I got infatuated with food processors when my mother in law got me a mini processor. Suddenly making pav bhaji and biryani wasnt a crying task. Chopping and slicing was done in seconds literally!
The journey with that one ended when the knob of the processor broke. That’s when I thought I should go ahead and buy my own one. And this time I wanted it with the works.
Thus began my research into food processors. The first step was to identify what a food process does. Do you really require one? Or is it just like a mixie?
Well, what I read and now do, made me believe that the following help to decide if you need a food processor:
Do you cook for large groups?
Do you like to make authentic biryanis and pav bhajis?
Do you think chopping and slicing is a waste of time?
Do you want an appliance that can make your fruit juice, your cake batter, your atta, chop your veggies, meat. make chutneys, make french fries.(it’s a long list)?
If you have said yes to most of the above, go ahead, make that decision to buy your food processor.
Now that you have decided to buy one, let’s help you make a decision. I did the following after I made a decision:
Checked reviews on MS and product sites
Went around showrooms, malls to actually see the products
Talked to relatives/friends about their food processors(well, mine humored me:)
After doing the above, I did an elimination round. These are the following I eliminated and the reasons:
Usha - experiences of friends/family, the parts looked pretty flimsy, reviews on MS
Jaipan - not commonly available in western India, price more than some other brands
Kenwood - one word - way above my budget, but it looked good
Philips HL1659 - expensive and big, would require a lot of space
Padmini - not commonly available and a friend who had it said it had a lot of problems
Kenstar - my experience with Kenstar products has not been too good, especially when it comes to after-sales service
Maharaja - Their Whiteline range is the focus in all sales, but the reviews of the product have not been too good
So, that left me with two brands - Inalsa and Bajaj. Bajaj FX 10 is something you find at all malls too. Personally, to me the product did not seem sturdy. The buttons and the jars did not function too well.
Inalsa had been on my mind for a long time, because, believe me, most people around me have an Inalsa FP. Especially the ones who are satisfied with their products.
After about 2-3 months of doing this, I decided on Inalsa. The trouble, now, was that it is not easily available in Maharashtra. And not all models. I wanted the Maxie Plus. The reason I wanted this was because the chopping, etc steel blades were whole and not add-ons to a plastic frame.
Of course, I did not get this and the websites that were offering these were either out of stock or highly priced. Last month I bought Inalsa Wonder Maxie. I am very happy with the buy. It cost me approx. Rs 4, 600 at Reliance.
I use my food processor everyday - especially the blender. I use blades such as the chopper, the shredder, and the jars regularly too.
I am not too happy with the citrus juicer, but it might be something I am doing wrong. That brings me to the big negative of this product. They do not have someone coming home to do the demo. They have lots of videos on you-tube, but well, nobody tests whether what you have is ok.
One salesman told me Philips provides a product demo and also good after sales. Also, I think the Philips HL. is good, though not for me. For those who have the space and are willing to shell out more, you should consider the Philips Food Processor too.
So, that’s it from me right now. Do let me know your experiences too.
Regards,
Shilpa