Top tips for maintaining food processors and blenders

These whirring wonders of blenders and food processors take a lot of the elbow grease out of kitchen work. Here's how to keep them working smoothly.

• To avoid straining the motor on your food processor, add food to it in small quantities. Cut the food into manageable chunks and always use the pusher to guide food into the feed tube.
• Let gravity do most of the work.
• Don't fill the bowl with more than the amount recommended in your owner's manual — usually about half-full.

It purees, minces, mixes, kneads and blends. The multi-talented food processor requires an equally multifaceted approach when it comes to cleaning it. That is, it should be cleaned part by part. Cleaning it properly after each meal preparation will extend its life.

• Remove the bowl and lid from the processor and knock off the bulk of the food stuck on them using the sprayer on your sink — with the water pressure as high as possible. For really tough cleaning jobs, consider using the outdoor garden hose; it'll have the same effect as a high-powered restaurant sprayer.

• Once you've gotten the tough stuff off, you can put the bowl and lid in the dishwasher — many people do — but they'll last longer if you hand-wash them in hot soapy water. This protects them from harsher dishwasher detergent, which can make the plastic brittle and prone to breakage.

• Wash the blades in hot, soapy water and then dry with a cloth. Never wash the blades in the dishwasher, where they could bend or be dulled — or be burned if they touch a heating element. And be careful handling the blades — they are extremely sharp.

• To clean the base unit of your food processor, which contains the motor, unplug it and wipe it with a damp cloth. Never immerse the base unit in water or use a really wet sponge on it, and don't clean it with coarse or caustic products.

• On some models, the plastic bowl has a safety spring located at the point where the bowl attaches to the base unit.
• It's difficult to get this spring dry after washing the bowl, so after you've dried the bowl with a cloth, let it air-dry before reassembling the processor. Otherwise the spring may rust.

• Sediments can collect and harden at the bottom of the blender, preventing the blade from spinning easily. This puts a strain on the motor that shortens the blender's life.
• So carefully clean the blade assembly with warm, soapy water after each use to prevent sediment buildup.

Don't use your food processor or food chopper to process especially hard foods, such as ice, coffee beans and raw grains, which can damage the blades — or really sticky ones, such as dried fruits, that may clog it up and strain the motor.

• To clean your blender, fill it about half-full with hot water and add a few drops of dishwashing liquid. Put the lid on and hit the blend button.
• After about 10 seconds, empty the blender, give it a quick rinse, then fill it halfway with clean water. Run it for another 10 seconds, empty it out, then run it empty for 10 seconds to dry the blades.