Article contributed by Ajay Desai
With the advancement in technology, there are countless numbers of kitchen appliances available in the market. Whether you want to prepare some healthy drinks, smoothies, juices, or you wish to quickly chop vegetables, make dough, there are food processors and mixer grinders to make your kitchen tasks simpler. However, when it comes to buying a handy kitchen appliance, it is easy to get confused about which one is the best – a food processor or a food mixer grinder? Both food processors and mixer grinders have blades, operate on electricity, and come with an arsenal of accessories for versatility. Many times, both terms are used interchangeably. However, there are a lot of differences between the two that make them different from each other. So, if you are planning to buy a handy kitchen appliance, you need to understand the difference between the two. Keep reading this article to clear your confusion.
What is a Food Processor? A food processor is a multipurpose kitchen tool that comes with changeable blades and disks. It is great for chopping vegetables, slicing, shredding, mincing, and grating, but it is not designed to handle liquids. A food processor is not ideal for preparing juices, shakes, or smoothies. If you want your food processor to juice fruits and vegetables, you may end up creating a mess. However, you can also use it for kneading the dough, blending hummus, and emulsifying dressings. A food processor can do all the labor-intensive tasks that would take a long time to do with hands. So, if you are looking forward to buying a food processor , you can find many options. Here is the list of the best food processors by kitchen experts.
What is a Food Mixer Grinder? As the name suggests, a food mixer grinder is used to mix the ingredients and make smooth pastes. So, if you want to blend different fruits for smoothies, make batters and chutneys, grind spices to a fine powder, you would need a mixer grinder. It comes with multiple jars that you can use for grinding, mixing, and extract juices. Unlike a food processor unit, a mixer grinder can easily handle dry and liquid ingredients with ease. However, it doesn’t come with interchangeable blades or accessories. So, you cannot use it for kneading the dough, slicing and chopping the vegetables. Also, remember that not all people are fond of cooking. They are not going to chop a pile of vegetables or make new dishes regularly. Hence, if you are a beginner or intermediate-level cook, you may need to buy a blender or a mixer grinder, even if you have a food processor.
Food Processor V/S Food Mixer: Now that you know what a food processor and a food mixer are, You should also know what makes both these gadgets different from each other. So, let’s take a look at the differences between a food processor and a food mixer.
- Mixer grinders can handle wet as well as dry ingredients, but a food processor is not ideal for liquids.
- A food processor consumes more power than a mixer grinder, which will eventually increase your electricity bill.
- Mixer grinders come with multiple jars, but these jars can’t perform all the tasks except juicing and grinding. On the other hand, food processors come with an arsenal of accessories and blades that can be attached for different purposes.
- No doubt, several accessories allow you to do several tasks with ease, but it needs more space. So, if your kitchen does not have enough space to store all the accessories, you should opt for a mixer grinder.
- The price of food processors is higher than a food mixer. So, before you go ahead, decide your budget.
- A food processor comes with bigger bowls than a mixer grinder.
- A food mixer grinder is easy to use and clean than a food processor.
Which One is the Best – Food Processor or Food Mixer? While both the kitchen appliances are designed to cater to different purposes, it is best to equip your kitchen with a food processor and a food mixer. However, if you don’t have enough budget, but you want to upgrade your kitchen, decide based on your requirements. For instance, if you want an efficient device that can replace several manual food prep tasks, including chopping, blending, slicing, and grinding, go with a food processor. However, if you are not fond of making new dishes and looking for a device for your smoothies, soups, juice, etc., opt for a mixer grinder. Some mixer grinders can do certain tasks that a food processor can do. So, check out the chart below to know what tasks can a food processor and a food mixer handle and then decide which one meets your needs the best.
Conclusion While both the devices (a food processor and a food mixer grinder) look the same at first glance, each one has its own advantages and disadvantages. So, when you step out to shop for a food mixer or a food processor, decide as per your requirements. Also, make sure you choose the device from a reputed brand and check out the customer reviews before finalizing your decision. We hope that this guide has cleared all your doubts and help you to decide whether to shop for a food processor and a food mixer grinder.
