How does a food processor work?
All blades and discs are removable and interchangeable. So once you've identified the attachment to use and assembled the food processor, the motor will quickly rotate the attachment. In the case of sharp chopping blades, which usually sit at the bottom of a bowl and chop food as they spin, they can be used for a variety of tasks such as chopping Onions, slicing herbs, and grinding beef.
Raster and slice attachments are usually large disks that are assembled together so that they are near the top of the bowl. The feed slot in the lid allows you to safely send food from the slot into the slicing and grating discs using a plastic thruster, which means your fingers are not near the dangerously fast rotating blade. When you push the food down the feed tank, they are chopped or sliced by the rapidly rotating disc, and all the chopped or chopped food falls into the bowl below the disc. Some food processors come with more than one size grating or slicing tray, so you can choose to make thicker or thinner slices, or choose between large or small cuts. The larger raster discs are great for shredding carrots and cheese, but the smaller discs will provide you with exquisite chocolate chips.
Dough blades are plastic blades that are not as sharp as metal shredding blades, so instead of cutting into them, they mix and knead the dough as they spin, and they are ideal for pastry or bread dough. But a food processor can't mix as much dough as a stand mixer. The whisk attachment also spins at high speed to whisk air into the cream or egg whites, and they are usually disc-shaped or reticular in design rather than more like a hand-held wire whisk.
At a minimum, the food processor will have one speed and a pulse button for short bursts, but models with two or more processing speeds are not uncommon. Many food processors are also equipped with more than one bowl. Smaller bowls can be used to efficiently chop or mix smaller amounts. They are usually located inside the main bowl and use smaller blades.
One of the great things about food processors is that they are usually designed with safety in mind. Most cannot be opened until the lid is firmly locked in place. This helps avoid dangerous situations, but it's also one of the big reasons why some people find the device difficult to assemble. Sometimes it is necessary to lock the bowl in place and slot the lid in place sequentially. The device will not boot unless configured correctly, which can be confusing and frustrating if you don't have a manual on hand. However, once you know the order or exactly how the models lock together, it becomes second nature.
With large pitcher bowls and sharp blades, you may be wondering if a blender can be used as a food processor and vice versa. Unfortunately, they can't -- in part because food processors usually don't have leak-proof LIDS, so mixing large amounts of liquid soups or smoothies in a food processor is not recommended. The second reason is that blender pitchers are tall and they are designed to suck all the ingredients towards the blade, while food processor bowls are wider and flatter, better designed for evenly shredding large amounts of as well as dried ingredients. There are also tasks like making mud where you can use any kind of equipment.
