Blender or food processor

[jessica]

I need to replace my current blender (it's leaking from the bottom of the pitcher) and was thinking of the pros and cons of blenders vs. food processors. Any thoughts on whether to stick with the blender or go for the processor?
I mostly use the blender now to puree things like pesto and soups.
I've never actually owned a food processor--would it do the same job as a blender?

Any recs for either machine?
thanks!

[Sherri]

Add me to the list of "they're not the same appliance and don't do the same things well". Try crushing ice in your FP ....... the blender is far superior.

Puree soups, sauces etc in the blender, the FP does not produce as silky a product.

Have you tried replacing the gasket/washer thing on your blender? Might be the simple solution you're looking for.

My blender is an ancient Waring that is a workhorse. The bottom is not removable so there is no leak possibility. Tradeoff is that it's a bit tougher to clean. Over the years, I've acquired another top container so when the kitchen is in full swing, there's no need to stop for a wash.

My FP is another antique -- a Cuisinart from France before Cuisinart was sold. I know that it's more than thirty years old ....... works like a charm. No difficult-to-clean feed tube and I would carry this out of the house if we ever had a fire.

[jackie de]

I use both processor and blender for dif. things. My blender gets used every day for making smoothies for breakfast . The processor doesn't do a good job for that task and I also think the blender works much better for soups. I have a combo unit made by Cuisine art and really like it. I had a G.E. combo for 30 years and used it often. If you use a blender a lot, I think it's really important to make sure that the jar is made of glass and not plastic. I've used the plastic ones on vacation and find that they can stain.

[ricepad]

We have both, and use both. I think the best way to summarize our uses is that anything we can POUR out gets the blender (mostly drinks, but Mrs ricepad insists that graham crackers are easier/neater to get out of the blender when she makes a GC crust), while stuff that gets SCOOPED out goes in the food processor.

[flourgirl]

Yes I have both a blender and a food processor and I wouldn't really want to have to give up either one. And my experience has been that very cheap blenders don't do a great job of crushing ice which is one of the reasons I wanted a blender in the first place. I also found that my cheapie blenders actually didn't do such a great job of blending either, like for smoothies. I finally bought an oster beehive bar blender (only has 2 speeds) and I love it. And it was very reasonable on Amazon....

[MMRuth]

I agree about the blender - I love my Waring one and go nuts trying to use really cheap ones when I cook at my mother's/father's homes.

[serious]

Ditto on the food processor. Buy a good one.

[Cheesy Oysters]

Actually I was just looking up Blender and food processor combos. Both my blender and food processor need replacing so I thought I see if there was a decent combo machine out there. I probably need a 7 cup or so food processor.

As to the poster above, I prefer a food processor for making pesto and other dips/spreads, sauces and use the blender to puree soups and make shakes.

[MMRuth]

I have both, and think that the blender (Waring) does a better job of pureeing (sp?) soup, crushing ice, etc. The FP (I've had a CuisineArt one for longer than I can remember) can do things that a blender can't though, like making dough, slicing vegetables etc. If I could only have one though, I'd get a FP.

[Janet]

Before you replace your blender, did you check the gasket? My blender is 40 years old and leaks every now and then. We just put a new gasket on it. Then it is good as new.

[ricepad]

Yes, great advice. Gaskets get hard and stiff over time (calm down, folks) and lose their ability to seal well. A new one will only cost a buck or two (at most) at a good hardware store (I've seen them at Orchard Hardware Supply, in case you've got those in your area), and at an Ace Hardware, too.

[nemo]

Agree with Gordeaux. The only speeds you need on a blender are on and off. A blender will do a much better job of pureeing than a processor, like for really smooth soups and sauces. But the processor can multi-task. I even make pasta dough in mine.

[gordeaux]

get a nice processor, and a 15.00 blender.

processor will chop / mince for you PLUS do all of ther things the blender will do. Get a cheap blender for doing the tougher jobs, and spare the blades of the processor. Blender is usually easier to clean. I wouldn't limit myself to just ONE option since you can get good mileage out of a dirt cheap blender. Get a 12.00-20.00 blender, and a good processor.

[Jeserf]

get a food processor and a stick blender. Stick blenders are SUPER useful. I love mine. It makes way better smoothies than any regular blender I had.

Plus, they come with attachments like a wisk and all that good stuff.

And a food processor is great for pesto making, chopping, shredding stuff.

[likaluca]

I second the stick blender. Ever useful.

[MMRuth]

I have a stick blender too, and maybe I'm not patient enough with it, but I almost always end up putting the soup into the blender anyway, after using it.

[serious]

I can't think of one function of the blender that the food processor can't perform.

[ESNY]

Agreed. Food processor can do everything a blender does andalso does alot more things that a blender can't do.