Food Processor Vs. Juicer | Which One Is the Perfect Pick for Your Kitchen?

If you have a well-stocked kitchen, you probably have a food processor and a juicer in your kitchen.

To an inexperienced person, food processors and juicers are the same as they perform the same task of transforming solids into liquids.

The fact is the two kitchen appliances help in making meal preparation faster and easier. However, their functions differ, and each is better at its own function.

Most recipes require you to use just one of the kitchen appliances. If you understand their functions well, it will be easier to choose which one is best suited for the task you want to perform.

So, in a comparison between a food processor Vs. juicer, which one is the perfect pick for your kitchen?

What Is a Food Processor?

Food processors are one of the most versatile kitchen appliances today. It helps perform various kitchen tasks, including chopping fruits and vegetables, grinding meat, kneading dough (follow this link), grating (see here), etc.

The best thing is that you don't require expert culinary skills to use a food processor to prepare delicious, healthier, and tastier foods.

A food processor comprises four essential components: a motorized base, a bowl, a lid, and blades. The motorized base also houses the various settings that control the speed and pulse.

The sharp blades and the motor work together to cut your fruits and vegetables and other ingredients to the desired size. Additionally, the kitchen appliance features various blades that fit for multiple functions, such as grinding, chopping, dicing (look at this review), shredding, etc.

You can use a food processor to prepare various types of uncooked recipes, including various types of hummus, bean dips, and salsa.

The kitchen appliance is a perfect choice if you cook regularly and in deep quantities as it helps you to save on time.

Before you can purchase a food processor, you should consider two factors, including the motor's durability and the power rating.

If you prepare meals for a family of about five members, it will be best to purchase a food processor with a 750 W motor and above. A 600-700 W motor will be an excellent choice for a family of three to four members, while a 500-600 W motor food processor is the best option for a family of fewer than three members.

The electric motor is a significant determinant of the price of the unit. It is also one of the most vital components of a food processor. Some manufacturers may use an inferior electric motor to save on production costs and increase profits. It will help a lot if you can double-check the motor before purchasing the kitchen appliance.

How Does a Food Processor Work?

Part of understanding how a food processor works involves being familiar with the different parts of the appliance.

If you know the various parts of a food processor, here is a guide to how to use one.

The first and most obvious step is to plug your kitchen appliances into a power source. Next, attach the bowl to the processor. In most food processors, you attach the bowl to the motorized base and then lock it to the shaft.

After attaching the bowl, you should continue to attach your blades. Your choice of blades will depend on the ingredients you are working on and your desired results. The multi-purpose blade, also known as a knife, is the most used blade. It can perform most of the tasks, including shredding, chopping, mashing, mixing, and pureeing various ingredients.

When you finish assembling the kitchen appliance and have the right blade in place, it's time to toss your ingredients. You can toss all the ingredients at once or at intervals, depending on your recipe. Ensure you secure the lid after adding your ingredients.

If you have large ingredients, it will be best to chop them into small sizes before you can toss them in the food processor. Additionally, if you are using liquids in your recipe, ensure you don't put them beyond the fill line. Otherwise, they may splash out.

When you have all the ingredients and the lid is secured, you can then turn on the appliance. If it doesn't work, check to see if the lid is properly secured.

Additionally, you can decide to have the motor run continuously or select the pulse function depending on the texture you want to achieve.

What Is a Juicer?

A juicer is designed to extract juice from fruit and vegetable. If you enjoy juice-fasts, a juicer is the perfect kitchen appliance for you.

Besides making fruit drinks and sorbets, you can use juicers for other purposes.

For instance, masticating juicers break up the fruits or vegetables forced downwards, obtaining juice while preserving fiber.

The masticating juicers are used to make fruit sorbets, pureed foods, and nut butter. Juicers are popular for making dietary supplements such as wheatgrass juice and carrot juice.

On the other hand, centrifugal juicers are best for juicing whole vegetables and fruits. The juicers rotate the blades around at top speed with the intention of extracting the juice and forcing the pulp from the back of the juicer into a waste container.

The juice from a centrifugal juicer is light and tasty and doesn't have fiber like that of a masticating juicer.

Not all fruits do well in a juicer. Some of the fruits you can use in a juicer include lemons, pineapple, pomegranate, blueberries, grapes, apples, oranges, pears, etc.

Some of the vegetables you can use in a juicer include tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, parsnips, ginger, etc.

Before you can purchase a juicer, you should consider some factors. For instance, different juicers offer different benefits, such as fiber retention, etc. Centrifugal juicers are faster than twin gear and cold-press juicers.

Cold-press juicers and twin gear may do a better job of retaining nutrients, while centrifugal juicers will get the job done faster.

Centrifugal juicers can also be quite loud, especially while working on hard ingredients, while cold-press juicers are quieter.

Ensure you choose your juicer depending on your needs and priorities.

How Does a Juicer Work?

First, ensure that all parts of the juicer are assembled properly. You can consult the manual if you are not sure how to assemble the device. The essential parts of the juicer include the feeding chute, pulp collector, collection bowl, Auger, and lid.

After assembling the kitchen appliances, it's time to prepare your ingredients. Wash the ingredients and peel them if necessary. However, it would be best not to peel the ingredients as most of the nutrients are found in the skin.

Before you can toss the ingredients into the juicer, chop the large fruits and vegetables into smaller sizes. This makes it effortless for the motor to work on them. Add your ingredients to the juicer.

When you have all the ingredients in the juicer, connect it to a power source and then turn it on. The juicer comes with some controls on the base. You can use the controls to set the speed depending on the ingredients and the results you want to achieve.

Allow the juicer time to extract juice from your ingredients. When it is done, you can check the pulp to see if there is more juice. If there is more juice, you can reuse the pulp or throw it away.

When you are through with the extraction, empty the juicer and disconnect it from the power source. Clean all the components and allow them to dry before assembling, storing, or reassembling the juicer.

Difference Between Food Processor and Juicer

The main difference between a food processor and a juicer is the type of food they work on. A food processor mainly involves peeling or removing the coating from the ingredients.

While working with a food processor, you achieve excellent consistency by reducing the ingredients you put in the appliance. The kitchen appliance also enables you to control the rate of reduction.

On the other hand, a juicer is only used to extract juice from the ingredients in the appliance. It involves using pressure or various blades to reduce the ingredients, separate the juice, and direct it through one feed of the appliance.

Final Thoughts

Most people have both kitchen appliances in their kitchens, and they help in preparing different kinds of foods. They both help to cut down on meal prep time and also minimize the mess. The key difference between the two appliances is in the ingredients that they use.