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 Food processor
A food processor is a small appliance which aims to cut down on the monotonous effort of cutting and slicing vegetables and fruit. Whilst there are many mechanical manual devices which process food preparation tasks, the word 'food processor' now indicates a device with an electrical motor. Whilst a food processor may perform a near identical jobs to juicers and blenders, there is a difference. Those appliances can only perform a single task, where as a processor allows attachments to be added and removed. The attachments are disk blades which have a multiple array of patterns to chop, slice, and grate. Furthermore, other attachments can grind, puree, dough, juice, whisk and pressurise. The bowl incorporated into a food processor is usually wide and shallow in dimensions, and unlike with other similar appliances, a food processor does not need a lubricant or liquid to function in it's processes. The man most responsible for inventing the food processor was Pierre Verdon, who was an employee of a catering firm in France. Whilst visiting restaurant's through the cause of his job, he noticed the effort and time consumed by chopping vegetables. And struck upon the idea of making a device to automate the action. Food processors tend to stick to a fairly conventional design. The basic unit under the bowl contains the motor, controls and electrical internals. There is then an internal shaft connected to the motor, which comes out of the base and into the bowls internal chamber. It's the shaft which is spun around at different rates of speed, reliant upon the motor wattage and control settings. The top of the shaft is designed so that attachments can be placed on and removed off it. The size of the bowl varies from machine to machine, usually it's either the shape of a jug, or a cylindrical bowl. With some food processors it's also possible to buy additional bowls for different tasks. Finally there is a lid for the bowl, which includes a food tube. The tube allows you to insert vegetables etc. while the processor is operating, without the risk of injury. The tube has a pusher inserted into it, which can be removed, so that food is inserted using the pusher. This avoids the risk of someone placing their finger too far into the bowl. As already stated, the man to invent the concept of the food processor was Pierre Verdon, which was refined by Carl G. Sontheimer. Verdon created the MagiMix appliance, whereas Sontheimer created the Cuisinart processor. Both of these companies have continued to hold a large market share.
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