Food Processor vs Blender: What Is the Difference?
So the questions are asked, What is the difference between blender vs food processor? Are there differences between the two, or are they the same type of kitchen appliance? Can a kitchen blender be used the same as you would use a kitchen food processor? If you want to know more about food processor vs blender, you need to go through the article, which will tell you about the features of both.
Although there are some similarities and blender & food processor combinations, the two are distinctly different counter appliances. The blender’s function is to blend or mix soft foods and liquids, while the best food processor for dough primary function is to chop, grate, mix, shred, or slice. There are a lot of machines today which combine the features of blender and food processor.
Many think that it is better to buy one product instead of one. Of course, certain features overlap, but mostly you will find that both blenders and food processors have distinctive features, and the nature of work differs. Blenders, in general, are better for liquids. Hence, they are sometimes called liquefiers and liquidizers. Food processors are known to do absolute wonders with solid foods like fruits and vegetables.
Blender vs Food Processor: When To Use?
| Funtion | Food Processor | Blender |
|---|---|---|
| Mincing Herbs/Vegetables | Best | Capable |
| Mixing Salsas/Dips/Dressings | Best | Capable |
| Ice Crushing | Capable | Best |
| Grinding Meats | Best | No |
| Shakes/Smoothies/Frappes | No | Best |
| Dough Mixing and Kneading | Capable | No |
| Chopping Vegetables/Nuts | Best | Capable |
| Pureeing Baby Food/Vegetables | Best | Capable |
| Grating Bread Crumbs/Spices/Cheese | Best | Capable |
Recommended Products:
| 1. Oster Pro 1200 Blender | 8-cup Tritan plastic jar. 5-cup food processor. | 1200 watts | Read Full Reviews |
| 2. Ninja BL494 Food Processor System | 72oz Pitcher. 40oz Blend & Prep Bowl. (2) 24oz Cups with Lids. | 1200 Watts | Read Full Reviews |
| 3. Ninja Mega Kitchen System (BL770) | 72 oz. Pitcher. 64oz Processor Bowl. (2) 16 oz. Cup for Smoothies. | 1500 Watts | Read Full Reviews |
| 4. Ninja BN801 Food Processor | 72 oz. Total Crushing Pitcher. 64 oz. Precision Processor Bowl. (2) 24 oz. Single-Serve Cups. | 1400 Watts | Read Full Reviews |
| 5. Ninja QB1004 Blender Food Processor | 48 oz. pitcher 40 oz. processor bowl 16 oz. chopper bowl | 450 Watts | Read Full Reviews |
| 6. Cuisinart BFP-650GM Food Processor | 56 oz. Tritan plastic jar. 3-cup processor bowl. (2) 16 oz. travel cups. | 1 HP | Read Full Reviews |
| 7. Oster Versa Pro BLSTVB-104-000 | 8-cup Tritan plastic jar. 4-cup Mini-jar. 5-cup processor bowl. (2) 20 oz bottles. | 1100 Watts | Read Full Reviews |
| 8. Hamilton Beach 58149 Power Elite | 40oz glass pitcher. 3-Cup food chopper. | 700 Watts | Read Full Reviews |
| 9. FOCHEA 3 In 1 Blender and Food Processor | 570ml Sport Bottle with Lid. 1500ml Plastic Chopper-Container. Mixer Grinder. | 700 Watts | Read Full Reviews |
| 10. Cuisinart BFP-703CH Food Processor | 3-cups food processor bowl. 40-ounce glass blender jar. | 350 Watts | Read Full Reviews |
Blenders:
The kitchen blender has a more narrow shape bowl, and the blade’s design makes it more suitable for blending liquids and soft foods. For example, some kitchen blenders can crush or shave ice into frozen drinks or your favorite blender recipes, depending on the blade and power design. My favorite blender recipe is the cream of broccoli soup that I have included in this article.
