The best food processor can make cooking so much easier. These versatile machines chop onions, shred cheese, slice cucumbers, knead dough, and blend smooth baby food. Not all food processors are created equal. But we’ve been testing food processors for years, so we know what to look for in a good machine. Here are our recommendations for the best food processors.
Kenwood Compact Food Processor
The best processor
One of the reasons the Kenwood compact food processor is one of the best is because of the number of accessories it comes with. You can chop, slice and dice in many different thicknesses and ways to create food that looks even and beautiful. The blades and attachments are marked to help guide you through the process, plus the base is very sturdy, which is helpful in keeping you safe as you use it.
Russell Hobbs Desire Food Processor
Dishwasher safe
The Russell Hobbs Desire food processor easily locks into place and remains stable as you use it. The long chute keeps food in place so you get evenly sliced foods. It’s good for shredding cheese or for chopping foods, too, with all the accessories you need for perfect results. The Desire food processor includes a blender attachment for making purees, smoothies, and shakes. Most of the accessories are safe to wash in the dishwasher.
KitchenAid Classic Mini Food Processor
Small footprint
You can save counter space while still getting your food prep done quickly with the KitchenAid Classic food processor. This mini machine is efficient and chopping, shredding, and dicing foods, and even pureeing. It has two-speed settings, plus a pulse. It doesn’t take up a lot of space while using it and is small enough to store out of the way of your prep area whether you keep it set on the counter or away in a cupboard. This machine is easy to clean.
Kenwood Mutipro Compact Food Processor
Complete set
The Kenwood Multipro with several accessories to create a multi-purpose food processor. Each of the three disk blades gives you different results including shredding and slicing. You can adjust the thickness of the cut pieces. You also get a beater attachment for whisking eggs or mixing batter. The blender attachment is good for making smoothies or homemade baby foods. A single serving blending cup is also included for smaller batches of food.
How we tested food processors
Why you can trust Top Ten Reviews Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
We tackled 120 hours of hands-on testing for 15 name-brand appliances to find the best food processors. We used the same ingredients with each food processor and graded each appliance according to rigorous testing standards that most cooks would appreciate.
As a testing team, we not only relied on our combined years of experience in our home kitchens, but read cooking blogs, examined each product’s website, checked competing products on the internet, and looked for consumer reviews in various areas. We took careful note of the data we found and factored it into our side-by-side comparison.
We evaluated the processors for their performance doing everything from slicing to kneading to shredding, and much more. We also examined their size and took note of how easy (or hard) they were to both use and to clean. We also looked at the design, including such things as noise levels, speeds, the number of blades and disks that come with each. Another important factor in our grading was the length of the warranty for the machine itself and its motor, and how easily you can get help if anything goes wrong.
What to Look for in a Food Processor
Food processors can save you plenty of time in the kitchen and make cooking even the most elaborate dishes easy and fun. The best food processors need the following characteristics.
Performance
We looked for food processors that consistently chop food down to evenly sized pieces. We also looked for the same kind of consistency in slicing, shredding, grating, and pureeing different foods. Having pieces of food all the same size gives you an advantage in cooking since all the chunks of chopped potato or sliced carrots will cook evenly, which is not the case if you’re cooking unevenly cut items. It also is important to get a food processor that kneads well so that all the ingredients are completely incorporated into whatever kind of dough you are making. Otherwise, you could end up with bread that has an unpleasant and unappetizing texture.
Cleaning
We evaluated the food processors we tested to see how long it took to clean each one after we were finished using it. We also scored each for ease of use and noted whether parts are dishwasher safe, which saves time and gives you sanitary food processor parts due to the high heat of the dishwasher’s drying cycle.
Design
We looked for machines that offer powerful wattage, multiple speed levels, different numbers of blades and disks that you can insert into the machine to do different kinds of chopping or slicing tasks, and reasonably low noise levels. These can provide considerable convenience and give you more flexibility when using your food processor.
