phipps@fortune.UUCP (Clay Phipps) (02/23/84)
I've been watching the discussions of "food processors"
(sounds like something you might attach to the UNIBUS)
with some interest, because I think I might want one.
The postings make me wonder whether having a food processor
completely eliminates the need for an electric mixer.
I have neither.
In particular, I'm uncertain as to whether
a food processor can be used to whip egg whites into meringue.
I know from one aggravating experience that a blender
is no substitute for a mixer when whipping eggs.
Afterwards, I read in *Joy of Cooking* that blenders just won't do the job.
Would a food processor have worked ?
Are electric mixers used at all these days ?
-- Clay Phipps
--
{allegra,amd70,cbosgd,dsd,floyd,harpo,hpda,ihnp4,
megatest,nsc,oliveb,sri-unix,twg,varian,VisiA,wdl1}
!fortune!phippsgreg@olivej.UUCP (Greg Paley) (02/24/84)
I use a food processor, blender, mixer, spice grinder, and meat grinder, all of which have overlapping capacities, but each of which seems better at certain things. The blender chops and purees things more finely than the food processor, but less so than the spice grinder. Therefore, I use the blender makes it good for mixed drinks and finely pureed sauces such as green tomatillo sauce for enchiladas and Indian sauces and marinades. The spice grinder (electric coffee grinder actually) grinds to a fine powder, and is therefore ideal for Mexican and Indian type spice mixtures (garam masala) and, of course, coffee. The mixer is great for cake and cookie batters, which can easily get over-processed in the food processor. It can also, of course, beat egg whites. I have had trouble getting many Italian cake recipes to work properly in the food processor which require long, slow beating. For these, the mixer is dandy. There is a technique for beating egg whites in the food processor. It's detailed in Abby Mandel's "Cuisinart Classroom" book and involves adding vinegar to the egg whites, which is not supposed to affect the flavor of the finished product. I haven't tried it. The food processor can mix and knead bread dough, chop large quantities of vegetables, and mix sauces. As has been discussed here, these things can be done with knives and by hand, but take much longer. Where it is really unique is in being able to whip out things with a mousse texture, such as quenelles, and making terrines and pates. You can make homemade mayonnaise in a food processor within 2 minutes and be sure it will always come out perfect - an often hazardous undertaking when done by hand (with a whisk) or with an electric mixer. If you do this, by the way, expect to find yourself spoiled when you try to eat store-bought mayonnaise again. If I could only have 1 of these appliances, I'd keep the food processor. - Greg Paley
patel@uicsg.UUCP (02/24/84)
#R:fortune:-261300:uicsg:4400015:000:972
uicsg!patel Feb 24 13:06:00 1984
"Whether having a Food Processor (FP) eliminates the need for an
electric mixer?"
Absolutely not. FP does not aerate (introduce air bubbles) the food being
processed. Egg beaters/ Hand mixers are specifically designed to aerate
the food. From my experience the following is the application list.
I think for most part the applications are mutually exclusive.
Food Processor: Bread dough, pastry dough, slicing vegetables and fruits,
Chopping, grinding nuts and seeds, making nut butters,
Grating cheese, mayo and mustard spreads, humus, chutneys etc.
Hand Mixer: Egg beating, Egg whites, Whipped cream, cake and pancake batters,
Mashed Potatoes.
Blender: Totally useless except for Milk Shakes.
Fruit and Vegetable Juicer: Carrots, Cukes, Celery, Tomatoes, apple,
pineapple etc. But NOT oranges and grapefruit.