A lot of homemakers feel that blenders help make the puree. Some of the blenders and food processors are known to grind, emulsify and blend the products well. Therefore, you will find them highly effective in pureeing soups.
It is blending different drinks and liquefying fruits. Milkshakes and smoothies are some of the drinks that you can make in a blender. However, it is the blenders that will help you to make frozen drinks.
Now you can have an endless supply of frozen drinks when you are entertaining guests. But, do not forget about the alcoholic concoctions which will charm your guests. Now you can easily comply with the request of a martini, shaken but not stirred!
The blenders have such powerful blades that they can be easily used to chop ice. Some of them can be used for emulsifying sauces. In addition, the machines can be easily used for chopping herbs and bread crumbs. The combination of blender and food processor is a wise choice.
As for the food processors, they have the essential blades for cutting and chopping the ingredients. So now you can slice, chop, shred, puree, and grate all the ingredients you need for your cooking.
Food Processors:
The kitchen food processor has a wide work bowl, and the food processor blade design is for chopping foods. In addition, the kitchen food processor can perform various other processing tasks for your favorite food processor recipes, depending on the types of accessories included with the food processor.
My favorite food processor recipe is homemade pizza dough that I have included in this article. Blenders work better with liquids, while food processors work better with solid foods. Both appliances can perform similar tasks, but the result may vary.
Take pureeing; both appliances are designed to puree easily and quickly. The difference is that the blender makes a smooth puree, and the food processor makes a more chunky puree. On the other hand, with a dry blade, both the blender and food processor will make bread crumbs or chopped nuts with very similar results.
In fact, many feel that in terms of features, the food processor is more versatile. But when you come to think of a model that combines all the blender and food processor features, you are getting the benefits of two machines in the price.
The blender comes with a narrow container, especially a glass jar used to store all the frozen drinks and smoothies. Some sharp angles blades are used for cutting the fruits. And it is the motor speed of the product which makes it different from the other products.
Some popular brand names for blender vs food processor are Oyster, Kitchenaid, Cuisinart, Hamilton Beach, Braun, Black and Decker, General Electric, Bullet, Magimix, Sunbeam, Kenwood, Ninja. Of course, the decision of which brand to purchase is up to the individual’s preference.
See Also: braun food processor review
Food processor vs Blender vs Mixer: What Works?
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
What does Food Processor Vs Blender do?
Now, if you want to cut butter for the pastry crust or want to knead the bread dough, you can easily do so with the help of the blender. You may want to strain it before you put them in the food processor in case of soups. The speed of the food processor is slower than the blender.
But in the case of a combo pack, you will have the same speed for both. Moreover, most models have a pulse function that will give you greater control when cutting, chopping, or kneading the dough. If you are really keen to bring home a nice blender-cum-food processor, you can simply go through the review and rating site. You will definitely find something which will suit your taste.
What is the Difference Between a Food Processor Vs a Blender?
The Blender Vs Food processor is somewhat similar in what they do. And a food processor is typically an electric device with interchangeable components, blades, knives, and mixing attachments. It sits stationary on a tabletop. It can also be used to shred and chop food such as vegetables, mix ingredients, and dough. Besides, it may also be able to grind things such as nuts and puree soft food.
It is usually capable of operating on dry ingredients. There are many types of food processors available today. They differ in their electric motor’s power, the main bowl’s size, and the range of attachments available. Suppose you intend to do things such as mincing meat. For example, you need a powerful motor and a food processor with the right type of attachments.
What are the different reasons for Blenders Vs food processors?
Blenders and food processors are different machines. Find out why:
Blenders tend to require liquid ingredients. They use a single type of blade and operate in an upright position. A typical blender can be used to make shakes, puree food, mix drinks and cocktails. A well-equipped kitchen will most likely have one of each. A food processor would be a bit odd making a cocktail, say. A blender has its main container, made of glass, plastic, or stainless steel, easily removable.
