The difference between a food processor and a stand mixer
Chopping, mixing and slicing by hand is great for your muscles, but for anyone who spends a lot of time in the kitchen, an electric helper can sometimes be useful. But which one? Is a stand mixer more your thing, or will you go for a food processor?
The difference between the two is actually very simple. In a food processor, you chop and slice; in a stand mixer, you mix. So you do the same thing as with a hand mixer, and it comes standard with dough hooks so you can knead dough. If you bake a lot, a stand mixer is probably what you need; do you cook more savoury food? Then go for a food processor, although you can also use it for dough. It remains a little complicated, but I’m going to explain it to you in detail.
Food processor
A food processor is a large bowl with a chopping blade and often other attachments such as a grater or slicer. So this thing is your go to when you’re tired of finely chopping onions and garlic, grating carrots or slicing cucumber. A food processor also purées like no other. A blender often only purées the bottom of the jug, meaning you have to keep stirring so everything gets puréed. You don’t have that problem with a food processor.
A food processor can handle large quantities much better, and I always use mine for silky-smooth hummus or homemade falafel. If you mainly make smoothies or the occasional small amount of pesto, you’ll probably get just as far with a blender or stick blender.
I said earlier that a stand mixer is better for baking, but you can also make dough in a food processor. If you put flour and cold butter together in the machine, it chops the butter into such small pieces that they are evenly distributed throughout the flour. Then add liquid and run the food processor for a few more seconds; it will roll the dough into a perfect ball. Super useful when making pie dough or scones, but for bread dough and cakes, a stand mixer is the better choice.
Stand mixer
A stand mixer is basically just a large bowl in which you mix or knead, but for a KitchenAid, for example, you can also buy countless attachments. To make sausages or pasta, for example, but for now I’ll stick to the standard equipment. That includes a whisk, a dough hook and a flat beater. You may never have heard of that last term, but it basically functions as a large spatula. You use it to mix ingredients when making cake, but it’s also great for frosting.
For a light, airy cake, it’s important to beat the butter and sugar beforehand for long enough that you really have a light mixture that is pale in colour. I’ve tried doing this with a small hand mixer, and it’s really hard work, after which your entire kitchen is covered in sweet butter. In a stand mixer with the flat beater, this task is done in no time.
The dough hook is great for making pizza, pasta or bread dough that needs to be kneaded for a long time. Long kneading is tiring, and the stand mixer takes all the work off your hands. Wonderful. You use the whisk when you want to whip egg whites or cream, although I have to admit that I often reach for the hand mixer for that. My stand mixer isn’t usually on the kitchen counter, and taking it out, cleaning it and putting it away feels like more hassle than simply mixing by hand for a moment.
So?
If you bake a lot, I definitely recommend a stand mixer. You have no idea how nice it is to throw ingredients into a bowl and do something else while the machine makes your dough or batter. In all other cases, a food processor makes your life much easier. Many food processors also come with a blender, a small chopping mill or sometimes even a citrus press. Always check the specifications carefully and choose exactly what you need.
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