In praise of mini-processors

[breakinglight11]

I am not a fan of owning lots of kitchen gadgets. I am a disciple in the church of Alton Brown, who preaches the evil of spending a ton of money on overly-specialized tools. Also I love clear countertops, blissfully free of any junk that might clutter them and take up space. But food processors, with their varied capabilities and applications, have a special place in my heart. One Christmas I got a big, beautiful, tricked-out one from Cuisinart, which my family has used for tons of recipes, but for making pesto in particular, from the leafy green basil Dad grows in the backyard garden.

The only real downside of the thing is that it's so tough to clean, and sometimes it's too big to make a small amount of something blended. So a few years ago, on a whim, I bought a cheapie two-cup mini-processsor from a drugstore. I think it cost me twelve bucks. And I actually use it all the time. It only has three pieces to latch onto it-- the bowl, the blade, and the lid. Two things I eat a lot of are omelettes, for the quick protein, and meat dishes with chopped toppings. I like to throw, like, a pepper and an onion in there for an omelette, or dice up carrot, onion, and celery for a mirepoix. My dad makes fun of me for how I always chop everything so big-- which honestly I prefer the texture of --but this is an easy way to do it for applications that require it fine. And the device is small enough to be tucked away in a cabinet for storage, so it doesn't ruin my pristine counter space!

So, much as I dislike collecting lots of gadgets, I reluctantly endorse the use of a mini-processor. I've used it literally five times in the last three days, and given it's a little junky drugstore model that's lasted several years, I'm certainly getting value out of it!

Comments

[laurion]

+1 ! I have a little cusinart that sounds like what you describe. I even use it to make mock pulled pork or pulled chicken sandwiches by putting the cooked meat in there with a dollop of bbq sauce. Definitely good dollar value. And the small size means it's easy to toss the parts in the dishwasher. My mom has a full size unit that generally gets handwashed because it'll take up too much of the rack.

[jducoeur]

(Dawn breaks over marble head as he realizes that omelets would make a fine lunch alternative.)

Excellent suggestion for me, and quite possibly a reason for me to replace my dead mini-prep. Thanks!