Blenders vs. Food Processors: All important differences

Blenders and food processors are two of the most popular kitchen appliances. They both do a great job of cutting down meal prep times and mixing ingredients to perfection. In fact, many believe that there are more similarities than differences between blenders and food processors and that the two are basically interchangeable. The truth is that when it comes to blenders vs. food processors, the main differences lie in the way they are built and what tasks they perform better.  If you’re in the market for a kitchen assistant, read on to find out: Key facts about blenders Key facts about food processors.

Blenders vs. Food Processors: Key Overview

Blenders and food processors are both kitchen appliances that use blades and motors to get the job done. However, they are quite different when it comes to what type of blade they use and what motor power they have. 

What You Should Know About Blenders

Blenders are stationary kitchen appliances consisting of a base that also contains the motor and a jug with blades at the bottom. This far, you could say that it’s not very different from a food processor. When it comes to what they do, blenders mainly crush and puree ingredients. They are ideal for liquid foods, mixing drinks, or making soup. They are also very popular among smoothie lovers for their ability to make rich and velvety drinks out of the most diverse ingredients. Regular blenders work best for smoothies, frozen drinks, cocktails, sorbets, and milkshakes. They also do a very good job with making ice creams, soups, dips, purees, nut milk and butter. 

One of the main differences between blenders and food processors is the type of blade they use. Blenders use a blade assembly to process ingredients and typically come with only one type of blade assembly for both wet and dry ingredients. Food processors, on the other hand, usually come with a set of blades performing different functions.

Another important difference between blenders and food processors is the motor power. Blenders usually have more powerful motors. This allows them to crush and blend everything from pulp, fibre, seeds, peels, and stems and process ingredients until they become a creamy, delicious mix, packed with nutrients.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Froothie (@froothie)

What You Should Know About Food Processors  

Blenders vs food processors: Food processors, like blenders, are stationary kitchen appliances equipped with a motor, a jug or mixing bowl, and blades. The main purpose of food processors is to take over repetitive tasks like chopping vegetables or fruit, shredding cheese, or kneading dough and save you time on meal preps. Most food processors come with an S-blade and additional blades for whisking, kneading dough, or peeling. A notable difference between blenders and food processors is that food processors tend to come with mixing bowls that are larger than blender jugs. This allows them to process larger batches of foods. However, they usually have less powerful motors than blenders.   

Premium food processors like our Thermocook Pro M 2.0 thermo cooker come with a heavy-duty 700 W motor and over 20 functions. You can use it for everything from chopping, frying, slow cooking, steaming, blending, whipping, emulsifying, kneading, sauteing, and mincing. Thermocook has a large 2.5 liter stainless steel mixing bowl and convenient pre-set programs, as well as a large colour LCD display, manual adjustment options for time, temperature, and speed, and a reverse blade function. It also comes with a dedicated app and built-in WIFI capabilities that you can use to create hundreds of delicious recipes.    

Blenders vs Food Processors  - Key Differences

The key differences between blenders and food processors have to do with their main functions, the size of their work bowl or jug, the blades, and the motor power. Blenders are typically used for making smooth (hot or cold) liquid mixtures. Food processors are mostly used for dry mixtures and foods and usually have more cooking functions and blade attachments. However, you should keep in mind that modern blenders like our commercial blender Optimum 9400X, Optimum G2.6 slim smoothie maker or Optimum 9200A blender can also perform many functions a regular food processor would. Even so, if your heart is still set on a food processor, don’t forget to check out the  Thermocook Pro M 2.0. 

 As we already mentioned, another important difference between blenders and food processors has to do with the type and capacity of the work bowl. Blenders come with a 1 to 2 liter jug (made of plastic, polycarbonate, or glass) designed to make it easy to pour out the contents. On the other hand, food processors come with a larger plastic or stainless steel mixing bowl that’s easier to add ingredients to and can process more ingredients at a time. As for blades, blenders typically have 4 to 6 X-shaped blades located on the bottom of the jug.

This type of blade assembly (together with the jug shape) is designed to ensure all of the ingredients reach the blades to be properly processed and mixed. Food processors have an S-shaped blade also located on the bottom of the mixing bowl. They are designed for chopping and stirring. They usually also come with additional blades for kneading, whisking, shredding and slicing. As for motor power, blenders come with over 1500 W of power, while food processors have motors under 1000 W. 

Conclusion of blenders vs food processors

When choosing a blender or a food processor, what matters most is that it fits your specific needs. A blender may be the better choice if you enjoy making smoothies, ice cream, soups, and dips. A food processor may be a better investment for you if you spend most of your kitchen time making cookies or other baked goodies like pies, and if you do a lot of chopping or mincing. Whatever you decide you need, don’t forget to check out our best blenders and home cooking appliances such as thermo cookers.