We tested a few new food processors. Our overall winner remains the same, but we now also recommend a larger option with more accessories, the Breville Sous Chef 16.
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What You Need to Know
Our top-rated food processor is the Cuisinart Custom 14-Cup Food Processor. Powerful, precise, and compact, it takes up less space than most food processors despite having one of the largest capacities, all at a moderate price. Its smooth, simple bowl and blade design make it easy to handle, monitor during use, and clean. The motor is quiet, and the machine operates with just two control levers and three essential blades for chopping, shredding, and slicing that can all be stored inside the bowl, with no accessories box to deal with. (Additional blades are available separately.) For those who want all the bells and whistles and are willing to pay for and store them, we also recommend a strong performer, the Breville Sous Chef 16, which comes with a mini bowl and many more accessories, including a french fry slicer and the option to add a dicing kit.
If you are interested in a tool that will chop and mix small quantities, check out our review of small food processors.
A good food processor makes a huge range of recipes faster, easier, and more approachable. It’s excellent for making salsa, pesto, and other chunky sauces. It’s perfect for big-batch cooking, grating pounds of carrots, zucchini, or potatoes to spare you the labor—and shredded fingertips—of a box grater; and slicing as quickly as a professional prep cook. It cuts cold fat into flour so you get the flakiest pie crust. It kneads pizza dough and even shreds cheese and purees sauce to top that pizza. Not to mention that it chops onions, makes bread crumbs, minces herbs, grinds beef into hamburger, and even whips up frosting or fresh mayonnaise in a minute flat.
How Food Processors Work
All the models we tested use the same approach: A workbowl sits on a motorized base, and a blade sits in the bowl on a central stem that passes through the bowl to the motor. Safety features keep the blade immobile if the lid isn’t fully attached. You add food to the bowl and put the lid on. Press a button, and the motor spins the blade, chopping your food. For slicing and shredding, you swap the primary blade for a horizontal, disk-shaped blade. The disk has either raised holes for shredding or a raised cutting edge for slicing. After securing the lid, you add food through the lid’s vertical feed tube, steadily pressing it down with a special feed-tube pusher onto the spinning disk. The feed tube can usually be modified with special inserts to hold bigger or smaller foods upright. This helps the machine shred or slice uniformly.
Surprisingly, while all our machines worked on these principles, they performed differently and took varying levels of effort to use and maintain.
What to Look For
Large Capacity: We think food processors that hold at least 12 cups are the most useful and versatile for most home cooks, allowing you to easily chop, slice, and knead both small and large quantities of food.
Powerful Motor: We made double batches of sticky pizza dough called Pissaladière in each machine to test their capacity and power. Top-rated machines made doughs that were silky, elastic, and thoroughly mixed, while one lower-ranked model stalled due to overheating. This was likely due to a number of factors. This particular model had the lowest wattage of the lineup, but as our senior science editor, Paul Adams, explained, wattage alone isn’t responsible for the power of a motor: a machine that overheats when kneading is simply “not designed to produce enough torque, or rotational force, to handle that kind of load.”
We compared the results of chopping 2-inch chunks of carrots, celery, and onion into ¼-inch dice. Most of the models we tested left behind larger chunks of vegetables.
Responsive Pulse Control: The blade of a food processor should be able to chop, mix, or puree food to whatever consistency you need. A short, powerful pulse function is essential: It briefly tosses and chops food, then stops instantly, so you control the texture. Some machines struggled when we tried chopping onions, carrots, and celery into ¼-inch dice. But models with responsive pulse buttons gave us uniform, crisp cuts.
In a test of blending efficiency, we added yellow and blue food coloring to plain yogurt and ran the processors on high for 30 seconds. Some models sent yogurt flying around the bowl and left yogurt streaky and unmixed (left). Better models gave us evenly green, frothy yogurt that was perfectly blended (right).
Long and Low Blades: Models with blades that reached closer to the bowls’ sides and sat closer to the bowls’ bottoms chopped and mixed more thoroughly and efficiently because food couldn’t escape. We put single drops of yellow and blue food coloring on plain yogurt and ran machines for 30 seconds. The best quickly processed the yogurt to solid green; the worst left the white yogurt streaked with yellow and blue. Efficient food processors had gaps of as little as 2.9 millimeters between blade tips and bowl sides. And from blade to bowl bottom, the best had gaps of just 2.2 millimeters.
Sharp Blades: The best models had sharp blades that cut food into heaps of fluffy, uniform shreds and neat, crisp slices. When we sliced potatoes and tomatoes, a few models gave us juicier, more ragged slices, indicating duller blades, but our top picks worked so neatly and precisely that we could almost reassemble the potato or tomato afterward.
As we tested the models and their shredding capabilities, we looked for uniform shreds. Some didn't make the cut, leaving bigger chunks of carrots that would not be usable in recipes such as carrot cake.
