Do you really need a food processor?

I went without either a food processor or a blender for most of my life. A few years ago I bought a blender, and I won't say it was a life-changing event. But it certainly made some things easier. Lately I have been contemplating stepping up and getting a food processor, and weighing the pros and cons.

Pro: it makes some tasks much easier.
There is a lot of functional overlap with a blender. For example, you can make hummus and pesto just as easily in a blender as a food processor. But the blender can only, well, blend. It can't chop or grate.

Chopping would sure be handy for things like salsa fresca. If you make it by hand, it takes what feels like an eternity to mince all those vegetables. If you throw it in the blender you end up with a smooth paste, not the chunky salsa you're looking for.

And I wouldn't recommend trying to grate cheese in a blender.

Con: Probably not as useful as you think it will be.
Ain't that always the way? You buy a clever new tool, and three years later you look back and realize you have barely used the thing. I am on a limited budget and I have a very small kitchen, so shelf and counter space is extremely limited. A food processor has a pretty significant footprint (in terms of both size and cost) for something that I probably would not use every day.

Con: Annoying to clean.
Compared to using a knife and a cutting board, or a cheese grater and a bowl, a food processor can be a real pain to clean. You have to take the thing apart, wash all the pieces, try not to stab yourself, and so forth. Who needs it?

What do you think? Do you have a food processor or not - and why?

Image courtesy Flickr/Marisa | Food in Jars