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Deciding on the perfect meals processor to fit your chopping, dicing, grinding and meals prep wants could be difficult. From motor energy to capability, attachments and general worth, we’re right here to assist discover the perfect choices in the marketplace. Seems, the perfect meals processors aren’t at all times the most costly.
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In terms of kitchen countertop home equipment, a high-quality meals processor is without doubt one of the most versatile, designed to perform specialised duties shortly within the kitchen.
A high-performance meals processor can really feel like your personal private sous chef, saving you on time and effort spent laboring over a given recipe. And it does not even need to be large: Small meals processor and even mini meals processor choices want solely a pointy blade to get the job performed.
Relying on the attachment, a superb processor with a strong motor can simply shred arduous or tender cheeses, grind nuts into powder, knead bread dough or pizza dough, make a pie crust, cube and slice vegetables and fruit or make butter and spreads. You’ll be able to even make emulsions and soups proper within the working bowl with the assistance of a top quality meals processor in your kitchen. As with something, there are stark variations in motor efficiency, the general sturdiness and the price of the machine.
You additionally need to bear in mind how simple to scrub the meals processor is. Some or all of its elements could also be dishwasher protected. Even when you must hand-wash the chopping blade, with the ability to toss the feed chute or important container within the dishwasher could also be a boon.
I examined seven, representing main manufacturers and finest sellers in accordance with Amazon, Goal and Walmart meals processor critiques. You’ll be able to choose a meals processor up for as little as $25 or splurge large on an costly professional mannequin for upward of $600. The meals processors I examined fall squarely within the center, within the $100 to $200 vary made for common house use. There are additionally mini fashions and extra-large meals processors however these are all common in measurement — between 10- and 14-cup capacities.
How we take a look at meals processors
Whereas meals processors can carry out many various duties, I selected checks that represented the core capabilities of a meals processor. Most individuals use these kitchen home equipment to mix, chop, puree and shred.
Narrowed down to those key capabilities, I selected hummus, pico de gallo, almond butter and shredding parmesan for the take a look at kitchen duties. These recipes provide a mixture of mixing, chopping, shredding and pureeing to provide me a really feel for the efficiency of every mannequin.
Hummus is an efficient indicator of how highly effective the meals processor’s motor is and thus how properly the equipment can mix elements collectively into one easy dish. Pico illustrated how simple it’s for the chopping blade to get a uniformly chopped dish made up of elements in various textures and hardnesses.
Almond butter permits me to check the meals processor’s capability to puree one thing like a tough almond right into a nut butter consistency. It additionally permits me to run the processor for an prolonged time period to see if there are overheating points or noise and vibration complaints. I used 16 ounces of almonds in every take a look at.
A shredding take a look at requires a pleasant large block of parmesan, one of many hardest cheeses. This checks the grating disc efficiency in addition to the usability of the mouth’s width and the meals processor’s meals pusher.
I attempted my hand at performing every of those in every of those meals processors. Every recipe was repeated twice in every machine utilizing the identical elements in the identical quantities throughout all manufacturers. Here is the way it all shook out and my advice for the three finest meals processors out there.
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Tyler Lizenby/CNET
It is not fairly (not even just a little), however this $180 German meals processor from Braun’s Tribute Assortment had the perfect outcomes by far when it got here to mixing and chopping. The hummus from the Braun meals processor was the smoothest of any I made in my testing. After I used the Braun FP3020 as a meals chopper to make Pico de Gallo, it got here out uniform and finely chopped with out leaving an excessive amount of juice pooled within the backside of the bowl.
The 12-cup bowl is giant sufficient for households and with 15 speeds you will have loads of management over your processing. The flexibility to fine-tune the pace got here in further useful once I grated a tough block of parmesan. On excessive, it was uncontrollable in most meals processors, however with the pace at, say, a 6 or Eight out of 15 within the Braun, I may regular the cheese and information it higher by the feed tube whereas nonetheless getting a superb grate.
You may additionally get seven attachments to assist make being a house chef simple. The attachments are good for slicing greens, kneading dough, shredding, whipping, juicing and mixing. $180 is on the higher finish of our worth vary, however the Amazon worth on the time of this posting put it at an inexpensive $164 — not too shabby for a kitchen equipment that helps in every kind of cooking and meals prep.
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Tyler Lizenby/CNET
We examined a number of Cuisinart fashions and this one wins for its steadiness of efficiency, worth and options. This Cuisinart meals processor carried out properly in our meals processor evaluate checks.
Hummus with the Cuisinart FP-11SV was easy and well-blended. 4 pulses labored as a meals chopper for chopping up my pico de gallo elements properly and though getting almonds to a butter consistency took considerably longer on this mannequin (about 10 minutes on common in comparison with different fashions), the consequence was a easy and well-mixed.
Shredding cheese was a bit difficult for the reason that mouth of this processor’s meals chute is small in comparison with different fashions. I needed to trim down my wedge of parmesan fairly a bit to slot in the chute. Nonetheless, you do get considerate extras like a disc with two shredding measurement choices (fantastic or medium) and suction cups on the underside of the processors to assist it keep regular in your countertop.
