I created this post - 5 Exciting Ways To Use A Food Processor In An Indian Kitchen for KitchenAid India, a brand I work with as their Culinary Council Member. I've been sent their products, and after trying them out, I love their range, which you can check out here.
Are there any gadget lovers in the house today? Hiiiiiiiiiii there!
I can safely say that over the last two years as food blogger I've converted to become a gadget lover and hoarder. But all along the food processor was something I always stayed away from, because you know space. Growing up, I've seen my mum struggling to fit a bulky food processor in the limited kitchen space that we had and failing miserably and I had no plans of going through that in my teeny tiny Bangalore kitchen. I own a small little Bajaj chopper and while it works, it's now been relegated to the darker corners of my kitchen shelves because it always needs such large quantities of everything to do a good job. So when KitchenAid sent me their 14 cup food processor I was expecting a major space crunch.
Instead, out came a really sleek red processor which looked beautiful, and needed just enough corner space to not make a big difference. What a workhorse this machine is! I started by chopping a ton of onions for some mutton curry Denver was making one Sunday. And we kept experimenting till it became one of the most used appliances in the kitchen!
Ain't that pretty? This KitchenAid Food Processor is exciting enough for me to dedicate an entire blog post to it, and go on and on for like ten thousand words. But before we jump into what you can really do with this machine (eye opener alert!), I have a confession to make. This 14 cup food processor, which can also convert into a 7 cup (how awesome is that!) in a jiffy, comes with it's own set of attachments, which I have really never used. Because you know, lazy. And I just didn't need to. The primary blade is such a workhorse that you can do pretty much everything with it. But I'm sure the other blades can do better. If you end up using this and figure those out, I would love some tips!
But seriously. I'm just going to jump in and tell you 5 exciting ways to use a food processor, particularly in our Indian kitchens!
1. Churn Homemade Butter
Churning butter may be a good upper arm exercise but I'm not a big fan of aching arms and staring longingly at the cream hoping it would turn into butter. But bring in the food processor and this tedious chore is tackled in under 2 minutes. Just place the cream into the KitchenAid food processor, and it magically turns into butter in exactly 1 minute and 30 seconds.
2. Making Atta Dough for Chapatis and Parathas
This is definitely my favourite way to use the food processor. The first time I tried it I wasn't too sure this would work. Once again, bid aching arms goodbye and see the food processor turning atta or whole wheat flour into a soft, smooth and supple dough for chapatis, parathas and kulchas in minutes. Place 2 cups atta and any add ons (salt, spices etc) in the food processor and pulse for 10 seconds to mix everything. Now switch on the processor at Speed #1 and slowly pour in a cup of water down the chute. The flour will start resembling crumbs and as it soaks up water, it'll form into a ball of dough. If you want to get on this immediately and start trying out your food processors dough making skills try out these fenugreek or kasuri methi parathas!
Note: I used the primary chopping blades to do this, but the KitchenAid food processor comes with a dough blade which is perfect for this.
Personally I hate buying ground meat from the butcher shop, simple because I'm not too sure if it's cleaned well. I've always wanted to pick up a meat grinder, but umm my kitchen won't hold up to one more gadget. This multi purpose food processor is strong enough to make mince out of chunks of lamb and so easy to use that I just dump all the ingredients for my one pot mutton kofta curry or kebabs and let the KitchenAid food processor do it's job!
4. Making Chutney
Obviously! It's the simplest, fastest, no spill, no splatter way of making chutney! Slowly pour in water or liquid as required down the chute and you'll have the most delicious, chunky coconut coriander chutney of your life. The only issue I faced while making chutney was the quantity. The KitchenAid food processor easily converts into a 14 cup or 7 cup as required, but I wish there was a 3 cup convertor. Smaller quantities of chutney didn't work very well, so you'll have to make a big batch if you are making chutney, which in our house is never a problem.
5. Chopping Vegetables
This is the most obvious way to use your food processor but I couldn't leave this one out. Everytime I make a curry, I feel like I'm chopping up copious amounts of onions and tomatoes. Between wiping away my tears and trying not to cut my hand, it's not my favourite job. It doesn't matter if you want to chop 2 onions or 5, this will do all the work! And it's perfect for our everyday Indian curry masala that's going to save you every single time you want curry in 20 minutes!
Are you a gadget freak and a food processor lover like me? If you don't have one, I would really really love for you to find out the magic of owning one and giving your busy life a break.
And if you do, I want to know if there's anything more exciting you do with it! Leave me a comment and let's swap food processor tips and stories, because we are a little nuts like that.
See how this is turning into a food processor love affair?
Atia Janssens says
Thanks for the great recipe ideas. I have been trying to make cilantro chutney in my food processor and it never gets properly smooth. If I add water it becomes too runny. It's a mess. Did you experience the same with small quantities of herbs (you wrote something like that but didn't go into detail)? Is the solution just to add a lot of herbs instead of just a few? Thanks for taking the time
Richa says
Hey Atia - unfortunately with a food processor, small quantities for chutney don't work. You will need large quantities to process this well.
Asha says
Hi, loved the post( forgot to mention in the earlier comment) .. would like to know- Did you get to use both the bowls or just one ? Will it make any difference if I go with the 9 cup kitchenaid food processor instead of the that you are using ?
Richa says
Hey Asha, I just have one. This is the 7 cup food processor. Unless you have a big family, a 9 cup might be too large.
Asha says
I plan to pick up a food processor but can't decide which one to pick the 9cup one or the 14cup one . We are a small family of with my in laws or parents visiting us often . WIll the 9cup food processor be a good buy for an Indian kitchen ?
Richa says
Hey Asha, the 9 cup should be enough even if you have family visiting once in a while
Maira Melon says
I was confused for pickup the good food processor but after visit this site i have select my favorite food processor. Good Reviews there.
Martha says
Hi. I’m about to buy my first processor. I want to ask does the Hamilton 8-cup food processor grind meat well? I found it in a review on healthykitchen101.com. It’s affordable but the motor doesn’t look that great. I’m trying to find more info for reference. Thanks in advance (:
Richa says
No idea Martha. I don't own one so cant say.