Hello Mom! What Kind Of Food Processor Do You Have?
Oh, how I wished we had spent lots of warm and fuzzy moments in the kitchen when she was growing up, but the kiddo was indifferent to food. (Gasp!) And not really interested in learning how meals were put together.
Yet, this fall, she moved into an on-campus apartment and had to fend for herself. That often meant calls, texts or instant messages asking for cooking advice. (She: "Can I substitute couscous for breadcrumbs?" Me: "Nope".) I e-mailed some of her favorite recipes and offered tips on gadgets that make cooking a whole lot easier. I wrote about helping Claire stock her kitchen in a post in September.
Then, she got an Amazon gift card for Christmas and a startling message popped onto the screen while we were chatting over Facebook: What kind of food processor do you have? Awww. She's really getting serious.
After a bit of back and forth, we decided a full-size food processor was probably too much at this point. After all, there's only so much counter space because the roommates never do dishes. (Ah, lessons you learn in college.) I've heard nothing but good things about the Cuisinart Mini-Prep. It's got a four-star rating after more than 100 customer reviews. Sure seems like a very good place to start.
In the meantime, my vintage Cuisinart continues to chug away, held together by duct tape at this point. It was a great investment, especially considering I use it nearly every day. Here's a quick fix salad booster I adapted after watching a demo by Food Network chef Anne Burrell. This is almost like a dry pesto, adding a ton of flavor to mixed greens. I make this fun finishing touch lickety split thanks to my food processor, a recipe my daughter has requested.
Hazelnut-Parmesan Tosser
1 cup toasted hazelnuts
1 cup Parmesan cheese, cut into small chunks
1 cup Italian parsley
Pulse ingredients about six times and then let the processor run until the mixture becomes coarse. Add a little or a lot (but probably not the whole batch) to salad greens dressed in a vinagrette and toss. Can be stored in the fridge for up to a week.
-- Leslie Kelly
Kathy S. on January 29, 2011 at 11:03 AM
I recently purchased the Kitchen Aid 7-cup food processor and it is wonderful! I've been using it to puree veggies for the recipes in Jessica Seinfeld's cookbooks. So far all the recipes I've tried have been keepers ... ones that I will want to use again and again.
Kitchen clearance on February 04, 2011 at 05:51 AM
I'm with Kate and Katie, I already have my Magimix about 12 years, this is really good to deal with its two bowls (large and small) and the grating film and the juice and slice it handles all You put all the work and it. Definitely worth saving.