Dear foodies,

This is my first post here.

My wife and I recently received a De Buyer Mandoline as part of our W&S
gift registry.
We played a bit with it and it is very difficult to change blades.
So I started thinking of returning it and getting a Matfer or Bron
online.

But then, I looked at amazon and found the Kitchenaid KFPW760 for not
much more than what we paid for the mandoline.

What is your opinion? Mandoline or food processor?

I read that food processor can make dough. Does it include pasta dough,
p=E2te bris=E9e, etc?

Thanks,
Max

> wrote in message
oups.com...
Dear foodies,

This is my first post here.

My wife and I recently received a De Buyer Mandoline as part of our W&S
gift registry.
We played a bit with it and it is very difficult to change blades.
So I started thinking of returning it and getting a Matfer or Bron
online.

But then, I looked at amazon and found the Kitchenaid KFPW760 for not
much more than what we paid for the mandoline.

What is your opinion? Mandoline or food processor?

I read that food processor can make dough. Does it include pasta dough,
pte brisée, etc?

Thanks,
Max

I've had a cheap plastic mandolin that I bought almost 20 years ago, still
using. I like it for some things. It gets pulled out of the cabinet for
use. I have a KitchenAid Food Processor, KitchenAid Mixer and a VitaMix,
and I like them all, but since I have not had an expensive Mandoline and
have some experience with all for chopping (plus a Molinex thingie that has
gone to the back of the storage room), I would recommend buying a cheap
mandolin, using it, then decide if you still want a KitchenAid Food
Processor. I don't think they cost more than $20.
Dee

> wrote in message
oups.com...
Dear foodies,

This is my first post here.

My wife and I recently received a De Buyer Mandoline as part of our W&S
gift registry.
We played a bit with it and it is very difficult to change blades.
So I started thinking of returning it and getting a Matfer or Bron
online.

But then, I looked at amazon and found the Kitchenaid KFPW760 for not
much more than what we paid for the mandoline.

What is your opinion? Mandoline or food processor?

I read that food processor can make dough. Does it include pasta dough,
pte brisée, etc?


I LOVE my food processor. I seldom use the shredding and slicing disks, but
they come in handy when you are doing a large volume of slicing. I use it a
several times a week for making bread dough. It is the ideal size for
making dough for a small batch of rolls, a single loaf of bread, or a couple
pizzas. It is very quick and contains all the mess as opposed to the stand
mixer that tends to shower the kitchen with flour. I use it to make pasta
dough and also for pie pastry (pte brisée) and to cut the fat into the
flour for biscuits. You can dice vegetables and make bread crumbs from
stale bread. I made mayonnaise today. We don't use a lot of mayo, so I
find it better to make a small amount when I need it rather than get a jar
and let it sit for months in the refrigerator. Homemade mayo and salad
dressings are far better and cost less than store bought. It grinds nuts
and can be used to make most cookie dough. You can grind meat, grate hard
cheese, and make pate.

I'm sure that a mandolin is better for getting uniform slices than the food
processor. However, the FP has so many more uses than a mandolin, that if I
had to choose between the two, the FP would be my first choice. Like all
appliance, I think you will use it if you can find a home on your counter
for it. If you pack it away, you will be less likely to use it. It takes a
little getting use to using the FP, but eventually, you come to rely on it.
I find that some authors are giving directions that are specific to the food
processor. Rose Beranbaumn gives methods for the stand mixer, FP, and hand
mixing in her books as does Beth Hensperger.

I have a Braun FP, and love it. Braun makes their units with variable speed
controls. This make it easy to match the speed to the food. For delicate
food that I want to keep in larger pieces, I use a lower speed. Here is a
link:
http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=...k600&scoring=p

wrote:
> Dear foodies,
>
> This is my first post here.
>
> My wife and I recently received a De Buyer Mandoline as part of our W&S
> gift registry.
> We played a bit with it and it is very difficult to change blades.
> So I started thinking of returning it and getting a Matfer or Bron
> online.
>
> But then, I looked at amazon and found the Kitchenaid KFPW760 for not
> much more than what we paid for the mandoline.
>
> What is your opinion? Mandoline or food processor?
>
> I read that food processor can make dough. Does it include pasta dough,
> pte brisée, etc?
>
> Thanks,
> Max
>
Start with a chef's knife that feels good in your hand (or maybe one for
you and one for the Other Half). Take a knife skills class - it's one
cooking class that you will use again and again.

Then, get a food processor to make pesto and tapenade, purees,
meatballs, salmon patties, and doughs. Once you have a good, sharp
knife and you know how to use it, you won't do any slicing or chopping
in the food processor.

Then get a cheap v-slicer for when you want to make a big batch of
cucumber salad.

A fancy mandoline is useful only when you want to make a lot of really
fancy cuts, e.g., waffle fries.

Then get a stand mixer if you want to make larger batches of dough than
the food processor can handle. And, you can get attachments like a
pasta roller and meat grinder.

--

================================================== =============
Regards

Louis Cohen

"Yes, yes, I will desalinate you, you grande morue!"

Émile Zola, Assommoir 1877

On 20 Jan 2005 16:42:38 -0800, wrote:

>Dear foodies,
>
>This is my first post here.
>
>My wife and I recently received a De Buyer Mandoline as part of our W&S
>gift registry.
>We played a bit with it and it is very difficult to change blades.
>So I started thinking of returning it and getting a Matfer or Bron
>online.
>
>But then, I looked at amazon and found the Kitchenaid KFPW760 for not
>much more than what we paid for the mandoline.
>
>What is your opinion? Mandoline or food processor?
>
>I read that food processor can make dough. Does it include pasta dough,
>pte brisée, etc?
>
>Thanks,
>Max
In my kitchen, the food processor and mandoline meet very different
needs. The mandoline quickly produces uniform slices or strips of
fairly firm fruits or vegetables. There are a few things for which I
use a mandoline, but for the most part, I just grab a sharp knife.

While food processor manufacturers claim these appliances will slice
and chop, this is not really their strength. For slicing, a food
processor works OK for foods that can be positioned in the feed tube
in a way that ensures that the slicing blade cuts in the direction you
want. Carrots and celery, for example, slice nicely. Other foods such
as mushrooms are harder to position "just right."

For chopping, the result is predictable. Chop an onion in the bowl of
the food processor and the result is what you'd expect from fast
moving blade hacking away pretty much randomly. A little too long and
you end up with a watery puree.

With very few exceptions, I use a knife for chopping and slicing.

That having been said, I find the food processor very useful for

- grating - hard cheeses, cabbage for slaw, for example
- making pastry - pie crust, pate choux, for example
- puree
- some types of doughs like pizza dough.

I can't think of anything I can do with a food processor that I can't
do by other means -- though perhaps not as quickly or conveniently.

The food processor is far more generally useful than a mandoline;
however, in setting up a new kitchen, neither is very near the top of
the "essentials" list. If you don't have decent cutlery, you may be
better served by buying a few good quality knives and learning how to
use them (if you haven't already done so).

Cheers,

Leonard

"Louis Cohen" > wrote in message
...
>
> A fancy mandoline is useful only when you want to make a lot of really
> fancy cuts, e.g., waffle fries.
>

I'd extend that to say lots of very thin, even cuts. If I'm making a potato
gratin, e.g., when I want the slices all the thickness of a penny, I'd
rather rely on the mandoline than my chef's knife -- faster, easier, and
superior results.

Remsleep