Food Processor Buying Guide

We created a food processor buying guide to help at-home chefs understand what to look for when buying a food processor, what their uses and functions are, and what to look for in a good food processor.

food processor buying guide

Food processors are the unsung heroes of the kitchen. They perform labor-intensive tasks, like mixing dough, shredding cheese and pulverizing garlic, so you can focus on the joys of cooking. A food processor also carries out time-consuming food prep chores such as:

This food processor is a kitchen workhorse that does it all: mix, chop, slice, shred, knead, emulsify, puree, and mix dough. Ideal for prepping for the whole family or for entertaining, it features an extra large feed tube, a large pusher and sleeve assembly, a small feed tube and pusher, stainless standard 4mm slicing disc, medium shredding disc and stainless chopping/mixing blade.

1). Size matters. If money is not an issue, if you are willing to spend as much of your funds as it takes to get a first-rate food processor, buy a processor that holds 11 to 14 cups. If money is an issue, you may want to choose a less expensive model that holds about 7 cups.

3). Some food processers are loud. Some food processors are almost quiet. Processing food is more pleasant when you are not subjected to a grating noise whilst doing it. It just is. If possible, listen to a food processor before deciding to have it wrapped up for purchase.

4). The motor that powers your food processor matters. Why? You want a food processor that cuts and chops hard nuts, stubborn parsnips and all manner of challenging foods with ease. Look for a food processor that has a solid state motor; you will pay more for such a motor but will be spared the frustration that comes with a processor that cannot do its job.

5). Check out the blades that come with your food processor. Blades with small serrations stay sharper longer than straight blades. If you are a whiz at sharpening blades of all shapes, this will not be an issue.

7). Pay attention to the shape of the food processors you are considering, a wide, heavy base means a steady machine, one that will not jump around as you are processing that daunting amount of cashews.

8). As you will want your food processor to be easy to clean, you will want controls that are easy to clean. Levers tend to collect dirt while touch pad controls can be easily wiped down.

10). You will want a warranty that has you covered should the unexpected happen and your food processor grinds to a halt after only a few months of proudly grinding up carrots and kneading pizza dough. How long should your warranty last? Shoot for 3 years.

11). Remember that food processors are designed to deal with solid foods. Your everyday blender actually works better for liquids. If your goal is to make healthful smoothies every morning, you really want a blender.

Stop yourself from buying a food processor because it looks cool and is on sale. The marketplace offers many food processors that are cheaply made and do not do what you hope they will. Put your research hat on. Check out all 11 factors in the above list and decide which model has the best value within your budget. Now, you have some shopping to do.

A food processor uses a powerful motor to automate the food preparation tasks you find yourself repeating with every meal. They are available in small, medium, and large bowl and feed tube sizes. The interchangeable attachments include thick and thin blades for slicing and grating, dough hooks, and S-blades. Some units come with blenders, citrus presses, and mini mills. You can even use these machines to make small batches of cake batter.

A food processor is a small kitchen appliance that can perform a myriad of functions, including chopping, grinding, mincing, pureeing, mixing/blending, shredding, grating, slicing, and kneading. (We get into deeper detail about each of these in a later section.)

A blender is meant for tackling blending jobs using a tall jar that the blended dish can be poured from (though you can also do things like mash potatoes to a smooth consistency). Conversely, a food processor has a wide work bowl that can accommodate and process a large amount of ingredients.

People who love to cook know well that a blender and food processor are kitchen essentials. However, not all people have adequate kitchen space to accommodate the two machines. This convinced manufacturers to develop a combination appliance that performs both functions. Check out the following infographic to learn more about this innovative machine.

Our favorite 14-cup food processors are the Magimix 14-Cup Food Processor and Cuisinart 14-Cup Food Processor. The former is incredibly powerful, comes with a host of attachments, and is fairly quiet when on. The latter is our budget-friendly pick. It doesn't come with many attachments, but has a straight-forward design that's incredibly user-friendly. We also have top picks for 16- and 12-cup food processors: the Breville 16-Cup Sous Chef Peel & Dice Food Processor and Breville Sous Chef 12 Cup Food Processor.

We recently tested six more food processors (which weren't included or available when we originally wrote this review) at our Lab, including models from Ninja, Cuisinart, and Braun. Our top picks haven't changed, but we included our findings on these new models towards the bottom of this page.

Although it's limited in the types of foods it can handle, the Oster Pro can expertly crush coffee beans and ice. It's also among the easiest to clean of all the food processors, with a removable blade and a dishwasher-friendly bowl.

The table below lets you compare the features and key specs of our Cuisinart food processors, and more details are available on individual product pages. If you have questions not answered here or would just like to discuss your particular needs, our knowledgeable customer service representatives would love to talk with you.

This impressive food processor from Magimix will take care of most processing jobs needed in the kitchen, from shredding and grating, to blending, puréeing and slicing. It can also handle a very good rapid-knead pizza dough and much more. This well-made machine, with a clever three-bowl system, makes it one of the most versatile on our test. The controls are simple, straightforward and so good-looking you will not want to put this in the cupboard.

The Ninja 3-in-1 combines three types of food processing into one machine, with a roomy food processor jug, sturdy glass blender and single-serve blender. This can be used for smoothies and juices to go, or to make small amounts of sauces and spice mixes.

This is a great food processor if you're looking for a reasonably priced machine that will do the basics with minimum fuss. The components are pared back but highly effective, working through ingredients quickly and efficiently. The materials all feel well-made, from the stylish outer shell to the strong blades.

Minimalist in design but not in stature, this is a serious hunk of die-cast metal finished to an incredibly high spec. For such an innovative and complex machine, it's actually very easy to use. One major perk is how quiet it is. While lots of food processors shriek and whine, the Sage has a pleasingly low whirr. The accessories are particularly sharp and come in a large storage case, which is worth bearing in mind if you're low on kitchen space.

At around 50, this 2-in-1 food processor and blender set offers great versatility for the price. Despite only having one reversible slicing and shredding disk, it over-performs. The simplicity of this model actually plays in its favour.

A food processor is an appliance designed to act as an extra pair of hands in the kitchen. One key benefit of a food processor is that it's a multitasker, often coming with various accessories and functions. Almost all use a rotating gear to turn their various accessories, which will typically include extra discs for slicing or grating, alongside the main blade arrays for chopping or mixing.

Many of the food processors on this list come with a whole host of attachments. But the majority, as standard, will come with attachments for slicing, grating, chopping and kneading. Some models will come with additional blender or mini chopper attachments, which offer an added level of versatility, but even the core accessories render the humble food processor a truly multi-functional appliance.

As the table shows, although both appliances have the ability to chop and blend, they are two very different bits of kit, and as such are not mutually exclusive. Think of a food processor as an extra pair of hands in the kitchen, the tool you pass off your prep work to or use for chunky dips, purees, as well as dry processing tasks. Choose your blender when you need to achieve smooth liquid results, think: soups, smoothies, cocktails and crushed ice.

We tested a variety of different food processors that ranged in price from budget buys to pricier blowout models. We also tested basic models that performed simple chopping and slicing tasks to behemoths that come with a vast variety of different attachments and accessories. To put each food processor to the test we tested each of their attachments as well as their ease of use, ease of cleaning, as well as other factors like how sturdy they were on the kitchen counter and how much noise they made. 041b061a72