Even the best food processor can cause problems if not used properly. And according to experts, adding certain ingredients to your food processor can not only lead to subpar results, but can even damage the machine.
I have been testing kitchen appliances for five years and have come to the conclusion that while food processors are some of the most versatile appliances in the kitchen, they produce the best results when the food is the right amount and consistency.
I spoke to Stephen Catherall, sales manager at Magimix, the brand that produced the first food processor for home use in 1971, to find out which foods he advises against putting in your food processor. Here’s his advice.
Foods you should never put in the food processor
1. Whole spices
While it’s no problem to add a few grains or peppercorns to a marinade mix or sauce in the food processor, you shouldn’t use it in place of a spice grinder.
“Spice grinders have blunt blades that slam into the spices, creating more of a mortar and pestle effect,” said Catherall. “A food processor can grind the spices, but it will never produce as fine a powder as a dedicated spice grinder, and the hard spices can cause scratches and clouding of the bowl if they hit the sides with force.”
However, you can also use your food processor for softer ingredients, especially if you’re making a paste rather than a dry spice mix. “However,” agrees Catherall, “a food processor is a wonderful tool for processing softer seeds like sesame seeds, from which you can make the smoothest tahini paste.”
2. Frozen meat
“While partially frozen meat is actually beneficial when slicing in a food processor as it makes it stiffer and less pliable and stretchy, which in turn produces cleaner slices, fully frozen meat becomes too hard and damages the blade and plastic parts of the machine,” says Catherall.
This will depend on your food processor, warns Catherall. Although he recommends that you can use the Magimix food processor on frozen ingredients to make homemade ice cream or crush ice, I advise you to be cautious with food processors under 500 watts, just to be safe.
3. Large, hard objects
“It’s a good idea to chop large, harder foods into small pieces first before putting them in the food processor bowl,” says Catherall. This can include firmer vegetables like carrots or potatoes, which may be too big for your chopping bowl if you try to chop them whole.
“This not only reduces unnecessary strain on the machine, but also chops the food more evenly.”
4. Citrus peel
“Always try to use other foods or liquids (with citrus zest) to limit contact with the food processor bowl,” Catherall said. “This is because the limonene in the citrus zest is a solvent/degreaser that can cloud the plastic.” While you shouldn’t have a problem with a few lemon slices, a fresh lemon curd can cause bigger problems.
While this does not pose a risk to the performance of your food processor, it could affect the clarity of plastic bowls, which is difficult to restore.
5. Doughs with high moisture content
One of my standard tests when testing food processors is to make a quick dough. A good food processor should be able to mix butter and flour together fairly easily and limit the amount of hand kneading you have to do, as this can warm the butter and affect the texture of your dough.
However, Catherall warns that you need to be careful about the type of dough you knead in your food processor. “If you set the hydration too high, you risk overloading the motor and causing permanent damage to your machine.”
What about foods that leave stains?
Foods with high pigment content can cause any jar of a food processor or blender to discolor and even stain over time. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use ingredients like turmeric or carrots in your food processor. You just need to know how to properly remove the residue. Catherall has some advice on how to do that.
“After processing carrots or turmeric, rub the inside of the bowl with oil to remove stains,” Catherall said. “Turmeric stains may need to be soaked. Add a small amount of dish soap to the bowl and fill it with warm water. Let it soak for 30 minutes or until the stain is removed.”
