Food processors are designed to prep ingredients and cook delicious meals in record time – and all with minimal effort on your part! That's why food processors are such sought-after and versatile kitchen appliances. So, what is a food processor? Keep reading to learn more.

What Is a Food Processor?

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A food processor is a type of countertop kitchen appliance that is designed to make your life easier by completing tasks like chopping, mixing, or shredding ingredients (just to name a few!) that you would otherwise have to do by hand. Food processors are available in three configurations – mini (for mincing garlic), manual (for on-the-go or precision food processing), and electric, which is the most common type of food processor available in a range of sizes.

Electric food processors consist of a bowl (sometimes with a feed tube for adding ingredients while it's turned on), a standard S-shaped blade inside the bowl, and a base that has control buttons or a dial to change up the pulse speed. Some food processors even have buttons for specific actions like puréeing (for soup) or kneading (for bread dough). Learn more about food processor types, sizes, and functions in our guide on How to Choose the Best Food Processor.

What Is a Food Processor Used for?

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With so many ways to use a food processor, we've compiled a list of key functions and how to use them. Keep in mind, certain food processors come with extra blade attachments for specific tasks (like kneading), while others might not.

Chopping

The chopping function requires an S-shaped blade and comes in handy whether you're making a hearty vegetable soup, fresh salsa, or toppings for a dessert. Make sure to peel off the skin of vegetables or fruit and cut them into halves or quarters for the best results.

• Vegetables (especially onions)
• Fruit
• De-shelled nuts

Shredding

All you need is a shredder disc attachment for your food processor to complete this task. Use shredded ingredients for coleslaw, dish toppings, or as ingredients in baked goods for a delicious outcome.

• Hard cheese (like cheddar) or soft cheese (like mozzarella)
• Vegetables like cabbage, carrots, potatoes, or broccoli

Mixing/Blending

Food processors can function similar to blenders when you use an S-shaped blade on a high-speed setting. This allows you to mix a variety of wet and dry food ingredients to create mouthwatering dressings or dips.

• Salad dressing
• Pesto
• Hummus
• Guacamole

Puréeing

Puréeing is the process of turning fruits, vegetables, and other ingredients into smooth liquids that aren't too thick or thin. If your food processor doesn't have a purée function, all you have to do is blend ingredients using a standard S-shaped blade on high for approximately one minute or until ingredients liquify.

• Smooth & creamy vegetable soup
• Baby food (puréed peas, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, or applesauce)
• Nut Butters (peanut butter, almond butter, or cashew butter)
• Mashed potatoes

Mincing

You can also use a food processor to mince ingredients (to chop food into tiny pieces). This only requires an S-shaped blade. Then use the pulse function to control how tiny you want the pieces to be.

• Minced garlic
• Meatballs
• Falafel
• Specialty flour mixtures
• Cauliflower rice
• Breadcrumbs

Slicing

To slice food ingredients in a food processor, you'll need a slicing disc attachment. All you have to do is place prepped ingredients in the feeding tube and let the slicer do the work. You can slice meat to top pizzas or sandwiches, slice vegetables to top pizzas or salad dishes or to prep before baking or sauteing, and slice fruit to create the ultimate fruit salad – or to top desserts.

• Meat (like pepperoni or sausage)
• Fruits (like apples, mangoes, bananas, or peaches)
• Vegetables (like potatoes, brussel sprouts, cucumbers, or beets)

Kneading

That's right, food processors can take the work out of kneading dough, once and for all. All you need is a dough blade attachment and the dough of your choosing.

• Bread dough
• Pizza dough
• Pastry dough
• Pasta dough

Tip!

Review How to Use a Food Processor for step-by-step instructions for success.

Food Processor vs. Blender

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Now that you know what a food processor is, it's important to know how to distinguish it from a blender. Food processors and blenders have similar functions, but food processors offer more variety in terms of what you can do. They also have a wider bowl that makes it easier to remove food ingredients after they've been processed. Our guide on What's the Difference Between a Food Processor & a Blender? compares these appliances in more detail to help you choose the best option for your kitchen.

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