2 PROCESSING KITCHEN EQUIPMENT MIXERS: Vertical mixers are important and versatile tools for many kinds of food mixing and processing jobs, both in the bakeshop and in the kitchen. FOOD CUTTER: The food cutter or food chopper, familiarly known as the “buffalo chopper, ” is a common piece of kitchen equipment used for general chopping of foods. A variety of attachments make it a versatile tool. SLICER: The slicer is a valuable machine because it slices foods more evenly and uniformly than can be done by hand. Thus it is valuable for portion control and for reducing cutting loss. VERTICAL CUTTER/MIXER AND FOOD PROCESSOR: The vertical cutter/mixer (VCM) is like a large, powerful, high-speed blender. It is used to chop and mix large quantities of foods very rapidly. It can also be used for puréeing (soups, for example) and for mixing liquids.