For those of you out there who like fresh produce, there is one kitchen gadget that you should not be without. That gadget is the food processor. If you grow your own vegetables, and end up having a bumper crop, the last thing you want to do is waste any of that produce. So, what are your options? Bring them to work and supply your coworkers with an abundance of fruits and vegetables. Drop by your neighbors’ houses and give them your excess produce before they start to rot. There is something very giving about these options but don’t you really want to consume the produce that you spent the past summer cultivating and nurturing?
My suggestion is that you buy yourself a food processor and puree and freeze those vegetables that are about to go bad. My wife and I planted 26 tomato plants back in May. Fortunately it has been a tremendous year for tomatoes and we have been eating them every day for the past month or so. But, within the past few weeks our tomatoes have been ripening so fast and furious that we haven’t been able to consume them fast enough. That is where the food processor comes in. On a recent Sunday morning I spent about an hour pureeing roughly 50 tomatoes which ended up filling 5 one-gallon freezer bags. If I had to cut them up manually I would’ve been at it for about 10 hours. The time savings utilizing a food processor to puree fresh vegetables is remarkable. Apart from the time savings just think of the money you are saving by not having to buy tomato sauce or canned tomatoes. And you don’t have to worry about the quality of what you are eating since it came straight from your own garden. The best part is that during those dark, cold winter months we will be able to enjoy fresh tomato sauce for our pasta, pizza, or any other dish that calls for tomatoes. You can even make your own ketchup if you’re so motivated.
I haven’t even mentioned the other uses for a food processor such as using it for making dips, appetizers, or even soups. Hummus and salsa are great appetizers that you can whip up quickly with a food processor. If you want to increase your productivity in the kitchen and eat well at the same time, consider purchasing the best food processor you can afford. It’s well worth the investment.
The commercial blender I bought handles liquid-y things like tomatoes better than my old food processor does. The whole thing is stainless steel so I worry less about throwing strange things in. 🙂 But the food processor is still an excellent tool for slicing and dicing and I’m glad I have one.
I don’t have a lot of freezer space and canning tomatoes isn’t that hard since they are acidic. Just boil the puree and pop into jars hot, screw on the lid and flip upside-down to cool. The jar funnel is the one tool that really really makes it less messy. These might not last more than a year like they would if I went through the process of boiling jars and lids but so far so good. Each has had that satisfying “ping” when opened.
Hi Hilary,
Thanks for your comment. That is interesting that your commercial blender works better than your food processor. We actually don’t have a great blender and I know that the one we have wouldn’t do a good job. I hear you on the freezer space. We are maxed out currently with our freezer space. We have never canned tomatoes but it is a thought. Maybe next year we’ll try that venture. Thanks for the suggestion.
Best,
Bob Bessette
I really don’t understand why this kind of article belongs on this kind of blog…