So you’ve purchased your new Hamilton Beach food processor and now you’re combing your favourite recipes, Pinterest boards, and Instagram accounts for inspo. While you’ll have no problem finding tasty hummus and pesto recipes online, take one step back and learn a little more about your food processor before putting your culinary skills to the test.

Your food processor comes with different discs and blades that serve different purposes depending on what you’re preparing. Whether you want to slice, shred, chop, or mix, you’ll need to choose the right one. Here’s a helpful guide you can follow before trying out all of those recipes you’ve pinned.

Most food processors come with these standard blades – the chopping/mixing blade and the slicing/shredding disc.

Use the chopping/mixing blade – also known as the S blade – to coarsely chop, grate, mince, mix, or puree food.

Chop nuts, meat, garlic, onions, peppers, celery, herbs, bread (for homemade bread crumbs), and crackers with ease. You can also use this blade to make homemade pasta dough.

Mix together everything from salad dressings to smoothies to homemade dips. 

Use the reversible slicing/shredding disc to shred or to slice a variety of foods. 

Shred cabbage for coleslaw, potatoes for homemade hashbrowns, cabbage for coleslaw, and chilled cheese for Taco Tuesday toppings.

Slice cucumbers, apples, mushrooms, carrots, potatoes, cabbage, tomatoes, pepperoni, peppers, or radishes. It’s the perfect tool when throwing together a summer salad.

The possibilites are endless when it comes to using your food processor! And if you’re still in need of some recipe inspiration, find our favorite food processor recipes here.