About food-processors, blender and juicer repairs – How to save money

About food-processors

The first step towards looking after your processor is to keep it very clean. After creating your culinary masterpiece soak and then wash all the parts in hot and soapy water.

Some people recommend spraying some non-stick on the center drive shaft to prevent food sticking and I find this actually works

The food-processor one very powerful kitchen aid. They can chop and dice, slice and mix, in fact most things you want to do with those raw materials.

The two basic food-processor types are those that are directly driven by a motor located under the main bowl.

The other type is the belt driven type where the bowl powers the bowl, which is located alongside. The main causes of failure are simply overloading and burning the motor out or stripping the gears. Both are caused by overloading or excessive running.

If the food-processor starts rotating erratically or makes a crunching and grinding noise, this indicates that the drive belt or the gearing is damaged.

Before opening make sure the unit is unplugged. Many manufacturers warn against opening at all and recommend returning it to authorized repairer. You can open and access the base, and if the rubber drive belt is loose you can adjust the tension to get things working again.

If the drive belt is broken get a replacement and install. Over 500 Brands of Kitchen & Small Appliances All On Sale @ NowOnSale.com

About food blenders

The food blender is a much smaller kitchen aid that has a cutting blade powered by an electric motor. It is very versatile and is able to blend, chop, slice and grate food, not to mention pureeing, shakes, smoothies and lots more.

Again the most common failure is overloading the device. Cleaning tends to be a problem, and using warm soapy water will help a lot. Fill it halfway then run it for 15-20 seconds to get it clean. One hint is to pop in a few ice cubes to help sharpen the cutting blades.

One of the most common faults is that the blender jar is not engaging and the micro-switch is sticking.

Check that the drive shaft is turning without undue resistance. If not the gearing or motor may be damaged or seized. If the motor runs and the blade and shaft will not turn the coupling may be loose or broken. If the motor hums and blade will not turn the blender may simply be overloaded.

Extensive use will cause overheating and it may cutout on a thermal protection switch, so leave it for an hour to cool down. If your blender is a multi-speed model and starts working only on one speed the variable speed control unit is faulty.

About juicers

The juicer is also an electric powered kitchen aid. They suffer from excessive run times and overloading. The juicer is powered by an electric motor and gearing that are rotate the shaft and fruit reamer.

The reamer scrapes the fruit pulp to release the juice. The reamer is activated by a small internal switch. Centrifugal force is used to separate the juice from the solids. If you have to disassemble the machine to trouble shoot always unplug it from the wall socket.

The first thing to check is the gearing, as stripping of teeth is common. Apply some silicon lubricate to the gear teeth if okay. The micro-switch if requiring replacement correct positioning is very important to activate properly.

How to look after food-processors and blenders.