| In 1973, Carl Sontheimer took the culinary | | | | cooking school student? Do you own a |
| world by storm. He adapted a French | | | | caf� or restaurant of your own? |
| industrial blender for home use. It was | | | | |
| outfitted to do far more than blend. The | | | | If cooking for two, you probably won't |
| landscape of cooking schools as well as | | | | require as large a unit as someone cooking |
| professional and home kitchens has never been | | | | for a family of four, five or six. Someone |
| the same. | | | | with a large family will do less cooking than |
| | | | a professional chef. In addition, the amount |
| Practically every cook - whether amateur or | | | | of food you process at one time will come |
| pro - wants a good food processor. With so | | | | into play. For instance, a wedding caterer |
| many options in the marketplace how do you | | | | could easily prepare enough food for hundreds |
| know which will work best for you? Is price | | | | of people within a day or two. |
| the best indicator of performance or should | | | | |
| you start small and work your way up as your | | | | Do you plan to juice your own fruits and |
| culinary skills improve? | | | | vegetables? Will you be baking bread? |
| | | | Grinding your own meat? Some of these |
| The Basics | | | | attachments may come standard on larger, more |
| | | | expensive, models. If you don't plan to use |
| Food processors range in price from $50 to | | | | them, you may want to opt for a smaller, more |
| $500, depending on the quality, brand and | | | | practical machine. |
| attachments you select. As basic kitchen | | | | |
| equipment, there are certain features you'll | | | | Budgetary Considerations |
| want to look for. Attachments can usually be | | | | |
| added later. | | | | Lastly, look at pricing. Many different |
| | | | stores and websites have drastically |
| As standard equipment, most culinary school | | | | different pricing on the same brands and |
| and professional kitchens make use of food | | | | models. If you've decided what type and size |
| processors that chop, slice, shred, grind and | | | | of machine you need, but feel you can't |
| puree. The food processor may be one of three | | | | afford it, don't give up. Do a little more |
| sizes: mini, compact or full. The amount of | | | | research or wait for a holiday, then buy it |
| counter space you have along with the | | | | on sale. To save money you may even want to |
| quantity of food you need to process will be | | | | purchase a model now that does not include a |
| the best indicators of which size is best for | | | | few of the attachments you want. You can |
| you. | | | | usually add them on later when funds are more |
| | | | readily available. |
| Each machine traditionally comes with a | | | | |
| motor, at least one bowl, a lid, a feeding | | | | From the basic to the extravagant, there's a |
| tube and a set of attachments that perform | | | | food processor out there for practically |
| the basic functions described above. | | | | every need, capacity and budget. Be sure to |
| | | | check product review magazines and websites |
| Your Needs | | | | to find brands that offer consistently good |
| | | | performance. A quality food processor of high |
| Do you cook for a large family? Are you a | | | | quality can serve you well for years to come. |