Food processing

[Guest guest]

Consider using a food processor to shorten the time consumed in preparing and eating veggie meals. I use the KitchenAid KFP650 11-Cup Professional Food Processor. Not only does it have lots of approving reviews at Amazon.com, but a similar machine, the KFP670, received an excellent rating from Consumer Reports Magazine in their Dec. ‘00 issue. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/stores/detail/-/kitchen/B00004SGE1/qid=1023527892/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/102-2156181-9388109 Although many people think of using a food processor to whip or pure'e food, the cutting and shredding disks are ideal for preparing veggies. This unit comes with a 4 mm shredding disk, a 4 mm slicing disc, and a 2 mm slicing/shredding disc. A multipurpose chopping disk is useful for making homemade tomato sauce or veggie dip, or for chopping nuts. (The Mini Bowl that comes with the unit is perfect for these small jobs). The disk sits atop a stalk in an 11-cup bowl. The sliced or shredded food drops into the bowl. All of the veggies are reduced (depending on the disk used) to wafer-thin slices, small particles, or in the case of leafy greens, to delicate confetti-like strands. This size bowl holds about 35 carb grams of processed low energy-density veggies. For firm veggies, such as red cabbage and carrots, I use one of the shredding disks. I want them thoroughly "chewed" by the machine before I put them to the teeth. (Thawed, frozen veggies are much more chewable and no less nutritious than their fresh counterparts). I prefer to slice the softer high water content ingredients, like cucumber and daikon radish. A variety of colors and textures makes the meal more visually appealing. You can use your fingers to guide the veggies along the side of the feeder-tube to assure an even cut. But at some point your fingers run out or you become concerned with the possibility of giving too much of yourself to this creation. If you are using the cutting blade, the veggies fall over and are cut length-wise. Leafy greens, wrapped around them, can be used as a handle to keep them in the upright position. As you process, the food tends to build up on one side of the bowl. Use the spatula to even out the food distribution. At this juncture, I often temporarily put the 2 mm shredding disk in the machine before returning to the processing. This disk is ideal to process hot peppers, horseradish root, or ginger rhizome—items you want to reduce to very small particles to assure an even distribution throughout mixture. The food processor makes meal preparation a snap. Likewise, meal consumption time is much less than it would be for one consisting of chopping block-cut veggies. These are both desirable attributes for those of us who consume vast quantities of veggies. The finished product has an excellent flavor and texture distribution. Hard-to-eat foods—broccoli florets, fennel bulbs, etc.—are history. Processed veggies, with their greater surface area, cook faster and more evenly than those that have been knife-cut. Sliced cooked collard greens don’t have the rubbery mouth-feel commonly associated with cooked collards. The food processor is a useful appliance in the CR toolkit. It facilitates both food preparation and consumption. It should be used by anyone concerned about "greater chewing time" and "greater wear on teeth" when eating raw veggies.