Prepping your preferred ingredients with worn knives and other dated kitchen gear adds unnecessary labor and extra time to your dinner prep. If you’re looking to shave time off of your next recipe, we highly recommend you invest in a quality food processor. With a food processor, the manual labor of food prep essentially disappears. Just pop open the feeder, insert your ingredients, and pulse your produce to a finely diced perfection.
Further reading
Whether you’re a cooking newbie or an experienced chopping savant looking to speed up your process, there are many food processors available that can do the job. However, not all processors are created equal. Here’s a breakdown of our favorite food processors, with options for every level of kitchen expertise.
Cuisinart 14-Cup Food Processor
This 14-cup food processor from Cuisinart is as reliable as the company’s older flagship models, but equipped for the 21st century with electronic touchpad controls. These controls let you select among high/low, on/off, and pulse.
The Cuisinart 14-Cup Food Processor is perfect for those who like experimenting with all kinds of cooking, as the slicing disc, shredding disc, and blade make it easy to chop, mix, knead, and puree just about anything. Those who do a lot of baking will like knowing that the dough speed adjusts automatically to the amount and consistency of the flour, so you always get the perfect dough for bread, rolls, and other baked goods.
Hamilton Beach 10-Cup Food Processor With Compact Storage
While food processors may be a handy addition to your kitchen counter, some are pricey due to all the fancy features they offer, many of which you might never use. The Hamilton Beach 10-Cup Food Processor is easy on the wallet, and it works just as effectively as many higher-end models. The bowl holds 10 cups, so it is large enough to handle most standard dinner recipes. The processor lid can also be totally flipped, allowing you to easily stow the machine away when not in use.
Ninja Duo Auto-iQ Blender
If you’re taking stock of your kitchen counter and realizing you don’t have much space to work with, the Ninja Duo Auto-iQ Blender is perfect. It combines a food processor and blender into one, thus freeing up valuable kitchen space. The 72-ounce pitcher and eight-cup food processor are large enough for most recipes, from that Thursday night casserole to Sunday night meal prep. The machine also comes with two 16-ounce travel cups, which are great for taking drinks on the go. The high-quality stainless steel blades hold up well over time, so you can count on using the device for years to come.
KitchenAid Food Processor Attachment
If you want to try using a food processor, but you don’t have the additional kitchen space to dedicate to it, this attachment works with your KitchenAid stand mixer. The KitchenAid Food Processor Attachment fits the front of any KitchenAid stand mixer, using the mixer’s power to shred, dice, and chop any ingredients you might need. There’s also an external lever you can use to change the slicing thickness, depending on what recipe you’re working with. With this attachment, you’ll be turning your KitchenAid stand mixer into an even more powerful and versatile machine.
KitchenAid Mini Food Processor
Want to try out food processing, but don’t exactly see yourself making massive stews and large pies? The KitchenAid Mini Food Processor could be just what you’re looking for. It’s the ideal size for making salsas and dressings for your salad bowls, and it will also chop herbs and perform other smaller tasks. The bowl, lid, and blade are safe for the dishwasher, so your cleanup job will be pretty easy. Plus, if you don’t have valuable countertop real estate to spare, this food processor does the job without taking up much space.
Ninja Food Chopper Express
This is another great kitchen tool for both the time- and space-deprived. The Chopper Express will mince, chop, dice, blend, and puree pretty much anything you can throw at it. It’s powered by a 200-watt pulse system — simply load up your ingredients and push down on the pulse trigger to quickly slice through your favorite recipes. The no-slip base and splash guard ensure safe operation and easy cleanup, and all essential components are dishwasher safe.
While the Ninja Food Chopper is perhaps a little more physically demanding than the other picks on our list, the classic push-and-pulse design is a nice return to processor fundamentals (and the price point isn’t so bad either).
Breville Sous Chef Food Processor
Turn your kitchen into a 5-star restaurant with the Breville Sous Chef Food Processor, which includes five multi-functional discs and three blades. The LCD display features an auto timer that counts both up and down. It features a direct drive, high-torque 1,200-watt motor that easily handles the toughest jobs in the extra-large 16-cup capacity bowl. With 24 settings, you get to choose the thickness of your slices. The Sous Chef Pro includes feed chute options, an extra-wide feed chute that cuts longer slices, and a mini-feed chute that prevents long, thin ingredients like carrots from tipping over during slicing. You can store all of your attachments and cleaning utensils in the included storage box.
Cuisinart Duet Food Processor & Blender
We know, we know. This is supposed to be a “best of” for just food processors, but we couldn’t pass this one up. While the Cuisinart Duet Food Processor & Blender is indeed a powerful 500-watt, 3-cup processor with included feeding tube and shred disc, it is also a seven-speed blender. Pulse, stir, chop, and puree your way through your favorite hummus and smoothie recipes. We’re also huge fans of the size. The Duet’s fairly massive 48oz glass pitcher is deep enough for even the biggest batches of produce, and all removable parts are dishwasher safe. While a big processor means a little less counter space, the Duet’s power, enormity, and versatility certainly make up for its slightly above-average stature.
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