8 Best Food Processors Reviews and Buying Guide
Table of Contents
Why You Need a Food Processor?
A food processor is an excellent home appliance that should be part of any home. In fact, it is an innovation and it can complete the tasks of many appliances like vegetable cutter, kneader, and many such appliances.
Quick Summary
Here are high-quality food processors based on reviews and price:
- Editor’s Choice – Cuisinart DLC-2ABC Mini Food Processors
- Best Breville Food Processor – Breville BFP800XL Sous Chef Food Processor
- Best Pressure Cooker – Instant Pot IP-DUO60
- Best Cuisinart Food Processor – Cuisinart FP-8SV Elemental
- Best Food Processor and Mixer – Cuisinart FP-8 Elemental Food Processor and Hand Mixer
- Best Warranty Coverage – Cuisinart Elite 2.0 12-Cup Food Processor
- Best Quiet Food Processor – Braun FP3020 Ultra Quiet Food Processor
- Best Food Processor Set – Hamilton Beach Stack & Snap Food Processor with Chopper and Blender
Top-Rated Food Processors Reviews
1. Editor’s Choice – Cuisinart DLC-2ABC Mini Food Processors
The Cuisinart DLC-2ABC is our initial pick for all ideal reasons. The majority of mini food processors contain no more than 1 cup of stuff, but this has a capacity for 3 cups. The BPA-free plastic work bowl is 680g which translates to three cups.
It doesn’t look like much, but it should at least be ideal for a 3-person household. Unlike other conventional S-shaped stainless steel blades, the patented SmartPower auto-reversing blades are something to be reckoned with. As the name suggests, these blades can change their spin direction in quick bursts to remove some unwanted lumps.
2. Best Breville Food Processor – Breville BFP800XL Sous Chef Food Processor
The Breville Sous Chef Food Processor is a perfect addition to any kitchen. You can knead, slice, dice, and effectively mix the ingredients. You can try unique recipes with it without much work. This Breville food processor is one of the quietest food processors on the market that you could count on.
The appliance includes a large 16-cup (3.8 L) bowl as well as a small 2.5-cup (600 mL) processing bowl. In addition, it includes 5 multi-function discs and 3 blades which could process your food perfectly. The discs included are a miniature blade, a cutting disc for French presses, a julienne disc, a compacted disc, a whisk, and a mulching disc with a dough blade. There is a small and a large food pusher, so small and massive amounts can be added easily.
This Breville Sous Chef Food chip runs on a 1200 watt motor, which usually means you can chop food quite finely.
3. Best Pressure Cooker – Instant Pot IP-DUO60
The Instant Pot Duo is a multifunction cooking machine with 7 different cooking modes. It can be used as a rice cooker, a slow-cooker, steamer as it can reheat food and even prepare yogurt.
You will no longer have to do with the old kitchen, you will no longer have to worry about pressure and temperature with the Instant Pot Duo. It takes care of everything. The microprocessor of this appliance controls the pressure and the temperature. You will only have to add the necessary ingredients and choose the cooking mode you want and wait peacefully for your meal to be ready.
You have all the cooking programs necessary to prepare any type of dish, they are managed by a timer. You can use slow cook for simmering your sauce or quick cook for your meats. Note that with the Instant Pot Duo, you can delay your cooking for up to 24 hours in slow cooking mode. Once the cooking is finished, the pressure cooker automatically switches to keep warm mode, for a maximum of 10 hours, so your dishes will be kept at the ideal temperature.
4. Best Cuisinart Food Processor – Cuisinart FP-8SV Elemental
Considering its popularity and importance over time, Cuisinart has no shortage of high-quality kitchen appliances. The BPA-free plastic bowl allows for about eight cups of food, with a mark in the body for precise measurements. It is possible to create a full batch of sauces such as salsa, pesto, or guacamole for a household of five.
Unlike other versions of this product, this is the only mini food processor with a lid-mounted food chute. It gives a safe space when you insert ingredients into the bowl, using a push rod.
The stainless steel blades can rotate both clockwise and counterclockwise. In addition, a pair of shredding and slicing discs of different thicknesses are included in the packaging.
5. Best Food Processor and Mixer – Cuisinart FP-8 Elemental Food Processor and Hand Mixer
This product contains the Cuisinart food processor and a hand mixer. The food processor here is the Cuisinart FP-8SV Elemental that was earlier reviewed.
Engine power of the food processor is 350 watts. The motor is powerful enough for thick mixes and pastries such as peanut butter and cookie dough. The device comes in three separate speed levels: low, high, and pulse. This way you can speed things up while preparing food and move on to other tasks.