Simple Design: We appreciated when blades were easy to insert, with a minimum of pieces. Our favorite model had a one-piece chopping blade and a single stem that held up the slicing and shredding disks.
Weighty Base, Compact Profile: The best bases save space and are heavy enough to keep the machine anchored during heavy mixing. Models with lower profiles were easier for shorter testers to use comfortably and could easily slide under cabinets.
Versatile Feed Tubes: Feed tubes need to hold foods of different sizes securely. We liked models that allowed us to adjust the openings of the feed tube using special inserts; these could hold big and small foods upright, allowing for consistent, even slicing.
Clearly Marked Liquid Maximum: Not all food processors can hold large volumes of liquids. When you turn on the machine, centrifugal force makes the liquid level climb, so it’s essential to have clear markings on the workbowl that show the maximum fill line in order to avoid leaks.
Easy Cleaning: Chasing bits of sticky pizza dough and flour out of every nook and cranny of each food processor’s bowl, lid, and blades while trying not to cut ourselves confirmed our preference for models whose bowls and lids had simpler, smoother surfaces. We’ve noted in the chart which models have dishwasher-safe parts (a nice advantage, though some manufacturers warn that workbowls may become cloudy-looking after many dishwasher cycles). However, we often find ourselves using a food processor for a series of separate tasks, so waiting through a dishwasher cycle isn’t in the cards. Being able to easily hand-wash and fully dry the pieces is more important than you might think.
Anatomy of a Good Food Processor
1. Well-Designed Feed Tube
The feed tube should be big enough to minimize pretrimming and waste but narrow enough to hold food upright. Different-size inserts are also a plus, since they let you get a custom fit for a variety of foods.
2. Minimal Gaps Between Blade and Bowl
The space between the end of the blade and the side of the bowl, as well as the space between the base of the blade and the bottom of the bowl, should be small. This ensures more efficient, thorough mixing and food that is evenly chopped.
3. Weighty, Compact Base
The best base saves space and keeps the machine anchored during heavy mixing.
4. Responsive Pulse Button
A responsive pulse button enables a quick stop-start so that the ingredients are tossed around the bowl and into the cutting action. It gives you better control over the final size of the pieces, without overprocessing.
Nice to Have
Holes for Drizzling: Some models come with feed-tube inserts that have a small hole in the bottom. You can fill these inserts with liquids that you want to drizzle gradually into the workbowl as the machine runs. We found this feature handy for making emulsions such as mayonnaise and sauces.
Locks for Feed Tube Inserts: We liked models that have the ability to secure in place all the different-size pieces that make up the feed tube inserts so that they can operate as one solid piece. Locks ensured that none of the parts rode up when we pushed food through the tube or tumbled out when we turned over the workbowl lid.
Sealed Workbowls: A few models had sealed workbowls for processing larger volumes of liquid. This is nice but not an essential feature; we prefer using a blender or an immersion blender for tasks such as pureeing batches of soup because they can blend liquids to a finer, smoother texture than food processors.
What to Avoid
Weak Motors: When we kneaded double batches of pizza dough to push machines to their limits, some models rocked, and one stalled due to overheating. Our testing revealed which models had the power to push through heavy tasks. While this was an extreme test, we prefer models that are more capable of handling heavy loads if needed.
Too-Short and Too-High Blades: Food can evade chopping blades that leave big gaps between the blade tips and the sides of the workbowl and between the blades and the bottom of the bowl. These models chopped and mixed unevenly and incompletely. Often we’d discover it too late—while emptying the bowl, we’d pull out the blade to reveal a puddle of unblended ingredients. Our measurements showed the lowest performers left a gap between blade and bowl that was twice as wide as the best models—as much as 6.1 millimeters between blade tips and bowl sides, and 5.4 millimeters between blades and the bowl bottom.
Dull Blades: Chopping, slicing, and shredding blades that were too dull left us with bruised herbs; clumpy cheese shreds; and oozing, irregularly sliced vegetables.
Lightweight Bases: Lighter models didn’t stay put on the counter. While some came with suction-cup feet to anchor them, we found those annoying. If we just wanted to scoot the machine forward or backward a few inches, we first had to hoist it up to rip the suction cups free.
Less Responsive Pulse Control: Bad pulse buttons start too gently to toss food and keep running for too long, so some food gets over-chopped while the rest just rides around on the blade. We had carrot pieces that stayed chunky while the celery and onions in the bowl were nearly liquefied.
Too-Wide or Too-Narrow Feed Tubes: If a feed tube is too wide, food slumps and droops, so you get odd-shaped slices, irregular shreds, and wasted chunks of food that ride around on top of the shredding or slicing disk. Too-narrow tubes are also a problem: You don’t want to have to pre-trim food extensively so that it will fit in the tube. One model had a ridiculously narrow tube, 1¾ by 2¾ inches. Nothing fit without trimming.