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Tyler Lizenby/CNET
KitchenAid is a traditional model and whereas its stand mixers are beloved, I am unable to say the identical for the corporate’s meals processor choices. This 11-cup KitchenAid meals processor mannequin labored properly, however it wasn’t the perfect performer in mixing and chopping. Nonetheless, you’ll get a variety of attachments and it is a good meals processor for shredding and slicing because it comes with a number of discs for various shred and slice sizes.
Hummus on this mannequin was a easy, well-blended consistency with even taste. 5 pulses of the chopping blade did the trick as a meals chopper for my pico de gallo greens and almond butter was simply processed, although the machine did warmth up within the 18 minutes it took to course of the almonds into nut butter, leaving me with questions concerning the motor. This KitchenAid mannequin does have an computerized shut-off to forestall motor burnout, however that warmth nonetheless made me nervous.
Shredding and slicing is the place KitchenAid actually shines. There is a reversible shredding disc possibility and an externally adjustable slicing disc that corresponds with a slider on the entrance of the bottom, so you will get actually particular slice sizes.
There’s additionally a pleasant storage case included, so you do not find yourself throwing all these blades into your bowl when it isn’t in use. It has a traditional model and like all good KitchenAid equipment, it is available in a number of finishes. The worth varies relying on which end you select. The silver mannequin I examined has a urged retail of $250, however the white mannequin is presently on sale at Amazon for $160.
Different meals processors we examined
Along with the three beneficial above, we examined 4 different meals processors within the $100 to $200 vary.
Value contemplating, however inferior to the highest picks above:
- Hamilton Beach Professional Dicing Food Processor: I used to be impressed by the design of this meals processor, however it wasn’t the winner in efficiency and I discovered the button labels and noise stage to be a bit bothersome. At $200, I am unable to suggest it over better-performing fashions.
- Cuisinart DFP-14BKSY Custom 14-Cup Food Processor: This Cuisinart mannequin carried out properly sufficient, however you will solely get one pace possibility and only one sized shredding disc. The meals processors beneficial above provide extra to your cash.
Not beneficial:
- Ninja Smart Screen Blender and Processor: This equipment comes with a mixing bowl, processing bowl and a journey cup. With a smaller (five-cup) bowl capability, inconsistent and underperforming outcomes. The Ninja Good Display screen is a small meals processor unit I’d keep away from in case your precedence is meals processing.
- Oster Designed for Life 14-Cup Food Processor: This meals processor simply did not carry out properly. Hummus had a number of unchopped chickpeas in it and the gusty airflow out of the entrance of the machine was sufficient to blow round objects on my countertop. One other meals processor I’d keep away from.
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What to search for when shopping for a meals processor
Choosing the perfect meals processor for you means contemplating all of the options you will want to your favourite recipes and customary house chef kitchen duties.
Capability
Meals processors are available in many various sizes and volumes. The dimensions of the meals processor relies on the dimensions of the work bowl. I examined fashions starting from 11- to 14-cup capability, however you will get meals processors that include mini bowl and mini chopper choices and as small as three cups. For a family with two or extra individuals, I might suggest a minimum of an 8-cup mannequin and you probably have the space for storing, spring for a big meals processor, simply in case.
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Speeds
Most recipes involving meals processors specify mixing or chopping at both a excessive or low pace and for that motive, you will desire a processor with a minimum of two speeds and a strong motor. The most typical configuration is a low, excessive and pulse possibility. There are some meals processors with only one pace, however that is extraordinarily limiting in terms of having management over your meals so search for a meals processor with a minimum of some vary of speeds.
My high meals processor choose, the Braun FP3020 has 15 particular person speeds on one dial. That is way more than most individuals will ever want, however the possibility to actually zero into a selected pace provides the choice for precision.
Attachments
Whereas your meals processor is primarily two spinning blades, there are a number of different attachments that may broaden your processor’s talents. Some include a number of attachments like discs for grating, shredding and slicing, dough blades for kneading bread dough, whipping cream and attachments for chopping nuts, juicing fruits or dicing greens. If you recognize the duties you will do most frequently, remember to verify that your processor consists of the blades and attachments you will want, akin to the proper mixing blade, chopping blade, slicing blade or citrus juicer. Some meals processor fashions, just like the Braun, include a variety of these attachments whereas others should be bought individually so relying in your meals processing wants this can be one thing to think about. Bear in mind, attachments should not be troublesome to scrub and it is best to undoubtedly verify if they’ll go within the dishwasher.
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Supplies
You may additionally need to contemplate the supplies from which the meals processor is made. If you happen to plan to make use of it typically and are maybe not essentially the most cautious chef within the kitchen contemplate a sturdy stainless-steel meals processor versus one with a plastic base which can be inexpensive however extra liable to breakage. Most meals processor bowls are constructed from a tough plastic that’s simple to scrub and dishwasher protected however some are extra sturdy than others. You probably have the chance to the touch and maintain the meals processor make certain the plastic bowl and its lid are robust sufficient to deal with being knocked round with out cracking.
Prime meals processors in contrast
Capability |
12 cups |
11 cups |
11 cups |
Dimensions (depth, width, top) |
14.9×11.3×15.Four inches |
8.0×10.5×15.75 inches |
10.17×10.04×16 inches |
Variety of speeds |
15 |
2 |
2 |
Weight |
9.Eight lb |
11.5 lb |
12.4 lb |
Watts |
600 |
550 |
360 |
Value |
$180 |
$250 |
$130 |
Extra suggestions for getting essentially the most from meals processors
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