Most choppers spend their life dicing onions. That is a waste of a 6-blade motor. Here are ten things we make every week in the RD-2010T and the smaller RD-2011DT, with the setting that works.

1. Hummus (speed 2, 90 seconds)

A drained 400 g tin of chickpeas, 3 tbsp tahini, a clove of garlic, juice of a lemon, ½ tsp salt and 3 tbsp ice-cold water. Run on speed 2 for a minute, scrape, add a little more water and run again until silky. Ice-cold water is what makes it fluffy.

2. Pesto (pulse, then speed 1)

Pulse 50 g basil, 30 g pine nuts, a garlic clove and 40 g parmesan until coarse, then drizzle in 80 ml olive oil on speed 1. Stop while it still has texture.

3. Kofta mix (pulse)

Pulse an onion and a handful of parsley first, tip out, then pulse 500 g minced lamb with the onion, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp coriander, salt and pepper — six or seven pulses, no more, or the meat goes pasty. Shape and cook in the air fryer at 190 °C for 12 minutes.

4. Breadcrumbs (speed 2, 20 seconds)

Stale bread, torn up. Twenty seconds gives you fine crumbs; ten gives you panko-style. Freeze in a bag.

5. Nut butter (speed 2, 3–4 minutes, RD-2010T)

300 g roasted peanuts or almonds. It goes through three stages — powder, clumps, then suddenly butter. Stop every minute to scrape and let the motor rest. Add a pinch of salt at the end.

6. Energy balls (pulse)

200 g pitted dates, 100 g oats, 50 g nuts, 2 tbsp cocoa. Pulse until it holds together when squeezed; roll into balls and chill.

7. Baby food (speed 2, small bowl)

Steamed carrot, sweet potato or apple with a splash of the cooking water. The RD-2011DT's 0.5 L bowl is exactly the right size for one portion, and glass means no stains or smells carry over.

8. Salsa and tabbouleh (pulse only)

Tomatoes, onion, coriander, chilli, lime — three pulses. The point of a salsa is texture; if you run it continuously you get gazpacho. For tabbouleh pulse the parsley and mint first, then fold into the bulgur by hand.

9. Shawarma marinade (speed 2, 30 seconds)

Yoghurt, garlic, lemon, olive oil, 1 tbsp shawarma spice, ½ tsp turmeric. Blitz until smooth, pour over chicken thighs and leave overnight.

10. Crushed ice (pulse, RD-2010T / RD-2011GT)

Fill no more than a third of the bowl with cubes and pulse in 2-second bursts. Perfect for lemonade and for chilling a juice from the RD-3011ST.

Two habits that keep the motor happy

• Cut hard ingredients (carrots, cheese, frozen fruit) into 2–3 cm pieces before they go in.
• Never run continuously for more than a minute on heavy loads — rest for 30 seconds between runs.

Not sure which model you have or which to buy? Read titanium vs steel blades for a side-by-side of all four.

Frequently asked questions