What is the Difference Between a Food Mixer and a Food Processor?

Article contributed by Ajay Desai

With the advancement in technology, there are countless numbers of kitchen appliances available in the market. Whether you want to prepare some healthy drinks, smoothies, juices, or you wish to quickly chop vegetables, make dough, there are food processors and mixer grinders to make your kitchen tasks simpler.
However, when it comes to buying a handy kitchen appliance, it is easy to get confused about which one is the best – a food processor or a food mixer grinder? Both food processors and mixer grinders have blades, operate on electricity, and come with an arsenal of accessories for versatility. Many times, both terms are used interchangeably.
However, there are a lot of differences between the two that make them different from each other. So, if you are planning to buy a handy kitchen appliance, you need to understand the difference between the two. Keep reading this article to clear your confusion.

What is a Food Processor?
A food processor is a multipurpose kitchen tool that comes with changeable blades and disks. It is great for chopping vegetables, slicing, shredding, mincing, and grating, but it is not designed to handle liquids.
A food processor is not ideal for preparing juices, shakes, or smoothies. If you want your food processor to juice fruits and vegetables, you may end up creating a mess. However, you can also use it for kneading the dough, blending hummus, and emulsifying dressings.
A food processor can do all the labor-intensive tasks that would take a long time to do with hands. So, if you are looking forward to buying a food processor , you can find many options. Here is the list of the best food processors by kitchen experts.

What is a Food Mixer Grinder?
As the name suggests, a food mixer grinder is used to mix the ingredients and make smooth pastes. So, if you want to blend different fruits for smoothies, make batters and chutneys, grind spices to a fine powder, you would need a mixer grinder.
It comes with multiple jars that you can use for grinding, mixing, and extract juices. Unlike a food processor unit, a mixer grinder can easily handle dry and liquid ingredients with ease. However, it doesn’t come with interchangeable blades or accessories. So, you cannot use it for kneading the dough, slicing and chopping the vegetables.
Also, remember that not all people are fond of cooking. They are not going to chop a pile of vegetables or make new dishes regularly. Hence, if you are a beginner or intermediate-level cook, you may need to buy a blender or a mixer grinder, even if you have a food processor.

Food Processor V/S Food Mixer:
Now that you know what a food processor and a food mixer are, You should also know what makes both these gadgets different from each other. So, let’s take a look at the differences between a food processor and a food mixer.

• Mixer grinders can handle wet as well as dry ingredients, but a food processor is not ideal for liquids.
• A food processor consumes more power than a mixer grinder, which will eventually increase your electricity bill.
• Mixer grinders come with multiple jars, but these jars can’t perform all the tasks except juicing and grinding. On the other hand, food processors come with an arsenal of accessories and blades that can be attached for different purposes.
• No doubt, several accessories allow you to do several tasks with ease, but it needs more space. So, if your kitchen does not have enough space to store all the accessories, you should opt for a mixer grinder.
• The price of food processors is higher than a food mixer. So, before you go ahead, decide your budget.
• A food processor comes with bigger bowls than a mixer grinder.
• A food mixer grinder is easy to use and clean than a food processor.

Which One is the Best – Food Processor or Food Mixer?
While both the kitchen appliances are designed to cater to different purposes, it is best to equip your kitchen with a food processor and a food mixer. However, if you don’t have enough budget, but you want to upgrade your kitchen, decide based on your requirements.
For instance, if you want an efficient device that can replace several manual food prep tasks, including chopping, blending, slicing, and grinding, go with a food processor. However, if you are not fond of making new dishes and looking for a device for your smoothies, soups, juice, etc., opt for a mixer grinder.
Some mixer grinders can do certain tasks that a food processor can do. So, check out the chart below to know what tasks can a food processor and a food mixer handle and then decide which one meets your needs the best.

Conclusion
While both the devices (a food processor and a food mixer grinder) look the same at first glance, each one has its own advantages and disadvantages. So, when you step out to shop for a food mixer or a food processor, decide as per your requirements.
Also, make sure you choose the device from a reputed brand and check out the customer reviews before finalizing your decision. We hope that this guide has cleared all your doubts and help you to decide whether to shop for a food processor and a food mixer grinder.