You can pour drinks quickly and conveniently poured into glasses. Besides, there are many products available on the market in both categories. You need to consider the amount of food you need to process – the type of food and, of course, your budgetary constraints to make the best choice.
There is more than a single difference between a food processor and a blender. But, the most significant difference, in my opinion, is that a blender requires the use of some amount of liquid to work effectively. This is because the blender blades are not as powerful as those in a food processor.
And therefore, all the challenges presented by less powerful blades apply. In addition, the motor of the blender will burn out if you run it without sufficient water or other liquid. Many food processors have more blade alternatives than blenders. This choice means that food processors will cut or chop your food differently from blenders.
Difference In Core Function
Perhaps the easiest way to understand the differences between a food processor and a blender lies in the core use of each device. A food processor is designed for chopping, grating, slicing, and mincing large pieces of relatively hard foods, like fruits and vegetables.
On the other hand, a blender is made for blending or mixing very soft foods or liquids very quickly. While some blenders do have the ability to chop harder contents, like ice, they are not, in essence, designed for these kinds of tasks.
If you need to chop up vegetables or other food recipes, a food processor is the best choice. But, if you need to blend soft fruits and liquids together, a blender is the appliance of choice for fruit smoothies or other concoctions.
Work Bowl Differences
The work bowl on a food processor is typically wider and better suited to handling food ingredients. On the other hand, a blender’s work bowl is typically more of a cylinder and better suited to beverages. This doesn’t mean that you can’t mix liquid ingredients in a food processor, or vice versa; it simply means that you should consider the final product before deciding which tool is better suited to the task.
If you are making a liquid batter for cakes, a food processor makes more sense, but a blender would be the more logical choice if you’re making a fruit drink.
Handles Large Quantities Of Food Differently
Some blenders are working harder to behave more like food processors these days. Some of the better blenders include special blades for chopping and slicing, but they still fall short in performance compared to food processors.
Food processors are still superior for handling recipes and large quantities of solid foods. However, even though blenders may be up to shredding and chopping, with specialized blades, they still lack a wide work bowl that makes working with the ingredients simple. So if you plan on doing a lot of food and recipe preparation, a food processor can’t be replaced with a blender.
Get Both If You Can
It’s a good idea for every kitchen to be equipped with a blender and a food processor. Many of the tasks they perform are very similar, but serious cooks will need each of these handy appliances since they each have very specific functions that are hard to mimic by using the other.
Can You Use A Blender Instead of A Food Processor?
Can I Use An Immersion Blender Instead of A Hand Mixer?
It depends on your need and your kitchen requirement. Most people use Immersion Blenders for liquids and hand mixers for adding extra air while mixing all together.
Conclusion:
Blenders and food processors have become increasingly popular kitchen appliances over the past few years. You’d be hard-pressed to find a kitchen that doesn’t include one, or both, of these handy appliances. Some people, though, seem to think that blenders and food processors are interchangeable.
They think that a blender can do everything that a food processor can do, so there is no reason to have both. However, this is not the case, and it pays to understand the differences between the two to get the right appliance(s) for your kitchen needs.
Remember, the blender is called a blender and can chop to make a soft item into a pulverized liquid. So, it can’t distinguish between slice or liquefy. Everything the blender does is designed to create a mashed potato consistency semi-liquid out of ingredients you put into the blender.
A food processor is not a blender; they work by taking the ingredients and cutting them into different slice shapes. Food processing machines come in handy in helping you to achieve uniform shredding of your food ingredients. So you can split carrots and potatoes into smaller sizes.
However, they do have the kind of thing that is mixing your ingredients like a blender. The food processing machine would consider a great knife set to take all of your ingredients and make them into some smaller shape.
Blender has a way of mixing things and mixing things less and better, based on your chosen settings. They prove to be the reliable kitchen equipment every chef will use in mixing things up.
You may also like to compare: hand blender vs food processor here. (an immersion blender, it’s also known as a stick blender/hand blender).
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