The food processor is the single kitchen appliance I couldn’t live without.

I honestly think I am not exaggerating when I say I caused a few thousand people to buy one. My mother loves to joke that I would never have gotten married if the food processor had not been popularized in the nick of time (roughly in 1976, which is when I got engaged). She is only half kidding: I honestly don’t think I would have become a professional cook without the stellar performance and priceless assistance of the food processor. Thank you, dearest cooking class students, for your birthday gift to your cooking teacher—a giant twenty-cup food processor! That was some ten years ago, and my food processor and I are still going strong. No gift was ever more appreciated, or amortized.

Apparently I am not the only one who spreads the gospel: Read this article on the food processor in www.cookthestone.com

The food processor is my beast of burden:

I give my food processor all my grinding, blending, grating, and slicing to do in seconds. Do we need more reason than that to own one? It obediently and speedily does all my bidding: chopping, slicing, shredding. Good food processor brands, like Cuisinart, come with a small opening (for slicing small cucumbers, thin carrots, etc.) and a large opening (for slicing a whole onion, shredding large wedges of cabbage, shredding whole cored apples, whole potatoes, etc.).

Be sure you buy the food processor brand with the largest large opening so you can throw apples, onions, and other large fruit or vegetables whole without having to cut them first. Get a large food processor — the larger the better: Its base always remains small no matter what the capacity, which means even a large processor won’t take more room on your counter. Ignore all the inferior brands, which behave like toys and will ultimately cost you more if you count the number of times you will have to replace them, and finally go for the premium large container food processor brand you should have gotten in the first place. The best investment you ever made in your kitchen and with your time: you will amortize the costs of your food processor in the preparation of half a dozen meals at most!

Am I serving my miso soup on the first Yomtov lunch (only if it is a weekday, not Shabbos)? No problem, I slice all my vegetables the day before, and store them refrigerated, on top of an absorbent towel so no moisture accumulates overnight, then all I need to do is bring my water to a boil, and add all my sliced vegetables and seasonings. Likewise, all dressings, marinades, sauces etc… will be prepared beforehand in the food processor, then be combined with whatever dish I am serving at meal time.

Latkas: Ditto. No more grey latkas. No more bloody knuckles. And no squeezing (yikes! Are you kidding me?) If you shredded your potatoes in the processor, and follow my guidelines for frying, you will get the best Latkas, end of story!

Showcasing the prowess of the food processor and all its possibilities.

Take health salad. No recipe really, any amounts of anything you like. I love health salad because it has no leaves and is therefore not as perishable as a leaf salad, and can be enjoyed several days after you make it, alone or with your main course. Take a look at the picture collage above:

Slicing blade: I slice red cabbage, radishes, cucumbers, celery ribs and red onions.
Shredding (grating) blade: I shred jicama or celery root, and carrots.
Chopping blade: I chop a nice large bunch of dill, fronds and stems
Dressing: Olive oil, cider vinegar, S&P