Meanwhile, the hand mixer has 220 watts of power. The hand mixer has 5 different speed levels and it wipes clean easily. Since all removable components in the food processor and the hand mixer are dishwasher safe, cleanup will be a snap.
6. Best Warranty Coverage – Cuisinart Elite 2.0 12-Cup Food Processor
This Cuisinart Food Processor features a functional 12-cup bowl, large feed tube, and stainless steel blades. The motor runs on 1000 watts, which is enough electricity for ordinary processing, but it is quiet enough not to interrupt discussions.
It’s made from shatterproof plastic, great for when your fingers are buttery. The feeding tube is wide enough to place larger foods such as broccoli or zucchini in the chip.
The 4-cup work bowl nested in the large bowl, along with the elastic cutting disc and reversible shredding disc, provides chefs with plenty of food chips in one. This device includes a 10-year motor warranty and a 3-year limited warranty.
7. Best Quiet Food Processor – Braun FP3020 Ultra Quiet Food Processor
This Braun food processor with an ultra-quiet motor has an operating power of 600 watts and will consume up to 900 watts of peak electricity. It includes a wide selection of tools, including the Kugel potato latke blade, an S blade, which makes it capable of shredding, slicing, whipping, and kneading.
In addition, all of its components are removable and dishwasher safe except the motor. There is also a safety precaution that will allow the appliance to start unless the lid is securely closed, making it perfect for many men and women.
8. Best Food Processor Set – Hamilton Beach Stack & Snap Food Processor with Chopper and Blender
Looking for a quiet food processor and you’re on a tight budget? The Hamilton Beach food processor prep machine is the perfect option for you. The surfaces of the bowl have special attachment scratches that chop or puree the components without making too much noise.
Designed to become uniquely simple, the Hamilton Beach Stack & Snap Food Processor requires no twisting, turning, or bending during assembly. This particular offer includes a 700 Watts power blender also made by Hamilton Beach. This can be used for making shakes, smoothies, icy drinks, and more.
Food Processors VS Mini Choppers
In fact, it can cut down on many time-consuming food preparation tasks in your kitchen. When they decide to buy a food processor, many people think about whether to buy a food processor or a mini chopper. A comparison will help with arriving at the right choice:
Food Processors
A full-size processor generally comes with a wide range of attachments and can handle a wide range of tasks as mentioned earlier. For instance, it can take care of kneading, mixing, whipping, grating, slicing, and chopping everything in a single unit.
This will be the ideal appliance to invest if you wish to bake in your home, but do not have the budget or space for a separate standalone mixer. Even, some units come with blender attachments to make smoothies and soups.
Features of Food Processors
- They come with many accessories
- Larger Capacity, making it ideal for bigger amounts
- Blender attachment
- Can handle most cooking and cooking prep tasks in a unit
Mini Choppers
If you need small amounts of pureeing and chopping, a mini chopper can do this for you. Mini choppers are affordable and smaller versions of food processors. They need much less space but have limited scope comparatively.
Features of Mini Choppers
- Small Capacity
- Generally restricted to pureeing and chopping
10 Crucial Factors When Buying a Food Processor
You might be interested in some useful considerations in the selection of the right food processor. Here are the top considerations to help:
1. Bowl Capacity
You know that the size of the bowl should decide the quantity of food you can process at any given point of time. So, the decision should be made based on the size of your family.
For instance, for a family of four, it would be wise to select the size of around 10 cups. In case, you will have frequent visitors and will cook large meals or if you need bigger meals for storage, you might have to go for a unit with a larger size bowl.
In most cases, a 14-cup food processor can do the job efficiently. Larger devices will be required for commercial food preparation.
The general bowl size rule is that a unit with a mini bowl will be of the 1-2 cups capacity, a small bowl can handle 3-4 cups of foods, while the medium-size bowl will handle 5-10 cups of foods. When you go for food processors with larger bowls, it can hold 11 or even more cups of food.
2. Power
It would be better to ensure that the food processor you choose should be powerful enough for handling even the tough jobs.
For instance, one that can shred a hard cheese, chop raw carrots, and knead the stiff dough will help. Otherwise, you will face the risk of not combining the foods uniformly and not chopping veggies properly.
Even, in worst-case scenarios, the motor will burn out. If you go for a full-size food processor with a bowl capacity of 9 cups or more, you can choose a unit with a motor of at least 600 watts. The power of the unit will be decided by the motor used.
