Watching my wife’s grandmother shred potatoes by hand with a box grater has helped me to appreciate my food processor even more. The potato latkes that she makes are fabulous, but so much time is spent hand grating the potatoes. (Incase you are wondering, I’m working on getting the latke recipe). Sometimes “making it by hand” just makes certain dishes better, but not in this case. There is no difference between shredded potato from a box grater and potato shredded using the shredding attachment on a food processor. When quality  is not compromised, who is not in favor of saving time? There is nothing sexy about the food processor! What is great, is that it will save you LOTS of time in the kitchen. It slices, dices and even makes puree. I’m not sure what I would do without my Cuisinart. It has been a great kitchen companion for over five years. Chopping onions used to make me cry, not when I throw them in the food processor! Garlic is time consuming to chop into little bitty pieces. Throw it in the food processor. I have made pizza dough and dough for pasta. My wife has ground oats and mixed a cake. I’ve made many variations of pesto and to many sauces too count. It is actually pretty amazing all of the uses I have found for my food processor.

There are not many tools in the kitchen that I rely on more. In many of my recipes you will see that I reference the food processor. If you don’t own a food processor, you should consider purchasing one as your next kitchen tool. If you do own one and it’s sitting in a closet, it’s time to pull it out. I’ve owned a Cuisinart for several years, but there are other brands on the market as well. Magi Mix is another good quality brand, although I have no experience with it. Food processors come in several different sizes, ranging from just a few cups to much larger, around 12 to 14 cups. So how big of a food processor should you purchase? How big is your family? Do you ever cook for larger groups? If I was in the market today, I would probably select a mid sized Cuisinart food processor, the 9 cup model. While it’s just me, my wife and son, I do cook for a larger groups often and would like the extra space when needed. A food processor is not just for chopping vegetables. You will be shocked at how easy it will make certain tasks in the kitchen, and how many uses you will find for it. If you are a food processor warrior and are always blending away, I would love to hear about any tips or tricks that you have found along the way. Please leave your feedback in the comments section below.

A tip from the Barefoot Contessa’s new cookbook. Purchase an extra mixing bowl, and you will save time by not having to wash the mixing bowl as often. Some of the newer models come with 2 mixing bowls, one small and one larger.