If you’ve been spending more time in the kitchen lately or have decided to commit to meal prepping, it’s likely that a food processor is on your radar. These kitchen workhorses are a multi-tasker’s dream, helping you to chop, blitz, blend, and yes—even knead dough—with speed and precision. At their most basic, a food processor is simply a gadget that supports the basic tasks we undertake in the kitchen.
Having a tool that makes cooking and prepping easier can make a big difference in how we feel about the time we spend in the kitchen. In fact, when you’re feeling sick of cooking, the practice of meal prepping with the help of a food processor is something nutritionist Wendy Lopez, R.D., highlights as one of the ways you can truly support yourself.
On the flip side, the food processor can help you maintain the rituals that ground you. Cookbook author Elizabeth Barbone, the founder of Cook Fast Eat Well, is big on making pizza dough in her food processor. “Friday night pizza is a sacred tradition in our house,” she tells SELF. “A food processor quickly develops gluten, making for a chewy and light dough.”
From pizza dough to meal prep, choosing the best food processor involves thinking through the ways in which you want to use it. Are you looking to replace your blender with a supercharged do-it-all model? Or do you just need something small that you can keep stashed on the counter for quickly chopping onions? There are options to fit every need. To help us round up some of the best food processors to share with you, we’ve asked a few of our favorite food pros to share their thoughts, along with any tips and tricks that make using one even more helpful.
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