food processor + immersion blender is the combo i decided on!

I don't own a food processor. I get by fine with just a blender, a knife, and a mortar & pestle. Never have owned one.

I don't know - I don't own either.. I own that stupid Magic Bullet, which does NOT replace either, so I'd be interested to see what people have to say so I can decide which to purchase!

I answered blender with a big BUT. A food processor is much more versatile but you can do everything it does by hand. The blender has far fewer functions but they can not be replicated as easily.

i have a full size cuisinart food processor, a mini cuisinart processor, a blender, and an immersion blender. when it boils down to it, i only use my large food processor and the immersion blender. if you are looking for the best deal, i say get a processor. i have made a number of things in mine, including smoothies. an immersion blender is also great to add when you want to blend something fast, but it does not work on things like ice.

Blender!
I've never used a food processor before, I just go old school with a knife and cutting board.
I do however, need a blender for smoothies, milkshakes and Frostys(yes, I have the secret Wendy's Frosty recipe).

Good question, but I think the right move is to go for a food processor.

The reasoning behind this is that I think an immersion blender is a much better tool to have in the kitchen, even for smoothies and other traditionally blended drinks/dishes, than a traditional blender - you have more flexibility, especially for blending sauces while still over the burner. The food processor brings a whole new variety uses beyond the blender. So for those of you considering purchasing either of these things, I would highly recommend a smaller food processor and immersion blender to further outfit your kitchen.

Blender. I've been getting by just fine without a food processor.

I think it depends on what you like to eat. I use the processor a lot. For example, I made pesto in it the other night. My son uses the blender almost every day to make smoothies. I don't drink smoothies or blended drinks much so I don't use it very often. But I do a lot of cooking and the processor is handy for things I like to make. I like to use it to grate carrots and cabbage. I used to use it for making bread before I got a stand mixer. I also have an immersion blender which hangs in a cabinet. Since I got it, I have used the blender even less often. I use it to puree soups. Because it hangs, it doesn't take any shelf space.

I own only a blender. Sometimes I wish I had a food processor, but that's only 3 times a year AT MOST, so the storage wouldn't be worth it.

Neither. Hand blender.

For some reason blenders don't last very long us. Something happens to them around the 6 month mark and food processors are too expensive.

My $10 hand blender is awesome and it's lasted about 2 years now.

Blender. I had a food processor and it just seemed like way too much trouble when I had to do a lot of prep work and even more cleanup anyway. All those parts - ugh. I chop by hand and use the blender for smoothies, margaritas, and cream soups and it's just fine. Oh, and I use my coffee grinder for small things like herbs and nuts. But consider a Kitchen Aid stand mixer if you're looking to buy something all-purpose, then you can replace your ice cream maker, pasta maker, etc too.

I use my food processor a few times a week. I'd love an immersion blender but I very rarely think about a table top blender. I've been thinking about it a bit more but don't have the storage space. I get by without it but couldn't get by so much without my food processor. I guess the blender could do some of the things my food processor does, but I think that it would not do it as well.

Food Processor! I've been making pesto in the blender, and it was torture. Finally went out and bought the $30 Cuisinart 3cup jobby... that thing rocks!

food processor and hand blender! I have a tiny food processor (3 cups) and an immersion blender. The first is great to make salad dressing, pesto, chimichurri sauce etc. The second is fantastic for cream soups since I don't have to pour the hot liquid into a blender.. The caveat is that I don't like frozen drinks or smoothies.

I have this Breville 3-in-1 hand blender. It's an immersion blender and has two sizes of food processor attachments. And it has a whisk, that I use when I make mayonnaise. It solves all my problems!

They both have their place. You can't really make a good smoothie in a food processor, but you can't really make good hummus in a blender.

I only own a food processor. I was excited to get rid of my blender!

@kip: mortar and pestle makes waaaaaaay better pesto than a food processor or blender. After all, it's what Italian grandmas have been doing for thousands of years. And it doesn't take that long, really.

I have Cuisinart combo unit. It has a blender and food processor attachment, but just one bottom motor piece. I find that I use the food processor all the time in the summer for making pesto and hummus, but I hardly ever use the blender. It's still nice to have both.

