Stand Mixer Vs Food Processor: What's The Difference?

Stand mixers and food processors are two of the most useful kitchen appliances you can own. Not only are they both powerful, time-saving tools, but they're also hands-free and extremely versatile. But while they can accomplish some of the same tasks, like kneading dough, they were created to serve different purposes, and it's important to know the differences between them — as well as their limitations.

The bowl of a food processor usually looks like a jug, with a flat bottom, a handle, and a hole in the center for a blade attachment. It sits on top of a power base, and the blade chops up and slices the food inside the bowl. Meanwhile, a stand mixer looks more like a traditional mixing bowl, and a beater is lowered into it to mix ingredients at various speeds.

Stand mixers are used for whipping, beating, mixing, and kneading, while food processors are designed for cutting, chopping, shredding, and puréeing. Both appliances come with a variety of attachments, so they can have many more uses beyond that, but when taken out of the box, you might not be able to use them interchangeably. It all depends on what you're making. For example, if you're making a classic lemon meringue pie, reach for the stand mixer to beat the eggs to perfection, but if you're making a batch of crave-worthy guacamole, a food processor will have your avocado, onion, and herbs blended in seconds. 

You might think that stand mixers are for baking and food processors are for cooking, but it's not that cut and dry. Food processors can be used to chop nuts and vegetables, shred carrots for a delicious carrot cake, or make spreads like simple creamy hummus and homemade peanut butter. They can mix simple batters too, and they're great for shortcrust pastry. However, any chunky additions in a batter, like chocolate chips or nuts, will get cut up by the blade, and they're not powerful enough for tougher doughs for making breads and pizza. The capacity of a food processor bowl is also usually smaller than that of a stand mixer.

Stand mixers are ideal for when you need to whip, beat, or incorporate air into ingredients, like egg whites, or knead a stiff dough. You can whip fresh cream in minutes or get stiff peaks on egg whites in less than four minutes without straining your arm. Stand mixers can also operate at several different speeds, which makes them the preferred tool for bakers, and they're better at mashing as well. You can buy attachments for stand mixers to make them perform like food processors, and there are also accessories for ice cream making, pasta making, and spiralizing. Similarly, you can get whisks and other attachments for food processors, which can save you a lot of time when cooking.

Is it worth investing in a stand mixer as well as a food processor? Depending on your cooking needs, both are solid additions to any kitchen setup. Neither can fully replace the other, and together, they can make just about any culinary task easier — and a whole lot more enjoyable.