Orange Juicer: Orange and Grapefruit
-Janak Patel, Coordinated Science Lab, Univ. of Illinois, Urbana.ariels@orca.UUCP (02/24/84)
I may be old fashioned, but I think that food processors are just another gadget. I can't imagine making cake batter or cookie dough in a food processor. I cut my vegetables with a knife (though I'm thinking of getting a chinese cleaver now that I've started doing a lot of stir frys). I make bread by hand when I make it. I use a little hand grater made by the Mouli company in France to grate cheese and anything else that needs grating. Mouli makes a bigger "food processor", non-electric, that I'm considering so that I don't have to cut things up so small to put them in the hopper. I whip eggs and beat cream with a mixer (I also use a mixer for cakes and cookies). I don't have a blender, but then, I don't make milk shakes, so I don't miss one. I think that electric food processors are too limiting. You can only cut things to the shapes and sizes allowed by the blades. The only use I've ever found for a food processor is grating the potatoes for potato pancakes. However, I'm a "make do" cook if ever there was one. I just bought a toaster after 3 years of toasting my bread on the burner of my electric stove. The kitchen "gadgets" that I wouldn't want to be without (in no particular order) are: An electric mixer A garlic press 2 or 3 good knives A cutting board A cheese grater (but not the knuckle-eating kind) A cheese slicer A potato/carrot peeler A set of wooden spoons A rubber scraper The usual contingent of pots, pans, woks, bowls, etc. After all, people have been without electricity for the majority of the species life on earth, and if they could manage it, so can I (except for the mixer...if you've ever tasted a hand mixed cake made by someone without arm muscles, you know why). Ariel (mistress of make do) Shattan ..!tektronix!orca!ariels
pam@cepu.UUCP (02/25/84)
The only food processor that I know of that will beat egg whites or whip cream is the Waring Food Processor. You can buy a special attachment to perform these functions. The attachment is in two parts -- a thin flat disk that fits over the center drive shaft (like the primary cutting blade) and a plastic wedge that is inserted into the feed tube and hangs down almost to the bottom of the work bowl. In operation, the disk revolves, like a cutting blade, to whip the egg whites or cream, and the wedge folds the liquid back onto itself to prevent it from simply whirling around, rather than being whipped. I've found that this works as well as an electric mixer and is a little faster. I've heard that Cuisinart and other manufacturer's products will not whip cream or egg whites, but I could be wrong since it is some time since shopped these features. Another unique, I believe, feature of the Waring is its unconditional lifetime warranty on the motor -- that is, as long as you own the machine, Waring will unconditionally guarantee the motor. A disadvantage to the Waring is that it will not take Cuisinart's "universal" attachments for juicing, pasta, work bowl liners/storage containers and does not have the larger work bowls and feed tubes of the mid to high end Cuisinart models. I find that I rarely use an electric mixer any longer, other than for mixing cake batter for which the Waring work bowl is too small. I find that a small, inexpensive hand mixer works well for the tasks for which I can't use my Waring.
mather@uicsl.UUCP (02/27/84)
#R:fortune:-261300:uicsl:3800042:000:720 uicsl!mather Feb 27 10:53:00 1984 A few months ago, I posted a questionaire here about food processors: Who has what in what price range? I will post results soon. I ended up getting a La Machine II and have never regretted it! The egg beating attachment is fantastic and I have made several kinds of cookies with it (my favorite is FPed oatmeal cookies - but stir in raisins by hand!) They make the best special breads (faster, easier, smoother!) Dips are a snap (guacamole and all the other fixins for nachos!!!) Grated cheese was NEVER NEVER NEVER so easy! I recommend one (even if you are old fashioned) because I spend less time fixin food and more time with my guests (or wife). Bruce Mather Le Maitre ...uiucdcs!uicsl!mather
beth@umcp-cs.UUCP (02/27/84)
I'd like to add that an essential kitchen gadget, at least in my house,
is a wire whisk. It's easier to clean than the electric mixer and great
for the little tasks. But then again I use my blender for grinding coffee
and pureeing vegetables for some soups. (I can't afford a food processor.)
--
Beth Katz, Univ. of Maryland, College Park, Computer Science Dept.
UUCP: {seismo,allegra,brl-bmd}!umcp-cs!beth
ARPA: beth@maryland CSNET: beth@umcp-cstopher@cyb-eng.UUCP (Topher Eliot) (02/28/84)
Seeing as how you can pick up a mixer on sale at Kmart for $8 or so, why even bother wondering whether or not you should? (Well, ok, if you have a tiny kitchen, storage space is an issue. But if it's that tiny, don't sneeze or you'll blow out your windows.) I rarely use mine, but still consider it well worthwhile. Plus, it can usually be cleaned by spinning the blades under a stream of water -- no laborious disassembly. -- Cheers, Topher Eliot Cyb Systems, Austin, TX ihnp4!ut-sally!cyb-eng!topher