Article contributed by Sheena Behera
India is the land of spices, and here & there, every Indian kitchen needs a mixer grinder. A mixer grinder is a great versatile tool for every kitchen as you can prepare a ton of things, mix them and grind them to your leisure. There are many practical uses of a mixer grinder in every kitchen and if you cannot reckon them, don’t you worry. We have just the information you are looking for. So whether you are looking to add a mixer grinder to your kitchen arsenal or want to understand the usage of this device so that you can make the right choice while selecting the right mixer grinder brand , stay tuned and keep scrolling.
Some Practical Ways to Effectively Use a Mixer Grinder There are a ton of ways a mixer grinder can come in handy; you see, to prepare every dish or cuisine, you’ll need some herbs and spices. Back in the old days, these herbs and spices were crushed by hands — well, that was a daunting task; it’s been superseded by the blessing of a mixer grinder. So here are some ways that a mixer grinder can help you.
Multitasking and Versatile Ever found yourself in a situation where you have to deal with many tasks at once? Well, having a mixer grinder can be your best friend in that situation. With different jars, blades, attachments, and options, you get a lot of versatility while operating a mixer grinder. You can grind spices or create a smoothie, or even a detox juice. Plus, you can also use the different jars and blades to make spices or juice accordingly. Thanks to the attachments, you can enjoy your juices or grind the spices in different jars according to your leisure.
Massive Time Saver If you work the kitchen, you can understand how time flies by, right? A mixer grinder, in this case, is an excellent time-saver. You can easily cut down the time wasted in doing different things by simply using this fantastic electronic appliance. You can chop veggies or pulverize juices without even cutting them to tiny pieces first, as you would typically do. Chop Vegetables One of the biggest time killers is chopping vegetables, and while this is a mundane task, you cannot cook without it. So a mixer grinder becomes the best option here; you can easily do dry chopping and wet chopping without any problem. Simply start your mixer grinder at low speed (remember the slower the speed, the larger the pieces you’ll have to add) and drop your large pieces of vegetables. Voila! You are ready to cook some scrumptious dishes.
Grind Spices A mixer grinder’s primary job is to crush the spices so that you don’t have to do it barehanded. Whether it be black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and so forth, a mixer grinder got your back. You can quickly grind them in advance, saving time and storing them for later use — a classic one stone two birds.
Ease of Usage and Maintenance Not just that, operating a mixer grinder is fairly straightforward, and maintaining it is not a problem. You can easily dismantle the parts, clean them, and reassemble them once done. Plus, a mixer grinder offers both mixing and grinding to make it more convenient and reliable. It’s better to get a mixer grinder rather than purchasing both separately or even purchasing a juicer separately. Not only that but this way, you also save a fair-share amount of money without disturbing your kitchen needs and compromising on quality either.
Grind Sugar to get Fine Sugar Well, who doesn’t love to make confectionary things or those lovely cakes? A lot of times, some food items require granulated sugar, and others explicitly need fine sugar. And you’ve guessed it, you can grind your sugar to granulate and fine powder form and can store it in different jars for future use, saving you time and effort. This way, you will have your accessories ready when you get an opportunity to showcase your pastry talent instead of running to the grocery store.
Get Ready with Prune Juices Thanks to the pandemic, our health awareness has been increasing by leaps and bounds. Here and there, we all get sick and have stomach-related problems. That’s where prune juice becomes the savior; it is known for curing stomach problems, in turn improving your overall health. Grind your prunes and add some water; there you go with the prune juice. You can add or remove sugar depending on your weight goals. The best part about this juice is you can store it for a week, making it an instant and cost-effective solution.
Not Just Prune Juice, But any Juice Instead of spending your bucks in getting a separate juicer, a mixer grinder can easily help you with that. You can easily make seasonal juices and store them accordingly. This is the best way to ensure effective use of your juice and beneficial for your health, in turn saving time and money.
Chutneys and Pastes Who doesn’t love those tongue-tickling chutneys made explicitly in India? Get creative and prepare your chutney by grinding and mixing the items as per your wish. Besides that, you can also create different pastes such as garlic paste and store them for future use.
