Tips, Tricks and Techniques

Appears in

The New Food Processor Bible

By Norene Gilletz

Published 2011

About

Most of your favorite recipes can be adapted easily to the food processor. Use the appropriate disc or blade to slice, grate, chop, mince or mix. On models with nested bowls, choose the appropriate-sized bowl for the task. Read the recipe completely, then organize the processing tasks for maximum efficiency and minimal cleanup.
Assemble and measure the ingredients. Cut food to fit the feed tube if slicing or grating. Cut food into chunks if chopping or mincing.
For uniform results when chopping, all the pieces should be about the same size. When mincing, it’s not as important. Do not process larger quantities than recommended in 1 batch.
Process hard or dry ingredients first, then soft or wet ingredients (e.g., chop onions, then add eggs and mayonnaise for egg salad).
Combine ingredients of the same texture. If foods have different textures, process them separately.
Never process foods that are too hard to cut with a knife. You could damage the blade or the machine.
Check often to avoid overprocessing.
Wait for the blades to stop spinning before removing the cover. If the cover does not move or fit easily, rub a little cooking oil around the rim of the cover and bowl.
When slicing or grating, if food doesn’t fit through the top of the feed tube, try inserting it through the bottom, which is slightly larger.
If appearance is important, pack the feed tube carefully. Otherwise, don’t fuss.
To slice small items such as mushrooms, strawberries or radishes, trim the bottom ends flat so food sits upright in the feed tube. Place a few pieces cut side down directly on the Slicer. (If your processor comes with a wide-mouth feed tube, place food directly in the feed tube. Be careful—the Slicer is very sharp. Use the smaller feed tube when processing small quantities.) Stack the remaining pieces in the feed tube. The bottom layer will produce perfect slices for garnishing.
When slicing small items (e.g., strawberries, mushrooms) in the wide-mouth feed tube, keep the small pusher inside the small feed tube. Otherwise, the food will ride up inside the small feed tube and won’t slice properly.
To avoid slanted slices when slicing small amounts, place the food to be sliced in an upright position on the right side of the feed tube if disc spins counter-clockwise, and on the left side if disc spins clockwise.
For round fruits or vegetables, remove a thick slice on the bottom of the food so that it sits upright in the feed tube. If food doesn’t fit in the feed tube, cut it in halves or quarters to fit; trim if necessary. Process using steady pressure.
For julienne strips or matchsticks, you need to slice twice! Cut food to fit the feed tube horizontally. Place food horizontally in the feed tube and slice, using steady pressure on the pusher. You will get long, plank-like slices. Restack the slices and position them vertically in the feed tube, wedging them in snugly. Slice once again using steady pressure, making long julienne strips. Ideal for carrots, potatoes, turnips and zucchini.
If you have a Julienne Disc, you only need to slice once! Cut food to fit the feed tube horizontally. Place food horizontally in the feed tube and cut into julienne strips using medium pressure. With harder foods such as carrots, use firmer pressure on the pusher.
CHEATER CHOP: This time-saving technique eliminates emptying the bowl when chopping a large quantity of vegetables (e.g., onions, bell peppers). Place 1-inch chunks of food in the feed tube. Process on the Slicer or French Fry Disc using almost no pressure. Perfect for salsa!
It is normal for sliced or grated food to pile up on 1 side of the bowl. Empty bowl as necessary. Don’t let food press up against the bottom of the Slicing or Shredding Disc.
Sometimes a small amount of food will not pass through the Slicing or Shredding Disc. Usually, the next item being sliced or shredded will force it through. Otherwise, this tidbit is a snack for the cook. (But no raw chicken, please!)
The processor can process hot or cold foods. The bowl goes in the refrigerator or freezer (but not in the microwave oven), unless otherwise directed in your manual.
Butter and cream cheese can be processed directly from the refrigerator—no need to soften them first.
When adding flour to cake batter, etc., blend in with on/off pulses, just until it disappears. Overprocessing results in poor volume or heavy cakes. Refer to Cakes and Frostings for more information.
Remove the bowl and Steel Blade from the base as soon as you are finished processing. When they are removed together, the blade drops down around the central opening, forming a seal.
On Cuisinart Elite models, make sure to lock the Steel Blade into place before adding food so that the blade won’t fall out when you empty the bowl.
If your model doesn’t come with this feature, here’s how to hold the Steel Blade in place when emptying the work bowl. Make sure your hands are dry. Insert your index or middle finger through the hole in the bottom of the bowl, securing the Steel Blade so it doesn’t slip. Grip the outside edge of the bowl with your thumb. Tip the bowl to empty it, scraping out the contents with a spatula.
Another method is to hold the blade in place with a rubber spatula while emptying the bowl. Be careful not to drop the blade into the food!
Put a potholder, towel or small mat underneath the base of your processor. It will be easier to move the machine around on the counter.
If your processor moves around when processing heavy loads, place a rubber waffled refrigerator liner under the base. This will allow air to circulate under the base and it rinses clean quickly.
Be prepared! To save time and cleanup, process more food than you need (e.g., grated chocolate, cheese, nuts, crumbs, parsley, onions). Refrigerate or freeze extras for future use.
First things first! Process nuts, chocolate and streusel mixtures for coffee cakes first, while the processor bowl is dry, to avoid extra washing of the bowl and blade.
Paper towels are handy to wipe out the processor bowl for easy cleanups between steps.
Leftover cooked vegetables will thicken gravies, sauces and soups with minimal calories. Purée on the Steel Blade until smooth.
Puréed meals are ideal as “senior food” for people on a soft diet, or those with chewing, swallowing, digestive or dental difficulties.
INSTANT FRUIT SAUCE: Defrost a 10 oz package of frozen unsweetened raspberries or strawberries (or use 2 cups cut-up fresh berries, peaches or mangoes). Purée on the Steel Blade until smooth. For each cup of fruit, add 1 to 2 Tbsp sugar (to taste), 1 tsp orange liqueur and a squeeze of lemon juice. Perfect over ice cream or fruit!

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