13 Unique Food Processor Applications

The food processor in your appliance cabinet can do much more than make hummus. As tasty and nutritious as homemade hummus is, it’s time to utilize your food processor as the versatile appliance that it is. The food processor might be the most practical small electric kitchen appliance for the home cook. Put your food processor to the test; it can do more than make pesto and breadcrumbs. Here are some great and magical uses for a food processor in the kitchen. 

1. Nut Butter 

One of my favorite ingredients, nut butter, can be used for a quick breakfast, added to baked goods, spooned onto ice cream, or even eaten straight from the jar. However, the genuinely delicious items are absurdly expensive. With a food processor, you can make nut butter to your specifications at home. 

Want an almond and cashew mixture? Do you prefer a hint of honey? Are you in the mood for something chocolaty? Make your nut butter! 

2. Cultured Butter 

At Pro Home Cooks, fermented foods are our specialty. Not only are they undeniably tastier (fermentation adds flavor and increases umami), but they are also beneficial for the digestive tract. Making cultured butter is an excellent way to incorporate fermentation into one’s diet, and nothing beats homemade, fresh butter. The butter’s culture imparts a delightful tang and makes your gut biome incredibly happy. 

3. Bread Dough 

Have you ever considered that a kitchen appliance with spinning blades could produce bread? You only need something to mix and knead the dough and develop the gluten. There is no need to use a stand mixer for smaller projects. Throw your dough ingredients into a food processor, preheat the oven, and the aroma of freshly baked bread will soon fill your home without you having to lift a finger. 

4.Sorbet/Ice Cream 

Ice cream makers can be a fun appliance for children, but they occupy a vast space and serve only one function. On the other hand, your food processor can produce an excellent batch of creamy frozen treats. The highlight? Already present in your kitchen. Time to make those ice cream flavors you’ve been imagining for eons and determine if they’re up to par. 

5. Pie Crust 

The butter must be cut into the flour to make a fantastic pie crust at home. This is not a simple task; the butter must remain extremely cold to prevent it from melting into the flour. You can do it by hand, but you risk the butter melting due to your body heat. There are hand tools that can be used to transform butter into flour, but a food processor can accomplish this in a flash. 

Utilize ice water when making pie crust to maintain a low temperature. Additionally, replace some water with vodka to prevent gluten formation. Put the vodka in the freezer to keep the dough as cold as possible. 

6. Whipped Cream 

Nothing beats freshly whipped cream made at home. It is non-negotiable for homemade desserts. I’m frequently more enthusiastic about the whipped cream than the actual dessert. It is so simple to make in a food processor that you might toss out that hand mixer for which you can’t find the whisks. Pour in the whipping cream, add (or omit) your preferred sweetener, and turn the machine on. 

7.Grating Hard Cheese 

I’ll be honest: I enjoy parmesan, which has been microplaned. It combines the cloud-like texture, the aesthetically pleasing curls, and the nostalgia of cheese grating at the table for the pasta you overpaid. However, the Microplane is incredibly inconvenient when it comes to grating cheese. It takes too long, the cheese begins to clump, and volume cannot be measured. When a large quantity of grated parmesan (or other hard cheeses) is required, could you place it in chunks in a food processor? This sandy consistency is ideal for incorporating pasta sauces, spreading evenly on pizza, or mixing savory baked goods. Additionally, leftovers are much more refrigerator friendly. 

8.Compound Butter 

Compound butter may appear trendy, but they are an ancient French cooking technique. Compound butter can be a convenient way to store flavor bombs and prepare a meal at home. Because fat stores flavor molecules effectively and butter is already delicious, infusing flavors into butter is a natural progression in creating something tasty. Put butter at room temperature and your desired ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Spread it on bread, sear a steak with it, or store it in the refrigerator for the next time you need a quick but flavorful meal. 

9. Mayonnaise 

The food processor is a more convenient alternative to a stand mixer or whisking by hand when making homemade mayonnaise or aioli than a stand mixer or whisking by hand. Choose between whole or separated eggs. Turn on and slowly drizzle in your preferred oil. A large pinch of salt will produce mayonnaise in minutes. 

Want something like Japanese mayonnaise? Utilize egg yolks and add rice vinegar and MSG to taste. Garlic aioli? Add a couple of garlic cloves and some chives. 

10. Powdered Sugar 

If like me, you rarely prepare sweets, you may have forgotten that you ran out of powdered sugar five weeks ago. The French toast you just prepared is doomed to fail. Not to be concerned! Pour white sugar into the food processor and pulse until acceptable powder results. Sunday morning has been preserved. 

11. Grinding Meat 

Unless you need to process and grind a substantial quantity of meat for a project, using a real meat grinder at home may not be necessary. For smaller projects, the food processor can perform admirably. Cut the meat into manageable pieces and arrange them on a sheet of parchment paper. Allow the meat to chill for approximately 30 minutes in the freezer before processing it in a food processor. Keeping the meat cold will aid in maintaining a uniform grind and prevent sticky situations. 

12.Pasta Dough 

Hand-kneading pasta is a strenuous task. While it’s a delightful tactile experience to make a well of flour and whisk the eggs with a fork and imagine you’re a grandmother in Florence, there are times when you want fresh pasta without the mess. Place the eggs and flour in a food processor and allow it to work its magic. 

13. Soap + Water 

Do you detest cleaning kitchen appliances as well? They always seem to be manufactured with odd nooks and crannies, and cleaning the blades is not my favorite kitchen activity. After making nut butter or grinding meat, add a couple of pumps of dish soap and warm water. Cleaning will be vastly easier now that you have pulsed a few times.