I think you need both. Each one does a completely different thing depending on what you're using it for. Blender = smoothies, drinks, anything where the main ingredient is a liquid. Food processor = sauces, dips, pulsing/grinding/making crumbs, etc. I have tried making things in my blender (before I went and bought a food processor), and it gets messy, difficult, and I chopped up a lot of spoons in the process trying to push the food down to the blade. I've NEVER had that problem with a food processor, and it makes the prep so much easier and faster. A few seconds of whirling, and you're done! It's seriously been one of my best kitchen investments.

I also say food processor + immersion blender, unless you LOVE smoothies. I use my food processor all the time to quickly slice lots of vegetables or grate things. Apparently you can also make dough in one, although I haven't because i hate baking. I use my immersion blender to puree soups- much better than having to ladle hot soup into the blender. But, really, you can only use a blender to make liquid things. To me it is definitely an optional appliance.

I didn't even own a food processor until I got married last October...but, I also didn't know what I was missing out on! I use my food processor constantly for hummus, veggie burgers, and banana soft-serve. I use my blender constantly for green monster smoothies. Uuuhgghh, do I have to pick? I'd pick the food processor! The amount of space in the bottom for the processor is definitely the best part.

I had both until my third blender in 12 years died. I now use the food processor for everything including smoothies. I keep contemplating buying a replacement blender. However, I do appreciate the counter space that has been freed up, and apart from the somewhat more unwieldy pouring with a FP, I am quite happy without a blender.

I have all three, food processor, blender an an immersion blender. The blender gets the least amount of use in my kitchen. I'd say the other two are about equal but if I had to have only one it would be the immersion blender especially if you can find one of the ones with a small "food processor" attachment.

I really think it depends on what you plan on making with it. I have a blender and an immersion blender. I use the immersion blender far more often than the regular blender. A few times a month I wish I had a food processor. For me, it would be immersion blender + food processor.

I think it all depends on what you want to do, primarily. Do you want smoothies and to puree soups and sauces? I'd go with the blender. If you want something to chop and shred, to puree from hard materials (beans, etc) or to help you make pasta dough or pie dough, then I'd go with the food processor.

I've got both (well, and a stand blender and an immersion blender) and I think I use my blender more frequently. But I make a *lot* of soup and so use my blender to puree the soups.

i have, and only ever had, only a blender and it's sooo frustrating trying to make anything like hummus or pesto in it. i covet a food processor, but just don't have the cupboard space to keep it, so i suffer with lumpy pesto and chunky hummus. =(

My cuisinart is two in one! The food processor is smaller than most, so it doesn't take up much room and I got it for a great price at Costco. I love it, sometimes you just need both!

I also agree--food processor first. We have a food processor, blender, AND immersion blender (hooray for weddings!) and we use the food pro the most, followed by the immersion blender, followed by the regular blender. The food pro can be a pain to clean, but it is a wrist-saver for those of us who have carpal tunnel or other office-y injuries.

I have both and the processor gets 10 times the use as the blender. I particularly like the smaller processors, fit in the dishwasher better and seem just right for my tasks. An extra work bowl is a great addition. Stick blenders are fun and useful. I know that some swear by the monster blenders like VitaMix but I can't comment on them.

I use our blender all the time - for smoothies, iced coffee even making breadcrumbs. Don't own a food processor... so my blender has to work for me!!!

Food processors are a luxury, and blenders can do everything (although not always as well as a food processor).

I never had a food processor until last year, and now I use it all the time. I even use it for some of the things I used to use a blender for.

If price is not an issue, get a food processor: it's significantly more multi-purpose. It is, however, an order of magnitude more expensive than a blender!

Tough question answer. It really depends on what types of food you make on average. I am spoiled because I had a mini food processor which I could use to make dips, and also had a stick blender. Then my friend gave me her old Oster food processor/mixer/chopper/grater/blender machine. So now I can do it all and would find it hard to live without it. Blenders are great for smoothies and soups.

I lovvvve my food processor! Use it for everything, save margaritas (which seems to be the only use for my blender...:<)

Blenders are just too much of a pain in the a** to clean. Food processor.

I'm not convinced this question could be answered without more detail on what exactly the purchaser wants to focus on using it for.

To Alison C, what's wrong with the Magic Bullet? I was thinking of getting one, to make hot soups & such. I have blender which i use occaisionally to make smoothies, but I dont put ice in them. And what is an immersion blender?

We make smoothies all the time, so I couldn't live without a blender. That said, I can only live without the FP because I have a stand mixer with lots of attachments...

I have and love both. If I had to choose, the food processor can do everything the blender can (albeit more cumbersome) and more. Since I don't have to choose at the moment, yay for smoothie and frappe blenders and cook's helper food processors.

