Helpful Hints

Food Processing Tips

•To avoid damage to the blade or motor, do not process food that is so hard or firmly frozen that it cannot be pierced with the tip of a sharp knife. If a piece of hard food, such as a carrot, becomes wedged or stuck on the blade, stop the processor and remove the blade. Gently remove food from the blade.

•Do not overfill work bowl. For thin mixtures, fill work bowl up to 1/2 to 2/3 full. For thicker mixtures, fill work bowl up to 3/4 full. For liquids, fill up to the maximum level as described in the “Using Your Food Processor” section of this book. When chopping, the work bowl should be no more than 1/3 to 1/2 full.

•Position slicing discs so the cutting surface is just to the right of the feed tube. This allows the blade a full rotation before contacting the food.

•To capitalize on the speed of the processor, drop ingredients to be chopped through the feed tube while the processor is running.

•Soft and medium-hard cheese may spread out or roll up on the shredding disc. To avoid this, shred only well-chilled cheese.

•Sometimes slender foods, such as carrots or celery, fall over in the feed tube, resulting in an uneven slice. To minimize this, cut food in several pieces and pack the feed tube with the food. For processing small or slender items, the small feed tube in the two piece food pusher will prove especially convenient.

•Different foods require varying degrees of pressure for best shredding and slicing results. In general, use light pressure for soft, delicate foods (strawberries, tomatoes, etc.), moderate pressure for medium foods (zucchini, potatoes, etc.), and firmer pressure for harder foods

(carrots, apples, hard cheeses, partially frozen meats, etc.).

•When preparing a cake or cookie batter or quick bread, use the multipurpose blade to cream fat and sugar first. Add dry ingredients last. Place nuts and fruit on top of flour mixture to prevent over chopping.

Process nuts and fruits, using short pulses, until blended with other ingredients. Do not over process.

•When shredded or sliced food piles up on one side of the bowl, stop the processor and redistribute the food using a spatula.

•When food quantity reaches the bottom of a slicing or shredding disc, remove the food.

•A few larger pieces of food may remain on top of the disc after slicing or shredding. If desired, cut these by hand and add to mixture.

•Organize processing tasks to minimize bowl cleanup. Process dry or firm ingredients before liquid ingredients.

•To clean ingredients from the multipurpose blade easily, just empty the work bowl, replace the lid, and pulse 1 to 2 seconds to spin the blade clean.

•After removing the work bowl cover, place it upside down on the counter. This will help keep the counter clean.

•Your Food Processor is not designed to perform the following functions:

-- Grind coffee beans, grains, or hard spices

-- Grind bones or other inedible parts of food

-- Liquefy raw fruits or vegetables

-- Slice hard-cooked eggs or unchilled meats.

•If any plastic parts should discolor due to the types of food processed, clean them with lemon juice