What do I need a food processor for?

[HonestyBox]

Just that - MIL looked shocked that I don't have one but I'm not sure why I would need one.

I use a hand blender for soup, I use the little whizzer bowl attachment for breadcrumbs and pesto etc. I make cakes and scones by hand - what would a food processor do for me?

Let me know what you use yours for please.

I mainly use mine to make houmus which I don't think you could do in the little bowl attachment thingy. And it can be useful for cakes. Um . . . nothing else really!

Okay, thanks - so is it better to get a cheap-ish one?

You don't need one, they're a faff to clean. It will sit in a cupboard unused for months at a time!

Unless you sit there thinking Oh, I wish I had a magical gadget to do then you probably don't need said gadget.

Pate
Hoummus
Castor sugar from granulated
Mayonnaise

Also have kitchen aid with mincer attachment so use that for most other things

pastry
marmalade
cakes with nuts

Pastry,
mincing chicken to make chicken nuggets etc.
High volume grating, ( I use it to grate cheese when I'm making loads of quiches)
cup cakes a la nigella.
Hundreds of other things I can't even think of off the top of my head.

Big batches of coleslaw for bbq's or buffets.
Mayo (ok so I've only done that once!)
Cakes.
Crumble - really quickly!
Hummous.
Chopping onions for spag bol etc (although I use the whizzer attachment for the stick blender for this cause it's smaller)

I've got this one and it's rather lovely and compact.

oh yes of course crumble

have little mini chopper I use for pesto, breadcrumbs, nuts eg almonds or pistachios,thai pastes etc, anything thats not large quantities

I got rid of mine as I never used it and it was a pain to clean. I use my stick blender or Kenwood Chef for everything else. Like the idea of grating cheese in one though. I treated myself to a Jamie grater and have taken the top off 3 of my fingers!

re the cleaning comments, I have never cleaned mine by hand. It goes in the dishwasher.

I NEVER use it.

DH makes crumble in it - I prefer crumble done by hand.

I tell a lie ....... I use it to make breadcrumbs.

Didn't use mine for about 7 years.

Now I use it quite a lot - for grating (veg, cheese - I do cheese in bulk & put in freezer), slicing veg, whizzing up pesto / hummous / dips, rubbing in fat to flour, making breadcrumbs.

They're most useful if you like doing batch cooking IMO.

I put mine in the dishwasher too.

Coleslaw, crumble, and I have some good all-in-one cake recipes which are a godsend if I'm in a hurry. But I wouldn't be surprised by someone not having one - they're arguably not worth the space.

crumble? how do you use it to make crumble?

I love mine and use it quite regulary. Chopping onions and shredding veg, meatloaf, etc. Its not a necessity, but it does help if you are in a rush...

You shove the cold cubed butter, sugar and flour in, and you press blitz - very briefly.

DH tried to make crumble a few years ago. I advised him to do it in the processor, but he'd read Nigella, and she says that the texture is more authentic if you do it by hand, so he did that. What she didn't point out is that she has naturally cold hands, and DH has naturally hot hands, so the butter melted instantly and what he got was sweet pastry dough rather than crumble.

Cluttering up your worktop or filling up half a cupboard I guess.

I love mine and use it pretty regularly as well. I use it for general chopping if I'm in a hurry, hummus, gazpacho, and pasta dough.

I use mine for chopping onions which is an absolute blessing. Also use it for making pastes for sauces e.g. curry paste.

Dastardly, curry paste? How do you do that?

And to keep it relevant, DH just used food processor the other day to make salsa verde.

I've been debating getting a food processor for a while (lots on ebay!). Then decided I wouldn't use it... Now I've read this, I want one again!

At the risk of starting a (bun)fight, what makes would those of you who use them regularly recommend?

One for example chuck in turmeric, cumin, ground coriander, chilli powder, ground mace, grated ginger, garlic and a bit of water. Makes a lovely paste for a prawn curry.

Pastry - used to always do this by hand but find that the processor being so quick and not having to use my hands means the mix stays lovely and cold. I only bought a cheap kenwood one and is does me fine.

I use mine all the time -

hummous
chocolate rum balls - to break up the vanilla wafers
mayonnaise and garlic sauce
to thinly slice veg, esp cabbage
to shred large amounts of cheese
to juice oranges

or am I just lazy?