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Blender vs. Food Processor (vs. Mandoline)

Hi everyone! So my food processor (cheap Black & Decker) finally crapped out on me. I was thinking about buying a new one, but it occurred to me that maybe my money is better spent toward a nice blender. Right now I have a cheap (Hamilton Beach) blender which is sufficient, but probably won’t last much longer (there’s a burning smell when I use it, gross!). I realized I mostly used my food processor to pick up the slack for what my blender can’t to (e.g., grind nuts); I don’t really use it to chop things very often. So here is my question: do you think it is better to have a high-quality blender INSTEAD OF a food processor? Or is it better to have medium quality of both? If no food processor, can a mandoline do similar things? Any recommendations would be appreciated! I’m a student, so I’d really hate to waste my money! :-) Thanks!

Comments

  • BTW, I should clarify: when I say “high-quality blender,” I don’t mean a VitaMix. I’d love one, but I just can’t afford it right now. I’m thinking about the KitchenAid ProLine blender, but if anyone has any brand suggestions, I’d appreciate that, too!

  • germin8germin8 Raw Master

    Waring.. and Oster. Someone here has a website that mentions they used the Oster 500 w before getting the VitaMix. http://www.perfectsmoothie.com/smoothie-blenders/

    And to answer your question. I think the high speed blender can be used as a food processor only if it has variable speed (VitaMix). I used it to make a nut cheese sauce. Small amount and it worked great. But, I use my blender mostly for blending. If you get the more affordable Oster, you probably can get a small food processor too. You can start small… and later upgrade… like when you graduate! :o) If you can, try to invest in one of the appliances and skimp on the other. Probably invest in the cheaper one… the food processor and get a Magic Bullet blender (usually for small things) or the Oster.

  • bittbitt Raw Newbie

    i guess it depends on what you eat. for me the blender is essential. i am realizing i use it for more and more things that i used to use the food processor for. the food processor CANT do wet things without making a big mess. i have a blentec which is much cheaper than the vitamix. you can get a refurbished one on ebay for much cheaper. i have never used the magic bullet but if it is just you then that might be enough.

  • Have you ever heard of the Ultimate Chopper? It is awesome!!! I don’t know how I lived without it! I use it everyday!

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultimate_Chopper

    http://www.rkdm.com/ultimatechopper/

  • Thanks for the responses guys! (Sorry I was delayed in getting back…for some reason it didn’t inform me of the replies.)

    I’ve been drinking tons of smoothies (about 60% of my diet, I’d say), so I think that once my blender dies, I’ll upgrade to the best one I can afford. Maybe a used Blendtec or Vitamix! If it seems like I still need a food processor, THEN I’ll replace it. :-)

    The Ultimate Chopper sounds awesome, deegarry! I like how cute and small it is, which is great for my tiny kitchen. Maybe that will be my food processor replacement. ;-)

    You guys are a great help!

  • queenfluffqueenfluff Raw Newbie

    I have never owned a food processor and honestly I don’t feel like I need one. My blender does it all – I have a BlendTec. But even before when I had a 20$ Oster I didn’t have the food processor and didn’t miss it.

    For grinding nuts, a coffee grinder works great! Beats burning out your blender on nuts (which I have done a few times already!)

    I actually jut bought a hand held mandoline. I will use it specifically for slicing long things thin and straight. Otherwise, my sprilooi works great for pasta.

  • Queenfluff… I’m with you. I have a cheap blender. At first I thought I needed a food processor but honestly I don’t. I’ve been eating raw food for several months now and it does the trick for me. I hate not having a dehydrator though.. there are so many more recipes that I would like to try.

  • rachel_akikorachel_akiko Raw Newbie

    deegarry!! we have the ultimate chopper!! it’s awesome! it’s actually my mom’s though, so I never get to use it.

  • @Emeraldgem and Queenfluff: Yeah, I’m kind of thinking I don’t really need a food processor. I think I might give it a couple months without it and see how it goes. :-) I haven’t been using it for chopping or any other fancy things – just for pureeing, and maybe my blender can handle it. We’ll find out!

  • WinonaWinona Raw Newbie

    Waring blenders are bad. I use the vitamix blender instead of food processor, but i’d get a cuisinart 7 cup food processor – it’s the BEST.

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