I have a blender, which I use to make smoothies, milkshakes, iced coffee, etc., but I really want a food processor so I can make hummus, bread crumbs, salsa, etc.

I have a Magic Bullet, which my husband scoffed at at first, until our food processor broke and refused to turn on when we were just about to make baba ghannoush (sp?) and hummus. I brought out the Magic Bullet and it saved the dinner :) We haven't really bothered to go and get another food processor or a bigger blender...

Hmmm I have a food processor which has a blender incorporated. It's also a centrifuge juicer, a mixer and a citrus press. Not bad for $99.

I also have a hand mixer, a stab mixer (which has a mini chopping/teeny food processor attachment), a kitchenaid, and an addiction to cooking instruments...

My husband thought it'd be great to give me a Magic Bullet for X-mas 2 yrs ago. It's a yes and no.

While it was good (ok..DECENT--you'll see some chunks of fruits left although you're blending it for the longest time) for individual, smaller serving type of smoothies/blended drinks or small serving pesto/hummus. It certainly didn't do anything else it promised (the chopping, etc). Only myself and and our son drank (almost) daily smoothies, so we're keeping it.

Now I want to buy a food processor.

they have combo products - and they're not that $$.

Being a poor college student, I was torn between getting a blender and a food processor and eventually, I had enough soup recipes and even just everyday recipes that called for a food processor that I caved and bought a large cuisinart one. I figured I could just buy a blender later and in the meantime use the processor. I make smoothies in it three days a week and also use it to make just about anything else. I don't think I will ever buy a blender at this point, my food processor is AMAZING.

Depends on what you like to make, but I say food processor. I like to make my own hummus, and for that, you really do need a food processor. It's also fantastic for making dressings or pesto. Also, I hate chopping onions -- problem solved.

I also inherited mine from my mom -- it's from the 80s.

Hmm, a blender for making margaritas, and a food processor for mushing up 1kg of veggies a day for our dog. Seems like I couldn't manage without either :-)

Food processor! Although I find it's not the best for smoothies, margaritas on the rocks are just delicious!

Becca

I couldn't stand my cuisinart blender/FP combo. The work bowl was far too small to be an effective food processor. The blender jar was far too big and misshapen to be an effective blender.

I agree with the people who say that both machines have their strengths.

I've had a food processor for years - in fact we have a full size one, and the Cuisinart one that attaches to the power stick and love them both - but we very recently got a blender, and it's the bomb. Couldn't use it for everything, but it makes short work of crushing ice and making purées. Brilliant as a bar tool as well as a kitchen tool.

The thing that annoys me with my blender is that it is so hard to clean. Stuff gunks up at the bottom under the blades. It also doesn't blend very well unless the ingredients are already mushy. Maybe I just have a crappy blender?

My processor on the other hand is a dream machine, and so easy to clean!

I'd say blender--but a decent one. I like my Oster Beehive Blender. I have a Cuisinart food processor but haven't even gotten it out of the box yet (was a gift). I use my blender almost daily. Mostly for green smoothies but sometimes for soups. I use an auto coffee bean grinder to grind up seeds. The food processor just seems so big and hard to clean...for something that you can pretty much do with a knife and cutting board.

I just got the Cuisinart two-in-one food processor/blender a few weeks ago, and I love it. I've used both the blender and the food processor multiple times. This week alone I've used the blender to make a herb vinaigrette and protein shakes, while I've used the food processor to shred zucchini, cheese, and make a streusel topping for a crisp. My only complaint is that I'd like a bigger food processor--the work bowl on the combo unit is small. At least this combo unit allowed me to see what I'd want in the future, and it's certainly handy to have without taking up a lot of real estate. I also have an immersion blender, and that gets a fair bit of use too, especially in pureeing hot soup.

I saw this article today as one of the top 10 emailed articles on The New York Times and while reading immediately thought of this post! The writer makes great points supporting why he's more of a food processor fan. Definitely a good read!

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/15/dining/15mini.html

I just got the Ninja from Sam's (not the $200 blender one, the $45 food processor one) and it came with 4 containers and blades to fit each one, and let me tell you it is awesome! It actually crushes ice... I was crazy surprised as we have been through so many blenders... even ones touted as "Smoothie Makers" complete with pour spout and NONE of them crushed ice like this little sucker. Until this purchase I had been using a blender and/or meat mallet in place of a processor... I will never look back.