Anyone have a Magimix food processor?

[FelicityGraceSpoon]

I've bought one in a moment of cyber Monday madness. Madness because I don't really cook as such, I'm more an assembler of ingredients!

Just wondered what everyone used theirs for so I can maybe get a spot of inspiration

So far I'm planning hummus and energy balls (it can do those can't it? I nearly blew up my ninja blender thing when I tried)

Did you get a good deal? We're thinking of getting one too?

The Jamie Oliver pesto recipe in his family superfoods book. Freezes really well. We Make it regularly and it was worth buying the magimix just for this 😄

I also pulse veg for Soffrito type bases for batch cooking bolognaise etc just don't over do it so they turn to mush.... and also it's great for hidden veg type sauces for the kids - gets them really smooth

I love mine

I use mine for:
Grating cheese to freeze so I don't eat a whole big lump and always have some to cook with;
Making shortbread and other biscuit doughs;
Slicing lots of vegetables quickly for gratins and soups, especially minestrone;
Making breadcrumbs from stale bread;
Making pesto;
Making quite a few of Nigella's cake recipes - I especially recommend her Easy Almond Cake where you just whizz up a block of marzipan with the other ingredients;
Making shortcrust pastry;
Making bread dough.

It's a very noisy process but making home made almond butter. (I don't bother much nowadays because I can buy it easily)
It whips up a batch of coleslaw in no time. Well it grates it but you know what I mean.

@Jk987 yes! It went down to £140 on Monday evening so I went for it - it's the 3200XL with citrus press

It then bounced up to £301 this morning

My aunt bought me my Magimix when I moved in with my BF, now DH around 28 years ago. It's still going strong and I use it regularly for grating and chopping veg, mixing cakes, pastry and biscuits. If it ever dies, I will definitely get another one.

Thanks for the ideas so far

I'll definitely try the almond butter! I have a huge bag of almonds so ideal! It definitely won't overheat the thing?!! Do I just shove in almonds?

Wow, that's an amazing price! Looks like I've missed out!

@FelicityGraceSpoon
I used a recipe from an American website called detoxinista, but this method from BBC good food is almost identical although I have never added honey, only salt.
Don't use a fusty old bag of almonds that are near their use by date - the fresher the better.
I think the trick is to keep stopping it like it says - for your own peace of mind as much as anything!
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/almond-butter

@Crikeyisthatthetime ooh thank you! I'll give that a go! And yes, all nuts very fresh indeed so good to know

I've had mine since the 80s, and it's still used every week because I do cook a lot. I also have a Kitchenaid because I bake a lot - it's used two or three times a week just for bread, and I also bake cakes, cookies etc.

I wouldn't bother with a Magimix if I didn't do a lot of cooking. It doesn't do it any good to go in the dishwasher, and it's more of a hassle to clean and store for small quantities now and again.

I had a Magimix in the 1980s which I eventually gave to elder DD. She is still using it! In the meantime I have got through a Cuisinart and a KitchenAid. They have been really disappointing for getting spares, whereas you can still get spares for really old Magimixes.

All the things @SqueakyDinosaur said, and also:

• making mayonnaise/aioli
• grating onions and potatoes for latkes
• grating courgettes for fritters
• grating carrots for carrot salad or carrot cake
• grating cucumbers for raita/tzatziki
• slicing potatoes thinly for dauphinoise
• slicing apples thinly for apple cake
• slicing brussels sprouts/broccoli/cabbage thinly for slaw
• making large amounts of crumble topping
• making hummus/butter bean dip/baba ganoush
• crushing biscuits for a cheesecake crust
• whizzing up stale cream crackers for a crust for fish
• whizzing up frozen bananas and nutella for a dairy free "ice cream"

The grating a large block of cheese is a game changer. If you look at the price per kg of a block of cheese, and then the price of the same cheese grated, it's much cheaper. You can grate up 1kg and freeze in 500g bags of grated cheese.

I agree with @Cynderella though - I meal prep in advance and cook regularly from scratch for a crowd, so the size and power of the food processor to crunch through large amounts of prep work make it worth it. All the bowls and stuff can go in the dishwasher, but do take up the whole bottom rack. For a small amount of grating or chopping I'd generally use a chef's knife/box grater/mandolin.