The Easy Way To Clean Your Food Processor

Everybody loves using a food processor until it's time to clean up. From making homemade hummus to fresh salsa, meal prep is the easy part of owning one of these machines; it's the cleaning that can be a pain. Food processors are different than blenders due to their multiple blades or disks, and this can make it difficult to wash away all the food particles that can accumulate in crevices and the blades. While most modern models have dishwasher-safe components, over time, the bowl can become cloudy and the blades can get dull from the etching caused by harsh dishwasher cleaning detergents, so it's better to wash each piece by hand.

If you've ever soaped up the individual parts of a food processor, cut your fingers trying to scrub the blades, and wondered if there's an easier way, rejoice. Just like easily cleaning a blender, all you have to do is fill the food processor with soapy water and run the blades for around 30 seconds. Don't fill the food processor all the way — filling it ⅓ of the way with water, and with just a few drops of dish soap, is sufficient. The same centrifugal force that pushes the food around when you're cooking will circulate the soapy water and release any hard-to-reach particles stuck to the blades and corners of the machine's bowl. After that, the rest of the hand washing is pretty easy.

Despite all the hard work that food processors perform, keep in mind that each machine is an investment, so it's important to maintain the parts and clean them thoroughly after each use so that they last. Always choose a non-abrasive soap for cleaning your food processor, and don't use steel wool or other scratchy tools to scrape away stuck bits of food — this will scratch the surface. Abrasive cleansers will corrode the surfaces, just like dishwasher detergent, and create streaks and cloudiness. 

It's also important to dry the pieces of your food processor thoroughly after they're clean, especially the blades. Exposing food processor blades to water and moisture without drying will dull them over time. Blades can also become dull if they're not washed immediately after touching acidic foods like lemon juice and vinegar, so don't let the pieces sit for too long after chopping and pureeing before rinsing them into the sink. Typically made from high-carbon stainless steel, it's not recommended to sharpen food processor blades yourself, as they are difficult to sharpen; it's better to keep them as sharp as possible so that your food processor works well for years to come. If your food processor is looking a little worse for wear and you're on the hunt for a new one, here are the 14 best food processors Chowhound recommends.