3. Attachments to Consider
Most food processors come with some standard attachments like grating discs, slicing blades, dough hooks, and chopping blades.
When talking about the attachments to consider, you should also check the paddles that come with the processor. If you will be frequently baking foods on your appliance, it is better to ensure that a dough paddle is present.
In general, you will have to pay more if you buy the attachment separately and not included in the unit. Some attachments that can be worth buying separately are mini-mills for spices.
Even, some attachments will help with grinding meat and kneading dough. It is better to check the attachments that will be helpful in your cooking before deciding.
4. Check Out the Blades
You know that sharp blades in food processors help with slicing veggies and fruits. When the unit has blades with small serrations, they will stay sharper as compared to straight blades.
Some bowls come with attached blades that you cannot remove from the bowl. But, it is better to go for the one with removable blades such that you can get the blades sharpened once they lose sharpness after several uses.
The quality of the materials used in the blades are made are essential to consider. For instance, if the unit has SS blades, you can expect better durability and performance.
Most units come with the standard S blade. Otherwise called the knife blade, it will perform most of the food processing works right from mincing meat to bringing together ingredients for a dip.
Some food processors come with quad blades with a couple of blades down the bottom and a couple of blades up the top permitting quick chopping without making the vegetables juicy at the bottom of the bowl.
5. Look at the Controls
It is better to select an affordable food processor with pulse control mode. This mode will help pulse the foods until they reach the desired consistency. This control will particularly help if you wish to grind foods not so soft.
When talking about controls, you can also consider a unit with an electronic touchpad. The reason is that it will be easier to clean a food processor with this type of control as against other types like traditional toggle switches. Even, some units come with LED lights for easy operation even in low-light conditions.
6. Overall Size and Weight
Of course, you will have to consider the bowl capacity. But, you should also consider the overall size and weight of the food processor to ensure easy handling. You should have the idea of the space available in your kitchen countertop to decide the overall size of the food processor to buy.
When considering the size, you should measure the space available in your countertop in all angles including length, breadth, height, and width. The reason is that food processors come with feeding tubes or lids.
The feeding tube will increase the overall size of the unit. If you plan to place it in your cupboard and on the countertop only when required, you should check whether the size fits the cupboard and you can conveniently handle the weight of the unit for easy lifting and place.
7. The Feeding Tube
The best food processors will have a feeding tube. This will help you add vegetables and fruits to the unit without cutting.
However, if you feel that you have no problem with chopping the fruits and vegetables into smaller units before adding them to the food processor, you can select a unit with a smaller feeding tube.
So, the decision in this regard should be made purely on the basis of your personal preferences and requirements.
8. Dishwasher Safe Accessories and Attachments
If the attachments and accessories in the food processor are safe on a dishwasher, you can easily clean them after every use. Otherwise, you will have to carefully separate each one of them from the main unit and should carefully wash them by hand, which can consume a lot of time.
Rather, if the unit is stated by the manufacturer to be dishwasher safe, you can save a lot of time and energy washing each attachment.
9. Safety Features
Like any other appliance, safety is an essential consideration when shopping for food processors. For instance, some units come with safety features like blade locking mechanism, cover or bowl lock alignment to take the safety of the user to the next level.
Rather than hanging the power cord on the power socket when not in use, it will be safe to choose a unit, where you can safely store the power cord into the space provided in the unit itself.
Also, it is better to check whether the unit can safely attach itself to the countertop when chopping to avoid slips and falls.
Further, it should have an overload protection switch to make sure that you can get back the unit to working condition just in case it stops functioning because of overload.
10. Speed Variability
You know that some foods should be chopped at a faster pace just because of the hardness, while some foods will turn into pieces just at a slower speed.
So, when you shop for a food processor, do not forget to consider the speed variability offered. The better the speed variability it offers, the more versatile the food processor will be to meet your shredding, mincing and other needs at the kitchen efficiently and effectively.
Conclusion
A food processor is a key appliance needed by a cook in the kitchen at home or anywhere food is prepared. It can be used to mix, knead, cut, dice, whip, slice, shred, and blend ingredients. The Cuisinart DLC-2ABC is the best model for lovers of quality products with good value for money. Meanwhile, for those who want a food processor set that features a chopper and blender, the Hamilton Beach Stack & Snap Food Processor with Chopper and Blender Set will offer the best value for money, compared to having to buy each product individually.
It will not be an overstatement to state that food processors are revolutionizing the food industry. You can consider the points discussed above and choose the right food processor to make many jobs easier in the kitchen.
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