Minor Flaws
Complicated Designs: We were frustrated by machines that had steep learning curves for assembly; we’d rather not consult the manual every time we needed to put the processor together. We also didn’t love machines that had lots of nooks and crannies, as these trapped food and liquid and took much longer to clean and dry components—a disadvantage when you want to use the machine a few times in a row for different tasks. And we especially disliked blades that had multiple parts. These were not only a pain to assemble, but they also got more gummed up with food than one-piece blades, and we worried about losing the individual parts.
Some food processors come with a large box of extra blades and attachments, but we've found that the majority of food-processing tasks can be accomplished with just three blades: those for chopping, slicing, and shredding. Our winning model conveniently stores all three inside its workbowl.
Other Considerations
Accessories and Additional Functions: Many food processors come with multiple blades and attachments—usually packed in a plastic caddy box as big as the machine itself, with even more extras such as mini bowls that have to be stored separately. In our experience, the majority of food-processing tasks can be accomplished with just three blades: one each for chopping, slicing, and shredding. Our winning model conveniently stores all three inside its single workbowl (with a few optional blades sold separately). Extra accessories such as mini bowls and dicing attachments can work well, increasing a food processor’s versatility. But they drive up the price of most food processors, take up more space, and are usually finicky to clean. If you think you’ll use these extra accessories frequently—and have the space and money to spend—we recommend the Breville Sous Chef 16. It performs solidly on the basics and offers plenty of extra accessories and functions. It lets you slice and shred in a range of thicknesses and comes with a french fry cutter and a mini bowl for processing small quantities of food. A dicing attachment is available separately, and while it’s handy for big quantities, it’s overkill if you’re just prepping a single onion while cooking dinner.
Mix double batch of heavy, sticky dough for Pissaladière as an abuse and capacity test
Hand-wash parts including bowls, lids, blades, and feed tube inserts after each test and evaluate design elements that aid or impede cleanup
How We Rated
Performance: We evaluated the efficiency and results of each processor when mixing, chopping, emulsifying, pureeing, grinding, slicing, and shredding foods.
Ease of Use: We considered how easy it was to lift and move the machines, place and remove parts, add and remove ingredients, and interpret and work the controls.
Cleanup: We evaluated the effort required to clean and dry all parts.
FAQs
Don’t put the food processor blade through the dishwasher—it can get dull. Instead, wash it carefully by hand and then let it air dry or pat it gently with a dish towel if you need to use it again immediately. While you can put the bowl and lid in the dishwasher, you may find that they get cloudy over time. Put the work bowl and lid in the sink and wash with hot soapy water. Air dry or dry with a towel.
Food processors are great for recipes that require you to emulsify ingredients or chop them finely. They’re perfect for everything from sauces to doughs. Here are some faves to try.
We love using the food processor to grind beef—it gives us all the control we need to make the best burgers. Our technique involves partially freezing the meat and adding baking soda. Read our guide for more tips for grinding meat with a food processor.
Our previous favorite still excelled with power; precision; and a compact, streamlined design that takes up less space than most food processors, despite having one of the largest capacities, all at a moderate price. Its smooth, simple bowl and blade design are easy to handle, monitor during use, and clean. Its unusual feed tube placement allows for increased bowl visibility. It comes with just three blades for chopping, shredding, and slicing that can all be stored inside the bowl, with no accessories box to deal with. However, since we last tested it, the chopping blade was redesigned and leaves slightly bigger gaps between it and the bottom and side of the bowl, so it couldn’t effectively incorporate egg yolks into single-batch mayonnaise. We didn’t discover any other adverse effects from these slightly bigger gaps, which were still narrower than those of lower-ranked models. It did chop mirepoix uniformly and was one of only two models to give us perfectly green-colored yogurt in our dye test. Although it lacks a mini bowl for very small jobs, a double batch of mayonnaise worked well.
Model Number: DFP-14BCNYAccessories: Chopping S-blade, slicing disk, shredding disk, spatulaBowl Capacity: 14 cupsLiquid Maximum: 3 cupsWeight of Base: 12.45 lbDishwasher-Safe: YesPrice at Time of Testing: $249.00
Our previous favorite still excelled with power; precision; and a compact, streamlined design that takes up less space than most food processors, despite having one of the largest capacities, all at a moderate price. Its smooth, simple bowl and blade design are easy to handle, monitor during use, and clean. Its unusual feed tube placement allows for increased bowl visibility. It comes with just three blades for chopping, shredding, and slicing that can all be stored inside the bowl, with no accessories box to deal with. However, since we last tested it, the chopping blade was redesigned and leaves slightly bigger gaps between it and the bottom and side of the bowl, so it couldn’t effectively incorporate egg yolks into single-batch mayonnaise. We didn’t discover any other adverse effects from these slightly bigger gaps, which were still narrower than those of lower-ranked models. It did chop mirepoix uniformly and was one of only two models to give us perfectly green-colored yogurt in our dye test. Although it lacks a mini bowl for very small jobs, a double batch of mayonnaise worked well.
