewy. It is nonetheless potential to make a straightforward smoothie using a meals processor; ensure that to puree any whole fruits or totally different sturdy parts as finely as potential sooner than together with liquids.

Make a Frozen Cocktail (or Milkshake)

Winner: Blender

They don’t title them blended drinks for nothing. The blender is the actual champ within the case of crushing ice for a frozen margarita, banana daiquiri, piña colada, or comparable refresher. Blenders are ready to smash whole ice cubes into tiny-but-still-frozen bits, whereas moreover whipping in loads of air for a frothy drink. A meals processor’s chopping blades are prone to chip off bits of ice that soften sooner than the rest of the cube is likely to be broken up, resulting in a watery beverage. It’s the an identical state of affairs with milkshakes: A meals processor will soften additional of the ice cream whereas doing a lot much less whipping than a blender.

Make Hollandaise

Winner: Blender

This one’s an in depth title, nonetheless the blender merely barely takes the crown within the case of incorporating butter or oil into an emulsified sauce, like hollandaise or selfmade mayonnaise. Its whirling vortex ensures all the parts are all the time mixing collectively, and you might merely drizzle throughout the fat whereas the blender runs to stay away from the sauce breaking. Chances are you’ll positively make hollandaise or mayonnaise in a meals processor, too, nonetheless you might have considered trying an even bigger amount of parts to refill the bowl adequate for the blades to efficiently mix all of the items collectively.

Puree Soup

Winner: It’s a tie!

Turning a mix of liquid and cooked veggies—cucumber, pumpkin, potato, parsnip—proper right into a straightforward and delicious soup is appropriate throughout the wheelhouse of every the blender and the meals processor. Merely dump throughout the parts and let it run until straightforward. For a raw soup, like our vegan cream of broccoli, a blender is finest ready to interrupt down the fibrous raw veggies—a raw soup is principally a savory smoothie, after all.

Make Hummus

Winner: It’s a tie!

Blenders and meals processors are every environment friendly strategies to make thick, spreadable dips and sauces, much like hummus, artichoke dip, or pesto. In each case, it’s important to stop the machine periodically and scrape down the edges to verify all the parts are mixed in. A blender will make a very even-textured mixture, whereas a meals processor can depart points just a bit additional chunky for many who don’t course of them as prolonged; it’s truly as a lot as personal selection which trend you prefer.

Chop Carrots

Winner: Meals processor

You presumably can use a blender (a fairly extremely efficient one) to make whole carrots into carrot juicehowever it’s in all probability not good for any texture in between. A meals processor’s massive blades, then once more, are made for slicing a bunch of greens into evenly sized objects all on the an identical time. The longer you run the machine, the smaller the objects get, so going from large dice to small dice to mince is simply a matter of hitting the center beat button a lot of events.

Shred Cabbage

Winner: Meals processor

Most meals processors embrace an adjustable slicing blade that’s the final phrase software program to shred cabbage for coleslaw or sauerkraut. Whether or not or not you need paper-thin slivers or thick, crunchy slices, a meals processor will get you evenly shredded cabbage for an uniformly textured final dish.

Slice Potatoes

Winner: Meals processor

Positive, shredding cabbage and slicing potatoes are principally the an identical issue, they normally use the an identical meals processor attachment, nonetheless we’re highlighting the potato-slicing prowess of the meals processor because of it’s important for wonderful selfmade potato chips. Whether or not or not you’re making air-fried potato chips, oven-baked potato chips, or standard deep-fried potato chips, slices of even thickness are important for even doneness. Whereas merely as environment friendly as a mandoline, a meals processor is faster and safer for the knuckles.

Grate Cheese

Winner: Meals processor

Meals processor owners normally neglect in regards to the tools most fashions embody, in order that they don’t get in all probability essentially the most out of theirs. Together with a slicing wheel, there’s perhaps moreover a shredding/grating wheel that’s like a subject grater on steroids. For those who occur to need numerous mozzarella for a pizza celebration or a bevy of cheddar for baked potatoes or burgers (or shredded potatoes for hash browns), let your meals processor do the work.

Knead Dough

Winner: Meals processor

Chances are you’ll knead pizza dough or bread dough in a meals processor, and all you need is the same old blade. Add all the dry parts, pulse to combine, add the wets, and protect pulsing until you get a completely kneaded dough ball. In idea, this could take decrease than a minute. (Some machines embrace a selected plastic kneading blade that’s additional gentle on the dough, nonetheless the method is an identical.) The meals processor doesn’t present the an identical diploma of administration as a stand mixer, however it does a great job at kneading—truly larger than a blender.

Grind Espresso Beans

Winner: Neither!

For those who occur to plan to brew espresso at home using whole beans, you desire a devoted espresso grinder. Espresso beans are very small and actually onerous, and neither a blender nor a meals processor is offered to appropriately break them up into even objects. Run for prolonged adequate, each machine would possibly lastly cut back whole beans to powder, nonetheless that’s too high-quality to utilize in any brewing methodology with out ending up with gritty espresso. A espresso grinder has a small cup and blades specialised for cracking espresso beans apart into even bits. (The an identical rule applies to onerous spices like peppercorns, cloves, or cinnamon; a espresso grinder doubles as a spice grinder, nonetheless a blender or meals processor would not.)

Should you buy a blender or meals processor?

Successfully, which of the above objects will you be making constantly? For those who occur to can’t start the morning with no smoothie for breakfast, a blender is your only option. For those who occur to’re on a regular basis chopping veggies and slicing up chips, a meals processor is what you need. A mini meals processor is an environment friendly risk for these chopping herbs and making sauces. For those who occur to’re a extreme home prepare dinner dinner who makes each sort of recipes, you might have considered trying every.

You in all probability have every, do you must use a blender or meals processor? If it doesn’t fall into the lessons above, proper right here’s an important rule of thumb: For those who occur to can sip it with a straw, you want a blender. For those who occur to can stab it with a fork, you want a meals processor. For those who occur to make use of a spoon, each one will perhaps work.

Why Perception The Spruce Eats?

This story was written by Jason Horn, creator for The Spruce Eats. He’s been writing about meals for better than 15 years, and he’s been chopping and mixing meals for tons longer than that.