Best Food Processors

What does a food processor do?

A food processor is an electric appliance that's made to help with food prep. It has a working bowl that’s equipped with removable sharp, ridged blades. After placing food inside the bowl, and a lid on top, turning the appliance on results in the motor-powered blades spinning at high speeds to process tough-textured foods.

A food processor doesn’t just chop foods, but can also dice, slice, grate and shred them. Depending on the attachments your food processor comes with, you may also be able to mix, whip, knead and blend foods.

Savoury foods

If you spend a lot of time cutting up hard veggies like carrots, onions, and broccoli with a knife, a food processor can save you precious time in the kitchen. You can also puree foods like chickpeas to make creamy hummus, sweet potato and peas for baby food. You can also make pesto and dips, as well as mince ingredients like garlic and meat.

Sweet foods

When it comes to sweet treats, food processors can make quick work of some steps, like grinding biscuits into fine crumbs for a cheesecake base, or kneading hearty doughs for pie crusts or brioche pastry. However, some home dessert connoisseurs will still prefer a food mixer, which can also reliably tackle many dessert-prepping tasks.

What is the difference between a food processor and a blender?

Both of these handy kitchen appliances save labour in the kitchen. In a nutshell, the main difference between a blender and food processor is that a food processor is more suited to dry foods that are solid or tough in texture.

A blender, however, is better if you’re looking to liquify ingredients instead, like fruits for a smoothie or veggies for a soup. Since a food blender offers a closer chop, it’s more likely to give you that smooth, aerated texture that’s favoured for liquids, while a food processor at its finest chop can either pulverise food into coarse, small pieces, or puree it into a barely-aerated solid.

If you already have a high-speed blender, it’s likely that your blender performs the tasks you're looking for in a standard food processor. For example, both appliances will probably be able to grind nuts, puree, blend, or crush ice. Consider the extra tasks you need from a food processor, and whether shelling out the extra bucks will be worth it.

Some food processors come with a blender attachment, which is handy if you're looking for more versatility.

Factors to consider when buying a food processor

Ease of use

This often depends on how many functions and features a food processor equipped with. You can find mini food processors with just two settings - on/chop and off. A small food processor, or standard-sized one like the Kmart 2L food processor, may have 2 speed settings, and a Pulse function.

Higher-end food processors will have more versatility, such as more speed settings, but will be also be more complex to use. For example, an adjustable slicing blade can come with up to 24 different settings for slice thickness. You may not need this level of choice, and if not, it could make a processor unnecessarily complicated.

A food processor that doesn’t jump around on the kitchen counter when you use it will also make the appliance easier to use. A heavier base helps with this, and can also indicate a more durable build quality. Rubber feet or suction cups under the appliance will also help it to stay put.

Size/ Capacity

Keep in mind that the stated capacity by the manufacturer is often larger than the usable capacity inside a bowl. Also take note of the size of the feed chute. A larger feed chute will allow you to place entire vegetables like a potato or tomato in at once.

Mini food processors

Also called food choppers, these have a capacity of around 2-4 cups, or up to 1 litre. They will usually only come with one blade, the standard S-shaped serrated chopping blade.

While basic in functionality, this size can be ideal if you’re using a mini processor for simple tasks like dicing onions or mincing herbs. Being so compact, they’re also easy to clean and store.

Average-sized food processors

A standard food processor will have a working bowl that can house up to 8 cups, or 1-2 litres worth of food. This is a suitable size if you’re new to using a food processor, but are planning to use it semi-regularly for more than just chopping small quantities.

Extra-large food processors

These food processing workhouses can accommodate 9-14 cups, or 2.25-3.5 litres or more, of food. If you have a large household or entertain frequently, investing in this larger size may make sense. If you’re kneading bread dough, this is the best size.

Pulse function

A pulse button is important in a food processor. It provides short bursts of power that chop food, while allowing you to control the size and consistency of food. With each press of the Pulse button, food moves around the bowl evenly.

By comparison, using an on button or a variable speed setting will process food continuously. This means you can end up over-processing food before you realise it. A Pulse function helps with delicate tasks like chopping parsley, folding flour into batter or adding whipped eggs or cream to food.

Noise level

Food processors use extremely sharp blades to cut hard foods, so they can be pretty noisy. Larger models can operate at 80-90 decibels - the equivalent of the sound of heavy traffic or a lawnmower at close range.

If you have babies or young children in the house, or pets that startle easily, considering how loud a prospective food processor will be is important. To an extent, all food processors are noisy, but consulting reviews or shopping in-store to preview the amount of noise an appliance will make is helpful.

Ease of cleaning

Most food processors have parts that are dishwasher-friendly - including the bowl, blade and lid. If the manufacturer has recommended that popping parts in the dishwasher is safe, this can save you time on handwashing. Always place parts on the top rack of the dishwasher, as the lower rack is much hotter, and can warp or wear down parts.

If you prefer to hand wash the parts of your food processor to make them last longer, you can clean them this way. Fill the bowl with some warm water and dishwashing liquid, and pulse, or use the lowest speed setting for five seconds. To get rid of unwanted smells, add some baking soda and water to the bowl and give it a whirl.

Price

Food processors usually range in price from $49-$650, though some large premium models can cost more, like the $1, 299 Magimix 5200 XL Premium.

Also factor in the cost of food processor blade replacements, if you’re planning on using your new appliance frequently. Lastly, consider any additional attachments that you need, as these will represent an additional cost to the purchase price.

Attachments

There are a wealth of attachments you can purchase to use with your food processor. You won’t need all of them; to avoid paying more than you have to, consider what you’ll mainly be using a food processor for, and opt for the features you’ll regularly use.

• S-blade: This is the standard knife blade that food processors come with. These two, curved serrated blades should chop, mince, grate, and puree food.
• Reversible grating/slide blade: One side is used for grating, and the other side can slice foods. Slicing and grating blades can also come as separate attachments.
• Adjustable slicer: This lets you choose the thickness of slices, which can range from paper thin to coarse, 2mm-8mm. Some premium models have as high as 24 slice settings, but this won’t be necessary for most home applications.
• Dough blade: This handy plastic attachment kneads dough, saving you manual labour, and making anything from brioche to pasta dough.
• Whisking attachment: This can come in the form of a whisking or emulsifying disc, a whisk paddle or twin beaters.
• Double feed chute:This means there are two chute sizes; a larger one that should fit whole veggies, and a smaller chute that sits inside it, for thinner foods like carrots.
• Jug blender: This allows the processor to function as a 2-in-1 food processor and blender, without the additional cost of buying a separate blender.
• Rubber feet: These use suction to keep the appliance firmly planted on the benchtop. This adds stability that’s necessary for heavy-duty tasks like kneading dough.
• Citrus juicer: As its name suggets, this allows you to juice citrus fruits like oranges.
• Storage box: Some food processors come with a storage box, in which you can keep various attachments neatly in one spot. This helps ensure you aren’t rummaging around in a dark kitchen cupboard for a stray slicer before processing sessions.
• Other less common attachments: These include a julienne disc, French fry disc, press juice extractor (for more than just oranges), mini blade, peel and dice disc and a spatula attachment.

Wrapping up

If you’re looking to save time in the kitchen when it comes to chopping, dicing, mincing, grating or pureeing foods, a reliable food processor can work wonders. Make sure to opt for a model with functions and features you’ll use regularly. A prospective model should also be easy to use, clean and store. For a little guidance, you can scroll up to read first-hand experiences our trusted reviewers have had with food processors today.