Blender or Food Processor: The Differences

Included among the many appliance you may have in your kitchen are probably a blender, a food processor and an immersion blender. Most people do not have an immersion blender in their home, but the majority of kitchens contain both a blender and food processor. Many people feel that a blender and a food processor are essentially the same piece of equipment housed in different cases. This article will help you understand the differences between blenders and food processors.

Size and Weight

This is a pretty easy comparison between a blender and food processor. A blender stands nice and tall and so do most brands of food processors but the size really comes into play when you talk counter space. A food processor takes up much more space on the counter than most blenders do. This is because a food processor is built to handle tough jobs whereas blenders are typically used to puree. For this reason the motor is much larger and takes a larger case making a food processor larger all around. A blender also weighs less than a food processor due to the amount of parts and the durable construction of the food processor.

Retail Price

When you purchase kitchen equipment the first thing you look at is the price. Once you see the price you then typically ask yourself if you really need the appliance. You can now purchase a basic blender for under $20 but a food processor, even a basic one, can still be close to $100. You can find a food processor cheaper but these are usually miniature food processors that are used mainly for chopping a small amount of vegetables, crushing nuts or grinding coffee beans. While handy, they can't perform the tasks that a standard food processor can.

Features

A blender is primarily used to puree ingredients. A standard model has up to five possible settings including blend, chop, crush and puree (among others). Each setting is powerful enough to completely change the consistency of whatever you have in the blender. These functions are all used without changing the blender receptacle. The functions are all controlled by buttons on the front of the unit which control the speed of the motor which drives the blade.

A food processor, on the other hand, has many more functions than a blender. The blade of the food processor can be used to crush, blend, puree and chop depending on how long it runs or if you use the pulse feature. Using a food processor can become complicated depending on the brand of processor you have and the attachments you have for it. You can insert a series of discs inside the receptacle just below the lid and feeder hole. When the motor runs the disc spins. You can feed a vegetable into it to be sliced. You can also grate cheese, chop nuts or perform myriad other food prep tasks. There are also attachments you can purchase that allow you to make your own sausage or other ground meat.