Yes, it's good at that too! With a special attachment you can deal with cucumbers, apples, cabbages, potatoes and whatever needs to be sliced evenly and precisely. You can even choose thick or thin slices.
Mixing and puréeing
There are a million and one things you can mix in a food processor: whole-egg mayonnaise, for example, can be mixed in moments. It can then be made into chunky tartare sauce, with capers, cornichons (baby gherkins) and parsley chopped in at the end – taste it and you'll never want the shop-bought version again!
If you're nervous about making pastry, or if the fat from the fridge is too hard to rub in by hand, the processor will make extremely good pastry, provided, at the end, you add the water a little at a time to get a good consistency. Sometimes, when you are serving vegetables, it's nice to ring the changes and whip them into a purée. With a little crème fraîche and some butter, a processor will make a lovely smooth, velvety parsnip purée. I also like to add steamed swede and carrots to the bowl of the processor while they are still hot, and whizz them, not to a purée, but to the coarsely chopped stage.
Grating
Grating large quantities – not just of breadcrumbs – can be hard work by hand. A good processor will have a grating disc with various different settings so you can grate cheese and vegetables. It makes light work of something really hard, such as fresh coconut, and if you need a large amount of freshly grated Parmesan, it is all speedily and easily done.
Kneading
I have to confess that, although I like the idea of hand-kneading bread dough, it does rather sap your strength. So if you want the easiest home-baked bread in the world, it's absolute bliss to let the processor, fitted with a special dough attachment, do all the hard work for you while you get on with something else. But there's a warning here: in some processors the dough attachment does not operate very effectively and the processor can end up doing a shuddering dance all along the work surface. The most solid ones, therefore, are the best.
What doesn't a processor do?
Number one on this list is mashed potatoes. It seems logical that a processor should do this, I know, but absolutely not. Something happens to them in a processor that makes them gloopy and glue-like – not nice at all.
Although you can make cakes (such as sponge cakes) with a processor, I feel the space inside the bowl is too confined and doesn't let the air in. So I personally wouldn't choose to make a cake in mine.
The same applies to whisking: there is a whisk attachment that allows you to whisk egg whites but, again, I feel I'm not going to get as much air in. However, this is a personal preference – you need to discover for yourself.
As for herbs, I feel a good sharp knife makes a better job of chopping herbs on their own (herbs added to other mixtures are fine). The processor can overdo the job and make them rather wet and soggy.
Soups can be puréed in a processor, and it's good if you want a coarser texture, but it can only be done in very small quantities or it spills over and becomes very messy.
Checklist before you buy a processor
Have you got room to spare? Having it plugged in and ready to go is vital – if it's stashed away in a store cupboard you won't want to be bothered.
As I said earlier, it's worth investing in the best. You could begin with a smaller, cheaper model, but I think a good-sized, powerfully motored, top-of-the-range version will serve you best in the long run.
Watch where the blades are: when you buy a processor the blades need to be as low down as possible. Check the level of the blades as they sit in the bowl; the higher they are, the less effective the machine, because a small quantity of ingredients will just sit in the bottom with the blades merrily whizzing above and the two never meeting! I have found the Magimix 5100 to be the best processor.
Finding the Best Food Processor for Specific Tasks
There are basic appliances that are expected in the kitchen that homeowners can’t possibly live without. There are also those that are not as important as the others in the sense that they people can still survive without them. However, such appliances would make certain activities expected in the kitchen a lot easier. The food processor is an example of an additional appliance that homemakers can take advantage of. At a glance, it makes the tasks of chopping, mincing, slicing and shredding varied food items fast and easy but there is so much more that it can do.
Some try and use a blender but will realize that it is simply not made for the task. Using a blender would lead to a number of problems for the homemaker. Because of its deep container, it would be very difficult to get the food off the glass or plastic container. It would also be difficult to get most of the food items out without removing the blades underneath. Otherwise, homeowners would end up wasting a lot of what they processed in it. Some would argue that it can still be used with processing that would have some liquid in it but the consistency would be far too smooth for it to work. Obviously, it is made for making smoothies and shakes.