Cuisinart MP-14N Series - Manual (Page 10)

9
To chop hard foods:
To chop hard food like garlic
and hard cheese, assemble
the unit, remove the small
pusher, press the ON button
and drop the food through
the small feed tube while the
machine is running.
Small foods like garlic can
be dropped in whole. Large
foods like hard cheese
should be cut into 1-inch
(2.5cm) pieces. This method
of processing minces garlic,
shallots and onions. Hard
cheese and coconut will
have the same texture as if
they had been hand grated.
IMPORTANT: Never try to
process cheese that is too
hard to cut with a knife.
You may damage the blade
or the machine.
To chop parsley and
other fresh herbs:
The herbs, the work bowl
and the metal chopping
blade must all be thoroughly
cleaned and dried. Remove
stems from herbs. Add
leaves to bowl and process,
using the PULSE button until
chopped as fine as desired.
The more herbs you chop at
a time, the finer chop you
can obtain. If completely dry
when chopped, parsley and
other herbs will keep for at
least 4-5 days, stored in an
airtight bag in the refrigera-
tor. They may be frozen for
months, stored in an airtight
container or bag.
To chop peel from citrus
fruit or to chop sticky
fruit like dates or raisins:
For citrus, remove only
the peel with a vegetable
peeler, not the white pith
which is bitter tasting.
Cut the peel into lengths
of 2 inches (5cm) or less
and process with 1/2 cup
(125 ml) of granulated sugar
until finely chopped. This
may take 2 minutes or
longer.
For sticky fruit like dates,
raisins, prunes and candied
fruit, first freeze the fruit for
about 10 minutes. Add some
of the flour called for in the
recipe to the fruit. Use no
more than 1 cup (250 ml)
of flour for each cup of fruit.
To chop meat, poultry,
fish and seafood:
The food should be very
cold, but not frozen. Cut
it into 1-inch (2.5cm) pieces
to ensure an even chop.
Using the ON button,
process no more than the
recommended amount at
one time (see table inside
front cover). Press the
PULSE button 3 or 4 times
at a rate of 1 second on,
1 second off. If the food
is not chopped fine
enough, let the processor
run continuously for a few
seconds. Check the texture
often to avoid overprocess-
ing. Use a spatula to
scrape food from the sides
of the bowl as necessary.
To purée meat, poultry,
fish and seafood:
Prepare the food as
described above. Press the
PULSE button until evenly
chopped, then process
continuously to the desired
texture. Scrape the bowl
with a spatula as needed.
Leave the chopped mixture
in the work bowl and add
eggs, liquid and season-
ings as called for by the
recipe. Process to combine
thoroughly.
Remember, you control
texture by the length of
time you process. By using
the pulse and varying the
processing time, you can
get a range of textures
suitable for hamburgers,
hash, stuffed peppers, or
smooth mousses.
To chop nuts:
Chop no more than the
recommended amount
at one time. Press and
release the PULSE button
and check frequently to
avoid nuts clumping
together in a nut butter.
When a recipe calls for
flour or sugar, add some
to the nuts before you
chop, about 1/2 cup for
each cup of nuts. This
allows you to chop the nuts
as fine as you want without
turning them into a nut
butter. You can also chop
nuts with a shredding disc.
The optional fine shredding
disc is particularly good.
To make peanut butter
and other nut butters:
Process up to the
recommended amount
of nuts. Using the ON
button, let the machine run
continuously. After 2 or 3
minutes, the ground nuts
will form a ball that will
gradually smooth out.
Scrape the sides of the
bowl and continue process-
ing until drops of oil are
visible. Taste for consisten-
cy. The longer you process,
the softer the butter. For
chunk style, add a handful
of nuts just after the ball of
nut butter begins to smooth
out. To make cashew
butter, add a little bland
vegetable oil. Processor
nut butters contain no
preservatives.