What Are The Parts Of A Food Processor? [5 Main Sections]

Food processors are a useful kitchen appliance that can complete a range of tasks from chopping vegetables to kneading dough. But, they can seem like a complicated appliance with too many parts and attachments. If you have ever wondered what the parts of a food processor are, then you are in the right place! We have done the research, and in this article we will talk about all the different parts of a food processor and how they function.

There are numerous food processors available on the market. They can range in size, shape, quality, and price. Despite the numerous options available, all food processors are comprised of five basic parts:

• A motor
• Controls
• The bowl
• A lid with a feed tube and pusher
• Attachments and blades

The parts of a food processor seem simple enough upon first glance, but how do each of these parts function? Can you replace parts of a food processor? And how do you know what attachments or blades to use for what? Keep reading to learn the answers to these questions and much more!

What Are The Parts Of A Food Processor?

Food processors can complete a range of functions that can make cooking much less time consuming and labor-intensive. For this reason, a food processor is an essential tool for anyone who cooks. All food processors are comprised of five basic parts that we have listed and explained below.

The Motor

The motor is located in the base of the food processor. This is what powers the blades of the food processor. These motors can be quite heavy, but this is actually an important feature! Not only does the motor power the food processor, but it also provides weight to the base that keeps the food processor from moving around too much while it runs.

Controls

Also located on the base of the food processor, are the controls. These controls can vary from food processor to food processor, but the basic controls remain the same. Most food processors will have a power button, a button (or several) to run the food processor, and a pulse button.

The power button is pretty self-explanatory and is simply in charge of turning the appliance on and off. There is also a button (or several) that will start the motor and process the food. Some food processors have speed settings so you can control the speed at which the blades turn. Some food processors have several buttons listing different speeds, and others have a speed dial you can turn to manually control the speed.

The pulse button will run the food processor on the highest speed but will stop once you take your finger off the button. This button is useful if you want more control over how finely your ingredients are being chopped. For example, if you want to roughly chop vegetables without pureeing them, you can use the pulse button until you reach the desired chop.

The Bowl

The bowl is where the food is put and processed. This is also where the blades and attachments get put into. The bowl of a food processor is usually transparent so you can see inside. The bowl sits on the base of the food processor and locks into the shaft that is connected to the motor. This ensures that the bowl stays in place while the food processor is on.

Depending on the size of your machine, the bowl will also vary in size. The largest size can hold up to 20 cups while the smallest size can usually fit around 3 cups.

A Lid With A Feed Tube And Pusher

The lid sits on top of the bowl and keeps the ingredients from spilling while the food processor is running. The lid also contains a feed tube (sometimes called a food chute). The food tube can be used to feed ingredients into the food processor. This is necessary when using a blade that attaches to the top of the bowl, rather than sitting inside it. The feed tube comes with a pusher (sometimes called a plunger). The pusher helps work the food through the food tube.

Attachments And Blades

This is where you will see the most variety of food processor parts. There are many different food processor attachments and blades which completely different functions.

Food processors usually come with at least three blades: an s-blade, a shredding disk, and a slicing disk. You can always purchase more attachments as you wish. Just make sure the attachments that you purchase are compatible with your specific make of food processor.

What Are The Different Blades For A Food Processor?

We've talked about three of the most basic blades for a food processor. However, there are many more blades and attachments available for your food processor. Some of the most useful blades and attachments include the s-blade, shredding disk, slicing disk, grater disk, julienne disk, juicer, and dough blade.

How Do You Know What Blade To Use?

Now you know about some of the most useful and common blades and attachments for food processors, but how do you know what blade to use? Below we have listed each of the blades mentioned as well as their function.

S-blade

The s-blade, chopping blade, or sabatier blade is the most basic blade on a food processor. It is usually made of a plastic stem that attaches to the shaft inside the bowl. The blades are usually metal and sit at the bottom of the bowl. To use this blade, just place your ingredients inside the bowl, shut the lid, and press on/pulse. The S-blade can complete a variety of functions. It can chop, blend, mince, puree, and mix.

Check out this Cuisinart S-blade on Amazon.

Shredding Disk

This blade is shaped like a disk and sits at the top of the bowl rather than inside it like the S-blade. In order to use this blade, attach it to the shaft of the food processor and work the food through the food tube using the pusher. This blade provides a quick and easy way to shred or grate ingredients like cheese and cabbage.

Check out this Waring shredding disk on Amazon.

Slicing Disk

You can use this blade exactly like the shredding disk. It also sits at the top of the bowl and requires you to work food through the food tube. This blade can help you achieve even and thin slices of ingredients from potato to zucchini. These slices are perfect for recipes like gratin, or even making potato chips!

Check out this Cuisinart slicing disk on Amazon.

Grater Disk

This is exactly like the two other disks mentioned but this one provides a very fine grate. This means you can easily grate things like cheese in a matter of seconds rather than having to manually grate it.

Check out this Cuisinart fine grater disk on Amazon.

Julienne Disk

This disk cuts ingredients into a long, thin, matchstick-like shape. This small and uniform cut is perfect for even cooking of ingredients.

Check out this Cuisinart julienne disk on Amazon.

Juicer

There are citrus juicer attachments as well as non-citrus juicer attachments. The citrus juicer attachment sits at the top of your food processor and turns in order to juice your fruit. The non-citrus juicer purees your ingredients and collects the pulp to leave behind the juice.

Check out this food processor that comes with a juicer attachment on Amazon.

Dough Blade

This blade looks like the S-blade. However, the dough blade is less curved and usually made out of plastic rather than metal. This is perfect for making and kneading dough.

Check out this KitchenAid dough blade on Amazon.

Can You Replace The Parts Of A Food Processor?

A food processor can be a big investment. Because of this, you might worry about what could happen if you break or misplace a part of the food processor. Thankfully, you should easily be able to replace any part of a food processor that you need.

There are many ways to make sure you are buying the correct spare part. You can check out ereplacementparts.com and search your model number to find any number of spare parts. Amazon also has an awesome feature when you view a product. At the top of the product page, you can search your model number to ensure that the part you are viewing fits your appliance. For example, check out this large pusher part for a Cuisinart food processor.

Click here to view this item on Amazon.

Happy Cooking!

Whatever your cooking needs are, we hope this information on food processors provided you with all the information you need.

For more information on the various food processor prices on the market, check out How Much Does A Food Processor Cost?

Or, if you're interested in knowing about the most popular food processor brands on the market, you might enjoy Food Processor Brands- What Are The Popular Ones?