[Week 24] Food Processor: Yea or Nay?

Hello Farm Share Friends,

In Week 6 we discussed the merits of the mandoline, which I find to be essential tool not only for transforming vegetables into thin, appetizing wisps or discs, but also for making them more palatable without any cooking.

I reach for my madonline for small jobs — when I want to toss a single fennel bulb or a few carrots or radishes into a salad.

But when faced with pounds of carrots, potatoes, watermelon radishes, turnips and other root vegetables as we have these past few weeks, a mandoline won’t — excuse the pun — cut it. For these larger jobs, I don’t think there is a better tool than the shredder attachment of a food processor.

In seconds, pounds of hard roots (unpeeled but with ends trimmed) sent down the food chute of a food processor will transform into shreds, perfect for throwing into a slaw or salad or for making a quick sauté or hash.

Last night I shredded many of the carrots and daikon radishes from previous weeks in my food processor, combined them with shredded cabbage, and tossed them with this ginger-peanut dressing. It yielded a huge amount of slaw, which, due to the hardiness of the roots, will hold up well in the fridge for days.

You can use the shredder attachment for raw beets, too, which I love in this salad):

And when I have a lot of cheese to grate, it’s also my tool of choice:

Friends, do you find yourself reaching for the food processor and its various attachments frequently this time of year? From making pie dough to chopping nuts to tackling the farm share roots, I think I’d be lost without it.

PS: My sister, who does not like to cook, always makes two quiches (roughly this recipe) when she is expecting guests for the holidays. It is such a smart thing to have on hand — appropriate to break out really any time of the day whenever anyone is hungry — and I find it irresistible. I made one recently (photo above) and was reminded of its many virtues, including that it tastes even better on day 2, which is great if you are looking to make meals ahead of time.

Below you’ll find some more Thanksgiving recipes featuring the farm share vegetables. Please share your favorites as well.

Finally, for some