On 7/7/06, miKe mcKoffee wrote: <Snip> Are all food processors equal? I was looking at this one:http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00065L68Y/ref=pd_rvi_gw_1/002-7566227-7318441?%5Fencoding F8&v=glance&n(4507Mike, will this food processor blend pastry dough? I would also want to mash up beans for burritos, but I imagine this model will do that. Brian |
That should do fine, use the food chopping blade. Some have a similarly shaped plastic blade, whose only advantage seems ease of cleaning. On 7/9/06, Brian Kamnetz wrote: <Snip> -- "There is nothing new under the sun but there are lots of old things we don't know." -- Ambrose Bierce |
No they aren't--different amounts of oomph, mainly. I have a 14 cup and a 7 cup, both are Cuisinart, but even within that line, there are different amounts of power, depending on the models. If you use it a lot, you might also want to look and see what accessories are available for the one you choose. My preference is for a 600 watt motor in even the smaller sized processor. I have two sizes, because when I am making shtuff for the two of us, the larger bowl is too big--the chopping blade doesn't like working with smallish amounts of food in that sized bowl. The things it is supposed to chop get plastered along the sides of the bowl too easily. If I hadn't already had a 14 cup (which didn't have the accessories I wanted), rather than buy a 7 cup, I would have split the difference and purchased a 10 cup machine. vicki Brian Kamnetz wrote: <Snip> |
I have this one! Love it. Yes, it does a great job with pastry dough. What it does not do great - is using it for a very LONG time kneading bread dough. We have an unbelievable wholesale bakery that specializes in the best Ciabatta bread, this side of the Atlantic. When I asked how they make it - mine never reaches this level of bread nirvana - the primary bakery, [who is Asian - the owner of the bakery is, I believe, Armenian - in other words, this place is /truly/ American - I love it!] told me, "you mix, mix, mix, mix and mix." So I broke my (now first) HP big mouth food processor. Got another one. I love it. Just don't burn out the motor like I did (yeah, I should have known better). Lynne Brian Kamnetz wrote: <Snip> |
Going even further off topic ;)... I used to bake all our family's bread--did it for 30+ years, until fairly recently when I developed a sudden allergy to gluten. Now I make far less bread. I also took some professional bread baking classes, and for a short time, made the bread for a very high end restaurant. For bread like ciabatta, part of the key seems to make a "sponge", called a poolish, and letting a very small amount of yeast develop slowly over a day or so before mixing it in with more flour (and other ingredients) and beginning the kneading, rising, punching down, rising cycle. Pastry and things like scones are very different, and do well using an adequately powered up food processor, but for artisan breads, there really is no substitute for experience and good technique in working with the dough by hand. vicki Lynne wrote: <Snip> |
(Adding some more to our 'even-further-off-topic' topic) I don't have an allergy problem. More like a 'hip and waist' problem. (sigh... and I do so /love /good bread) Thank you for this tip - I think this is also how Iggy's bread is made (Boston area). Will try it next time I make some bread. I agree about hand kneading for bread dough - it is almost Zen like. There are (albeit expensive) mixers that probably handle home bread baking well - but I can't get used to 'sensing' what my bread needs (no pun intended) with a mixer. Lynne Vicki Smith wrote: <Snip> |
On 7/10/06, Vicki Smith wrote: <Snip> Vicki, This sounds like a very important piece of info - There is a difference between pastries and bread! Good to know. Now the question: What is an "adequately powered up" food processor? Hamilton Beach 70590 Big Mouth? KitchenAid KFP740WH 9-Cup Food Processor (with 4-cup mini bowl)? I feel like I'm getting closer and closer to the key to doing more cooking, including baking scones, to enjoy with the wonderful coffee I now make thanks to Tom and Maria, and of course, the people on this list (without the advice when I was first starting and very frustrated, I probably would have tossed in the towel) - what better OT on a coffee list? Thanks, Brian |
The only food processors I have used are the Cusinart and the Robot Coupe which is a very expensive unit that is used in commercial kitchens. I would probably use mine more if I kept it out on the counter, but my wife insists that appliances be stored away when not in use. I am lucky to be able to leave the coffee pots out. While the processors can be used to cut in quick breads like biscuits and scones, I prefer to do that by hand using a pastry blender tool like those already discussed. You want to handle quick breads as little as possible to keep them delicate and it very easy to over-process them in a machine. Yeast breads are just the opposite. You want to develop the stringy tough glutens to form the structure of the bread. The food processors are good for shredding, chopping and light mixing. Everything that I use mine for, I could do by hand, and often do, but it just makes some jobs easier. The heavy duty food processors can knead bread dough, but only small batches and there are better machines for that purpose. Sorry if I am confusing you more than helping. Mike Chester |
<Snip> Brian - Basically, bread dough uses yeast to rise, and requires kneading to stretch that gluten. Some feel (as I do), that it is so much easier to 'sense' both the fine tuning of ration of liquid (usually water, but some recipes call for milk, or even beer... mmm - makes a good bread) to flour, and also to know when the need to knead (bad pun - had to say it) is done. Pastry - I mean stuff like scones, biscuits, muffins, (my beloved biscotti), pie crust, etc. (as well as actual French and Danish pastries), are more of a science in a sense. While you can be creative with these recipes, you still need to use a formula (recipe) to start (experienced bread bakers seem to make magic by simply throwing ingredients together)- and, above all, they usually require as little mixing as possible - while the yeast based breads require lots (and lots... and lots...and..) Am I clear as Turkish coffee? Lynne |