How to Buy Food Processor

More expensive than most of my kitchen tools, but how could I live without a food processor.

There are all sorts of food processors on the market today to fit all sorts of budgets. While some are so inexpensive as to cause caution and others are so expensive as to cause laughter, there is still a broad pricing spectrum of food processors that are of excellent quality. Do your homework, find the food processor that meets your needs and your budget, and make an informed decision.

What Is a Food Processor?

A food processor is a tool designed to make repetitive kitchen activities go very quickly. Chopping, mincing, grinding, pureeing, slicing and shredding are all repetitive chores that are made much easier with a food processor, especially when done in quantity. While there are some non-electric food processors on the market (mandolines), most of us think of an electric appliance that has interchangeable blades housed in a work bowl generally made of clear plastic.

A Brief History of the Food Processor

In the history of kitchen equipment, food processors are relative new-comers to the scene. They made their appearance in commercial kitchens in 1960. These very reliable commercial workhorse machines were introduced by Robot Coupe (say Ro-Bo-Koo) and are still in production today. Home cooks in Great Britain could purchase a Magimix (produced by Robot Coupe) back in 1972, and North American home cooks were introduced to the Cuisinart food processor in 1973.

Do I Really Need a Food Processor?

Even less expensive food processors of good quality can set you back a bit, so before buying, ask yourself these questions.

Do you do a lot of chopping, mincing, slicing and/or shredding?

Do you make a lot of homemade dips and salsas?

Would you use a food processor at least once a month?

Do you have enough storage room in your kitchen/on your counter? (You’ll need 1 to 1 ½ cubic feet of space)

Do you have a dish washer? (Food processors have lots of pieces that need cleaning. All I’ve seen are dishwasher safe, and it’s safer to clean the sharp blade in a dishwasher than by hand).

If you answered “yes” to at least three of these five questions, you probably need (and probably more importantly, would use on a regular basis) a food processor.

Can’t I Just Use My Blender, Instead?

The short answer is “no.”

Blenders are designed with a conical bottom and require at least some liquid to keep food moving around through the blades. A food processor, with its broad, flat bottom and its wide sweeping blade does not require any added liquid. In fact, putting very “liquidy” ingredients in a food processor can result in a bit of a mess. If you already own a blender or an immersion blender and you answered “yes” to at least three of the above question, you probably could benefit from owning a food processor, too.

What Should I Look for in a Food Processor?

Since all food processors basically do the same tasks, you will want to find a powerful food processor that can process food quickly and consistently.

A heavy chassis will keep the food processor from “walking” during heavy-duty processing tasks.

A large capacity—at least 9 cups. Keep in mind, if you are processing liquid ingredients, the effective bowl capacity is just about cut in half.

A wide feed tube. A wider tube lets you push larger pieces of food through.

Safety features. You want to make sure that the bowl locks onto the base and that the top locks onto the bowl and that the processor will not start unless the unit is locked together securely.

Simple controls. Many models offer a wide array of speeds, but since processing takes place very quickly, you really only need On/Off/Pulse.