Photo courtesy of Amazon.com
Last spring, my parents gifted us a new Cuisinart food processor. Jared and I had been talking about getting one for a while (too much Food Network watching will do that to you) but hadn’t taken the leap yet. When my folks made the generous offer, we were super excited.
We brought home our shiny new toy from Williams-Sonoma and proudly placed it on the counter for all to see. Our kitchen is tiny, and counter space is very limited, but this puppy deserved a place of honor. I realize that Iron Chef skills don’t develop from the simple act of buying something culinary, but Jared and I were feeling pretty chef-y just having the food processor hanging around. Maybe we were hoping some of its awesomeness would rub off on us.
What followed, I’m embarrassed to say, was six full weeks of food processor adoration from afar. That beautiful piece of chopping/slicing/shredding amazement sat there on the counter looking pretty with zero opportunity to show its stuff. To be honest, I think we were flat-out intimidated by it. With all the bowls and attachments, I didn’t know where to start. I’ve seen my favorite chefs use food processors for everything, which is why I wanted one in the first place. But once I had one sitting on my own kitchen counter, it almost seemed like more trouble than it was worth, not to mention a cleaning nightmare.
Boy, oh boy, was I wrong. We started small by using the handy dandy grating attachment to grate a simple block of Parmesan cheese. To put it lightly, I was hooked. An entire block of cheese shredded in less than five seconds?!??! Give us 10 minutes, and we could coat the city of Columbia in a finely grated layer of Parmesan.
We’re still relative newbies to the food processor, but we’re definitely breaking it in. I’m loving it always, but here are the times when I’m loving it most:
• Grating cheese: I know I mentioned this one already, but it’s incredibly handy (especially if my go-to cheese shredder, a.k.a. Jared, isn’t home to lend a hand). A few seconds, and you’re done. Woot!
• Making cookie dough: For fluffier cookies (think snickerdoodles or macaroons), I still prefer my standing Kitchen Aid mixer, but when it comes to gingerbread, chocolate chip or peanut butter, time trumps the fluff factor. It’s Speedy Gonzales for the sweet tooth.
• Shredding chicken: This is by far the greatest use in the history of food processors. Isn’t shredding chicken the most tedious, undesirable kitchen job imaginable? This is when I really fell in love. Stick cooked chicken (no bone) in the large bowl of the food processor with the large blade, pulse five or six times, and voilà! . Try it. I promise it works, and I promise it’s amazing. Apparently you can do the same with uncooked chicken, though that still makes me a little uneasy.
Have any of you caught the food processor bug? Is there another kitchen gadget that you can’t live without? I’d love to hear about it!
XO,
Katrina