Hello kitchen fact lover. My today’s issues is how to clean a food processor easily and perfectly.
Dicing, slicing, kneading and chopping ingredients are endless activities run in the kitchen. It can be tedious and, at times, messy. But can you imagine a machine saving you all that? A food processor does it all for you.
Not only does this appliance make life easier for us, but it spices things up in the kitchen. However, cleaning this processor is not as easy as we would think, and one is left to wonder how to get rid of food particles stuck on the blades or the oily residues on them.
What you should understand is that not all parts are water-friendly. Usually, most lids and blades are washable with water. So you don’t need to tense when handling them. You should, however, handle the blades with care to avoid injuries.
Like the electric units, some parts are not water friendly and can only be wiped with a kitchen napkin. There are a dozen ways you can clean your food processor to maintain your family’s health and avoid hygiene-related diseases. Let’s dig into how you can clean your food processor.
Table of Contents
Ways of Cleaning a Food Processor
Food processors are literally like an extra pair of hands in the kitchen that does all your knife work. There are several ways you can clean this appliance in your kitchen. Check out some of these ways: –
Hand Washing With a Small Brush
A small brush will help you clean into the small spaces and inside blades easily. The brush should include a long handle and a sponge with a thin wire and usually sold in water bottle sets.
Let the Processor Clean Itself
Let the processor clean itself? Yes, you read that, right! after you have emptied the contents in the processor bowl, pour some water-detergent solution. You can then cover the processor and run it to wash the nooks and crannies that a sponge can’t reach. By far, this method is the best way to clean all the mess on the insides of your processor.
Dishwashing
Some of your food processor parts are dishwasher friendly. They should be placed in the processor’s top rack to avoid damage by excess heat on other racks in the washer.
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Steps on how to Clean a Food Processor
Let’s look at how to properly clean your food processor to help you make healthy and tasty food in the kitchen. But first, ensure you have these things in handy:
- Basin/ kitchen sink
- Warm water
- Mild dish detergent/ soap
- Small bristled brush
- Dish sponge/ cloth
- Drying napkins
- Dish rack
Step-1: Unplug the Processor from the Power Source
Before starting the cleaning process, you should first turn off the power and unplug the power source’s appliance.
Step-2: Separate the Food Processor Parts
Food processors have different parts that need to be apart for perfect cleaning. Remove the food processor bowl from the motor base and separate the blades with care to not touch the edges, pushers, and lid. Food particles tend to hide in those areas.
Step-3: Wash the Blade
Cleaning your processor blades helps maintain their sharpness. The moisture present in food can dull the blade’s sharpness. It’s advisable always to clean it from the beginning and even after using it.
Cleaning it also reduces the chances of food drying the crevices attached to the blades. It’s much easier if rinsed immediately after use. Go ahead and get a scrubbing pad and some soap and gently scrub it. After that, you can dry it with a kitchen napkin to minimize any chances of rusting.
Step-4: Clean the Removable Parts
Add warm water in a basin, pour some dish detergent into it, and add the removable parts. You can even let them sit for a while in the water. Later on, wash with a soft cloth or brush. Always use a non-abrasive brush to avoid scratching the plastic parts. Check the rubber washer that sits under the blades to check if there is mold growth and clean it with some vinegar.
Also, the removable parts, excluding the blades, can be tossed in the top rack of a dishwasher for cleaning. Manufacturers, however, recommend hand washing to prolong the life of your food processor.
Step-5: Inspect and Clean all Crevices
Take a look into the small crevices on your processor that can be difficult to reach with regular cleaning. With a soft brush, scrub the nooks and crannies with some soapy water in hand. If you have no brush by your side, you can get creative and use an old toothbrush.
Pat attention to the handle crevices, inside the chopping blades and around the locking mechanism, removing any dislodged food particles onto them.
Step-6: Wipe off the Base
The base area should not be submerged into water, let alone pour water on it to avoid damaging the unit. Use a damp cloth to wipe off the motor area. If there are any stubborn stains, use baking soda to get rid of them.
Step-7: Rinse & dry
Rinse off the parts and dry them thoroughly. Air drying on a dish rack or towel drying is ideal. You can then assemble the processor after thoroughly drying and store it accordingly.
Why you Need to Regularly Clean Your Food Processor
A food processor does work that we consider dirty. And it will get so messy after use with dried food settling under blades and on the lid grooves. Tough stains may quickly form if you neglect cleaning them regularly. Apart from that, the processor might start forming musky smells, often indicating bacteria growth.
Now, who wants bacteria on an appliance that does all the chopping and shredding of your food? You certainly don’t want to risk your health and that of your loved ones just because you skipped washing the processor. Maintaining its cleanliness can prolong its life and, of course, ease the cleaning process after use.
Care and Maintenance of a Food Processor
Regular cleaning alone does not help extend the life of your processor. Suppose you incorporate some basics that I will mention in a while. In that case, you will be saving yourself from having to replace your food processor soon. It wouldn’t hurt to understand what should and what shouldn’t be done on the processor. Check these maintenance guides you should use on your appliance.
- 1Always read the manufacturer’s manual to understand what food can be used on the processor and which can’t. Items like bony meat, fruit peels can cause harm to your processor.
- 2Do not use hot water inside the processor as it’s not suitable for the appliance itself and the blades. Warm water is ideal.
- 3Avoid overloading the processor. Always add little amounts of food and use pushers to guide it instead of your hands.
- 4Always cut food in small pieces to avoid adding an excess of the maximum volume.
- 5Wrap a plastic sheet on the processors’ lid to prevent grime formation after a couple of uses. Remove the sheet once it gets dirty.
- 6Please do not attempt to put your hand in the processor when it’s running.
- 7Apply oil on the processors’ blades to maintain or rather increase their sharpness.
- 8Mix equal amounts of baking soda & water and pour into the processor to get rid of foul smells. Let the water sit for up to 15 minutes.
- 9Use a wire brush to clean the inside tubes and nylon brushes to clean blades to reduce accidents.
- 10Use white vinegar to remove the tough grime.
- 11Ensure you dry the processor entirely before storing it to avoid damaging it.
Conclusion
There you go! That’s all there is to know about cleaning our food processor. Using the above tricks, using the food processor will be more enjoyable. There will be no headaches on what cleaning methods to use.
Rita C. Donnell (Jennifer) has spent the last 26 years studying and practicing nutrition science. She has used a larger part of this time in improving people’s livelihoods. She has done so by coming up with unquestionable ideas on how to tackle food problems in her community. Readmore
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