Why choose a blender rather than a food processor?
As a general rule, a blender is better for liquids and is used to create things like sauces & smoothies, whilst a food processor is more often used for labour intensive tasks, such as chopping or slicing vegetables or even with the right attachment for mixing dough; although some blenders with high powered motors are strong enough to handle tasks meant for a food processor. So there is an over lap between the two machines with high powered blenders able to do both.
Blenders basically fall into two categories: “Regular” blenders which are meant for occasional use and “Powerful High-performance” blenders that are more versatile, durable, and more expensive. The type you buy depends on what (and how frequently) you plan to blend ingedients.
How each of them works:-
Counter Top Blenders
A blender has blades which are not exactly blunt or really sharp as in the case of food processor blades. Hence, it works because of it has a tall narrow jar which is tapered or angled at the base such that it creates a vortex allowing the ingredients to pass through the blades much more frequently than with a food processor (which does a better job of chopping)
Known as upright or counter top blenders these blenders are better for multitasking and generally creating smooth pastes, sauces and purees. You should therefore stick with a countertop blender if you mainly make smoothies, blended cocktails, soups, and emulsified sauces such as mayonnaise etc. The more powerful the blenders motor the more efficient and the better its ability to liquefy harder ingredients eg nut butters and ice.
Food Processors
The blades of a food processor tend to be razor-sharp and with a wide base but their motors are not as powerful as a blender’s. A food processor is a multi-use tool,It does many things efficiently but mostly its great for slicing and chopping through hard food stuffs like vegetables and nuts or seeds.
If you need a machine that is more specialized for preparing vegetables a food processor will rough chop ingredients for salsa or coleslaw, blend hummus, grind breadcrumbs and make pesto in just a few minutes.
In the average family kitchen its best to have both but we reckon you’ll use a counter top blender more than a food processor, particularly if you go for a high-performance & powerful motored blender like the Kitchen Genie 1500 watt blender. Its fast, efficient and very versatile.