Food processors have so many functions and can help to prepare a variety of meals. Its uses are diverse but can you crush ice in a food processor?
The simple is yes, you can crush ice in your processor. For smaller quantities of ice, your food processor might be a good option for crushing your ice. For example, a cup of smoothie or juice will not require so much ice, therefore you can easily crush what you need in your food processor. However, the small food processors we reviewed here, may or may not be up to the task.
Is recommended to use food processor for crushing ice, no not really. But you may find one if you look at our ‘best food processor for nut butter‘ reviews. Blender is the appliance you are looking for if you often crush ice or make smoothies.
In this article, we will discuss further about using food processors to crush ice and how best to go about it.Â
Also Read: Can you grind coffee in a food processor?
Can You Crush Ice in a Food Processor?
Yes, you can use your food processor to crush ice. Though I would not recommend that you consider your food processor first before other alternatives because of the risk of damage to your appliance.
A blender is generally the appliance to go for when crushing ice. It has blunt blades, generally stronger motor and also stronger cup.
On the other hand, while it might not be the ideal option for a large quantity of crushed ice, you can crush your ice in batches using your food processor.
One beautiful thing about food processors is that you can choose to crush you ice into medium sized chunks or you can crush to an almost powdery consistency.
Whatever you choose to do, your food processor can produce great results as long as you monitor it constantly and ensure that your watching closely so that it produces exactly what you want.
When you want to crush your ice in your food processor, don’t use the bowl directly connected to the appliance. You should only use the blending jar. This is because using the attached bowl can cause the food processor blades to become blunt.
How to Crush Ice in Your Food Processor
Take Out the Ice
Take out as much ice cubes as you need to crush and put in your food processor. If you plan to crush a lot and perhaps store for later, it might be best to crush them in batches.
If you can help it, put only same sized ice in your food processor as it is likely to crush easier that way. If not, you can still crush your ice in the food processor.
Make sure you don’t put extremely large chunks of ice inside your food processor.
Turn On Your Food Processor
Once you have a batch of ice ready in the food processor, turn it on and crush using the fast pulse setting. Turn it off at every 4 seconds interval so you don’t have over crushed ice. The more the ice is crushed, the easier it is to melt and become water.
Constantly check to see if the ice has been crushed to the level you want.
Once it is ready
Strain
Using a sieve, strain out already melted water into a zinc or a different bowl. Ensure that there is no melted water in your crushed ice. Otherwise the rest of the ice melts into water much faster, and using it can dilute your drink.
Use
Once your crushed ice is ready, pour into your drink. Pour the rest of the ice into a Ziploc bag and seal. Put in the freezer for future use.
If you haven’t crushed the quantity of ice that you need, repeat this process till you have enough.
Why You Shouldn’t Crush Ice in Your Food Processor
It is Extremely Loud
This might not seem like such a big deal until you’re in a room in which someone is crushing ice in a food processor. You would wish you weren’t.
The food processor makes an extremely loud noise while crushing ice. Unfortunately, since ice is somewhat hard, it might take a moment of pulsing for the ice to be properly crushed.
Damage Bowl or Blunt the Blades
The force of the grinding and crushing process can cause your food processor blades to go numb.
It can also affect your food processor bowl and even cause some scratches. So if it can be avoided, use the alternate jar whenever you want to crush some ice using your food processor.
It is Disorganized
While processing food using your food processor isn’t exactly organized, crushing ice is a couple of times worse. The chunks of ice in your food processor will usually fly around and can cause damage to some delicate parts of your food processor.
While it is not a bad idea to crush ice using your food processor, try to weigh your options before attempting to.
Food Processor Alternatives for Crushing Ice
Clean Towel
For this method, you will need a clean towel and a rolling pin. It will help if you already have some ice cubes in your ice cube tray. If not, fill it with enough water and put in the freezer to freeze.
When it is thoroughly frozen. Take out a kitchen towel and pour the ice into it, wrap the towel properly to ensure that none of the ice escapes. Fold towel into multiple pieces and wrap the edges.
Bash with your rolling pin continuously until the ice is thoroughly crushed, you will usually be able to feel this through the towel.
Pour it out of the towel and into your cup and use as needed. Ensure that you put all leftover ice back in the freezer to use later on.
Blender
If you have a blender at home, your blender is the next best thing. The blender is quite similar to a food processor. How, it has blunt blades.
Which means it can crush your just as easily as a food processor. Simply turn on the blender and run for about 5 seconds per time, check the ice to make sure you’re getting the exact sizes your want.
When you’re satisfied, strain out the ice that has already melted into water and use your ice as needed. Bag all leftovers and pop back into the freezer so you can use it some other time.
Ziploc or Plastic Bag
This method will usually work better if you freeze the water in the bag. If you don’t, you can transfer the ice into the ziploc bag.
Put the bag directly under a running faucet for a few seconds and use a rolling pin to bash at intervals. This method is also noisy and at the same time can get a little frustrating but at least, its better than damaging your food processor.
Conclusion
Although your food processor can crush ice, it might not be the best idea to use it for this purpose. So Can you crush ice in a food processor, yes you can.
Should you? We don’t think you should. Fortunately, there are numerous other alternatives you can consider to crush your ice. Most just as noisy as using a food processor but you will likely get your desired output.
That said food processors are extremely useful appliances in your kitchen and there are numerous other functions you can put your food processor to without damage.
Check your manual before trying out new things to ensure that you’re on the right path.
FAQs:
1. Can I put ice in my Cuisinart food processor?
Yes, a powerful Cuisinart food processor is capable of decently crushing ice. However, you should be aware that crushing ice in a Cuisinart food processor may cause the work bowl to scratch or the metal blades to dull. It is recommended that you shave the ice with a medium shredding disc.
2. How do you make crushed ice in a food processor?
The secret to making crushed ice quickly and easily is to use a food processor. Simply place a few handfuls of ice in a food processor and process until fluffy piles of perfect cocktail ice form. Make batches as needed and use them immediately, or bag and freeze for later use.
3. What is the plastic blade for on a food processor?
It is the plastic blade for dough. It has less curved paddles and is typically made of plastic, allowing it to do a better job of kneading the dough than the sharp metal s-shaped blade might. Make focaccia or even pasta dough with it.
4. What can a food processor do that a blender cannot?
Unlike blenders, which typically include only one blade attachment, food processors can include a variety of blade attachments for shredding, slicing, grating, chopping, and mixing.
5. Blender vs food processor, what's better?
Simply put, a blender is a better option for liquid-heavy items such as smoothies and soups. A food processor is best for solid foods that require more labor-intensive handling, such as chopping and slicing.