On Wed, 4 May 2005 21:03:36 -0400
"Rina" > wrote:

> Does a FP produce heat when you pulse pie crust or cookie dough? I
> wouldn't want my crust to get warm. I don't want my bread dough too warm
> either.


Not a lot. At least my mother's 80's era Cuisinart 7 cup doesn't. We
used to buy raw milk, separate the cream, and make butter by pouring it in
the FP and turning it on. We'd walk away and wait for the gurgling sound to
change. Never melted any, even in the summer.


> My blender is having issues, I'm wondering if I could replace the blender
> with a food processor. About The only things that I use the blender for
> is an occasional diet frappe (crushed ice instead of ice cream) and
> smoothing lumps out of rushed gravy, and sometimes salad dressings or
> marinades. You mentioned fruit, could you make frozen fruit drinks...
> not that I need one, I'm getting too fat from eating all my breads, I'm
> thinking about kids treats here.


The major difference between a blender and a FP in these cases is the
width of the vessel and the position and size of the blades. A blender
tends to send material up the sides of the pitcher, and they then return
down the vortex. The FP is simply wider, and less gravity is involved. It
still achieves a vortex.

You can do all of the above in a food processor, the blender might be
better at frozen drinks.


> Cleaning is a big concern, I don't want to get stuck with something that
> takes longer to clean than use. The KA mixer has a bunch of attachments,
> but they are a pain to use clean and store, I never would have purchased
> any of them they were a gift. My husband ground meat once... It took
> forever and it was messy...that was enough!


I think the FP is easier, in a sense. There are more parts, but they're
easier to handle. I've never come up with a really good way to clean the
blades in a blender. In extreme situations the pitcher has to be
disassembled and the blades cleaned with a brush or something.

The blades in a food processor are big enough to clean with a cloth,
sponge, whatever. They also pretty much just lift out of the bowl - they
sit on a spindle that comes up through the bottom of the bowl. The bowl is
easily rinsed or washed in a dishwasher. The lid can be a little complex,
but it usually doesn't get very dirty.