A food processor, or even one of those small bowls that fit on a stick blender, is a real treasure. No, that's not an overstatement.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
I have a greater appreciation for kitchen appliances, having played one.
I appreciate the constant evolution in refining food, but not in making food gimmicky.
Food is an excellent way to do very elegant worldbuilding - the kind that can make a fictional world seem real, like it extends way past the edges of the frame.
Even just a few spices or ethnic condiments that you can keep in your pantry can turn your mundane dishes into a culinary masterpiece.
It does seem to produce more creative results when there are limitations. It's like in wartime with rations - people became more inventive with cooking.
The kitchen's a laboratory, and everything that happens there has to do with science. It's biology, chemistry, physics. Yes, there's history. Yes, there's artistry. Yes, to all of that. But what happened there, what actually happens to the food is all science.
Good kitchen equipment is expensive, but most items last a lifetime and will pay for themselves over and over again.
The role of a chef isn't to reinvent dishes but to tweak.
Everyone makes pesto in a food processor. But the texture is better with a mortar and pestle, and it's just as fast.
Although a food processor is not an absolutely essential piece of equipment, because you can certainly chop, grate, slice, knead and mix everything by hand, it does do all these things very quickly and efficiently and saves you time and energy.