Before diving into food processor vs chopper debate, let's note this: some people may advise you to perfect the art of using a knife in the kitchen and forget about all the electric appliances in your kitchen. While there is nothing wrong with using a knife to cut and chop ingredients in the kitchen, the exercise can be tiresome and time-consuming.
Plus, we live in a technological age, and any modern technique is welcome anywhere and at any time. It makes life easier and helps you to perform various tasks faster. Additionally, modern technology appliances offer you excellent results, which makes them worth the investment.
A food processor and a chopper are some of the modern technology kitchen appliances you should consider buying. If you want to fasten your chopping process at home, you should consider getting a chopper. If you have diverse kitchen needs and you prepare food for a large family, you should consider getting a food processor.
So, how do the two kitchen appliances compare?
What Is a Food Processor?
A food processor is a kitchen appliance used almost as a blender and helps to perform repetitive tasks in food preparation.
You can use a food processor for various functions, including dicing onions, grinding meat, slicing and shredding vegetables and fruits, chopping carrots, among other uses. Some are also more convenient for specific tasks, like processors for grating cheese here, or the ones ideal for a nice pie crust in this review.
The kitchen appliance consists of various parts such as a motorized base, bowl, blades, and lid. The motorized base houses the motor that moves the blades to work on various ingredients. It also houses the settings that control the device's speed and pulse depending on the ingredients you are working on.
Most food processors come with various blades for working on different ingredients. Additionally, the lid features a feeding chute that enables you to add ingredients as the processor works to help achieve the desired texture and results.
The kitchen appliance comes in two types: manual and electric motor-driven device. The electric model is preferred by most people, but if you are looking for a cheaper option, you can go for the manual one.
How Do Food Processors Work?
A food processor is a versatile product that enables you to perform various tasks such as grinding, shredding, chopping, slicing, etc.
You can also use food processors as a blender. The only difference is that a blender requires some liquid to work. On the other hand, food processors may not require you to add fluid as they can extract it from the vegetables. Therefore, the appliance is a perfect tool for preparing smoothies, milkshakes, soups, etc.
Food processors enable you to carry out various tasks on the same device using interchangeable blades.
What Is a Food Chopper?
You can use the word chopper to define various things, including a bix ax, a helicopter, a butcher's cutting tool, a type of motorcycle, etc.
In this context, food choppers refer to a kitchen appliance that comes in handy in chopping veggies, meats, fruits, etc.
Food choppers make your food preparation process effortless and straightforward. Food processors make the process faster, saves you time, and provides you with perfectly sliced ingredients for cooking.
How Does Food Choppers Work?
Food choppers are a small kitchen device used for chopping fruits, onions, salads, etc., for making desserts and salads.
The appliance features sharp blades that help cut smaller foods efficiently to ensure the jobs in your kitchen are done much faster and comfortably.
Difference Between a Processor Vs. Food Chopper
Size
The size difference between a food processor vs. chopper is clearly seen. A food chopper is smaller in size, which makes it convenient and portable. They are also lightweight, which makes them effortless to store.
You can also find mini food choppers in the market that are easy to use and portable.
Although food processors are countertop appliances, they come with bigger machines and containers that hamper their portability. It is also not lightweight.
Capacity
While you can use food processors for the same functions as a chopper, you can also use them for other purposes such as kneading dough, whisking, dicing (see this post), and blending.
A food processor has enough capacity to churn 8-12 cups simultaneously. On the other hand, a chopper has a smaller capacity with the ability to churn 4-6 cups at a time.
Work Matter
When considering the kitchen appliances' utility, a food processor is much ahead of the chopper.
A food processor comes with various attachments which make it fit for various tasks in your kitchen. It comes with different blades that help produce ingredients of different sizes, depending on your recipe. You can use a food processor to make bread dough, puree, and other functions such as shredding, slicing, dicing, etc.
On the other hand, a food chopper is only useful for chopping fruits and veggies. Although you can use it to make a puree and other functions, the device is primarily used for chopping.
Cleaning and Care
Cleaning and care is one area where a chopper performs better than a food processor. A food chopper is easier to clean as you only need warm soapy water and a soft dry cloth to dry it.
Most people are reluctant to use a food processor in the kitchen as it is quite challenging to clean and takes time.
In taking care of the kitchen appliances, you should avoid using your food processor for liquid mixing or making cocktails that can harm the device. Additionally, you may not use a small food processor for kneading dough as the motor may not be strong enough for the task.
For the food chopper, you should avoid cutting hard things such as nuts. This will damage the blade and shorten the life of your device. Additionally, you shouldn't try to make dough using the chopper.
Cost
It is not a surprise that a food processor costs more than a food chopper. A food processor is bigger in size, and it is also more versatile.
The fact that a food chopper is cheaper than a food processor doesn't mean it is an inferior device. The use of the device depends on the necessity and the type of food you want to prepare. At times, you may prefer to use a food chopper instead of a food processor.
Final Thoughts
Which one between a food processor and a food chopper should you buy for your kitchen? You need to have these two kitchen appliances. The choice of which of the two devices to use depends on the necessity.
If you want to prepare food for a large family of about five members, or you are hosting some friends, a food processor will be a perfect choice. It also enables you to prepare food in large quantities and saves you the trouble of preparing food in batches. Its versatility also saves you the trouble of purchasing many other kitchen appliances that would overcrowd your kitchen.
On the other hand, a food chopper comes in handy when you want to chop fruits and vegetables to make salads and desserts. Although you can chop the ingredients using a food processor, a chopper does a better job and ensures you get a perfect size.