The differences between a stand mixer and a food processor
Stand mixer and food processor comparison
| Stand mixer | Food processor | |
|---|---|---|
| Whisking, kneading, mixing | Daily use, main function. | Regular use, sometimes you need an accessory. |
| Chopping, cutting, grating | Regular use, sometimes you need an accessory. | Daily use, main function. |
| Mashing | For occasional use, you sometimes need an accessory. | For occasional use, you sometimes need an accessory. |
| Thick juices | Regular use, sometimes you need an accessory. | Regular use, sometimes you need an accessory. |
| Thin juices | Regular use, sometimes you need an accessory. | Regular use, sometimes you need an accessory. |
| Making pasta | Regular use, sometimes you need an accessory. | Not suitable |
| Prepare meat | Regular use, sometimes you need an accessory. | Not suitable |
Whisk, knead, and mix
Stand mixer: best choice for kneading
Beating, kneading, and mixing are the most important functions of a stand mixer. This powerful device comes with a whisk, mix, and dough hook by default which does the beating, kneading, and mixing work for you. The whisks stir or knead from above in the open and deep mixing bowl. You can put a lot of ingredients in this bowl at the same time. Thanks to its high power, a stand mixer is very powerful. That means it can also easily knead sticky pizza dough to the desired thickness.
Food processor: Handy baking aid
You can also whisk, knead, and mix with a food processor. The dough is kneaded a little less thoroughly than with a stand mixer because you attach the kneading blade to the bottom of the bowl. Its power is usually also somewhat lower. Because the mixing bowl is often slightly smaller than that of a stand mixer, you can also only bake smaller cakes.
Chop, cut, and grate
Stand mixer: handy cutting aid
With a stand mixer, special blender and chopper attachments are included to take care of the chopping, cutting, and grating work. You do depend on the durability of the attachments and the sharpness of the included blades. This is important, for example, with very hard ingredients such as nuts or chocolate or very soft ingredients such as cheese.
Food processor: lightning-fast master chef
The food processor is the ideal help for chopping, cutting, and grating ingredients. This kitchen appliance comes with various cutting and grating discs. This allows you to slice, dice, or grate fruit and vegetables in no time at all. There are also special discs for cutting fresh fries, for example. A food processor is also very suitable for ingredients such as nuts, chocolate, or cheese which are hard to cut with other devices.
Mashing
Stand mixer: useful for sauce
In a stand mixer, you can make a nice sauce or dip, for example with the included blender attachment. You can make mayonnaise directly in the mixing bowl. This must be done in large quantities at the same time, otherwise the ingredients won't be mixed properly. For soup, you can use a blender attachment, but make sure you do use a heat resistant pitcher.
Food processor: for a thick dip
You make your sauces and dips directly in the mixing bowl in a food processor. Especially thicker mixtures are suitable for this, for example pesto. You can make soup in the blender attachment, provided the pitcher is heat resistant.
Thick and thin juices
Stand mixer: versatile juice maker
To make thin juice with little pulp, use a juicer attachment with your stand mixer. With a blender attachment, you can make thicker juices, for example a smoothie of your favorite vegetables and fruit. Do you want to crush ice for a milkshake? If so, check whether the blender attachment is suitable for this.
Food processor: for ice-cold drinks, too
Similar to with a stand mixer, you use a juicer attachment to make thin juices. Smoothies can be made in the mixing bowl as well as with a blender attachment, although the blender is more convenient for pouring the smoothie afterward. Crushing ice is easy for most food processors.
Make pasta and prepare meat
Stand mixer: useful addition
You can also install a pasta or meat grinder attachment on a stand mixer. This way, you can turn fresh pasta or minced meat yourself. The thickness of the pasta or minced meat depends on the attachment you use, but in most cases it can be adjusted.
Food processor: not suitable
Could you already picture those spaghetti and meatballs? Unfortunately, a food processor doesn't have room for a pasta maker or meat grinder attachment. Chopping garlic, onion, and a tomato for a delicious pasta sauce is possible, of course.
Conclusion
For beating, kneading, and mixing, it's best to use a food processor. This powerful kitchen appliance is built to quickly process large quantities of cream, dough, and batter. Are you looking for a kitchen aid that will get rid of that annoying grating, cutting, and chopping work in no time? Choose a food processor. This kitchen aid chops, slices, and grates vegetables and fruit effortlessly into any desired thickness. With the right attachments, you can extend the functions of a food processor a little further, for example to turn pasta and meat yourself. If you're a real hobby cook, a stand mixer is probably the best option.