Model Number: DFP-14BCNYAccessories: Chopping S-blade, slicing disk, shredding disk, spatulaBowl Capacity: 14 cupsLiquid Maximum: 3 cupsWeight of Base: 12.45 lbDishwasher-Safe: YesPrice at Time of Testing: $249.00
Performance
Ease Of Use
Cleanup
Best Fully Loaded Food ProcessorBreville Sous Chef 16
Large, powerful, and solidly constructed, this pricey, feature-laden machine operates smoothly, efficiently, and relatively quietly. If you want all the bells and whistles, they come with this fully loaded model, which nicely expands what a food processor can do. We liked its simple, intuitive controls; count-up timer; and short, powerful pulse function. It shredded, sliced, and chopped quickly and uniformly with minimal waste. The machine had clear markings on the base and workbowl that made it simpler and smoother to assemble than other food processors we’ve tested. When we tested its power and capacity with a double batch of pizza dough, it quickly and fairly neatly produced smooth, elastic dough with no motor struggles. Its extra attachments worked well. A few quibbles Its lid has nooks and crannies that require detailing as you clean. Its blades are multi-part and a bit annoying to assemble. And inside its giant box of accessories, parts are labeled with numbers, but the manual labels them with letters, which left us puzzled and struggling to compare pictures and parts. A dicing attachment is available for this model, sold separately.
Model Number: BFP810BSS1BNA1Purchase Link: https//www.breville.com/us/en/products/food-processors/bfp810.html?sku=BFP810BSS1BNA1Accessories: Adjustable slicer, french fries disk, reversible shredder, S-blade, dough blade, mini blade and 2.5 cup mini bowl, scraper, cleaning brush, caddy boxBowl Capacity: 16 cupsLiquid Maximum: 5 cupsWeight Of Base: 15.25 lbDishwasher Safe: Most parts, but hand-washing preferred for bowl and lidPrice at Time of Testing: $499.95
Large, powerful, and solidly constructed, this pricey, feature-laden machine operates smoothly, efficiently, and relatively quietly. If you want all the bells and whistles, they come with this fully loaded model, which nicely expands what a food processor can do. We liked its simple, intuitive controls; count-up timer; and short, powerful pulse function. It shredded, sliced, and chopped quickly and uniformly with minimal waste. The machine had clear markings on the base and workbowl that made it simpler and smoother to assemble than other food processors we’ve tested. When we tested its power and capacity with a double batch of pizza dough, it quickly and fairly neatly produced smooth, elastic dough with no motor struggles. Its extra attachments worked well. A few quibbles Its lid has nooks and crannies that require detailing as you clean. Its blades are multi-part and a bit annoying to assemble. And inside its giant box of accessories, parts are labeled with numbers, but the manual labels them with letters, which left us puzzled and struggling to compare pictures and parts. A dicing attachment is available for this model, sold separately.
Model Number: BFP810BSS1BNA1Purchase Link: https//www.breville.com/us/en/products/food-processors/bfp810.html?sku=BFP810BSS1BNA1Accessories: Adjustable slicer, french fries disk, reversible shredder, S-blade, dough blade, mini blade and 2.5 cup mini bowl, scraper, cleaning brush, caddy boxBowl Capacity: 16 cupsLiquid Maximum: 5 cupsWeight Of Base: 15.25 lbDishwasher Safe: Most parts, but hand-washing preferred for bowl and lidPrice at Time of Testing: $499.95
This powerful food processor handled nearly every challenge we threw at it, doing an especially fine job of mincing parsley and grinding beef. Its pulse function is strong, responsive, and short. We loved the ability to set precise thicknesses from 0.3 to 8 millimeters when slicing, the reversible shredding disk that offers two sizes, and the helpful indicators on the bowl for aligning the lid. It also comes with a 2.5-cup mini bowl for small jobs. While the main bowl has a leakproof gasket, the lid still slides on and off fairly easily, unlike other models with this feature. However, its mixing and chopping fell a bit short of ideal; with slightly too-big gaps between the blade tips and bowl walls, it left small streaks in our yogurt dye test, a bit of yolk in the mayo, and a few big chunks of carrot in mirepoix. Its tall profile and its accessories box took up storage space, and the gray tint of its bowl made it a bit harder to monitor progress. We found its two-part S-blades trickier to handle and clean than other models’ single-piece S-blades, and its bowl and parts are hand-wash only.
Model Number: BFP680BALUSCAccessories: Chopping S-blade, slicer with 24 settings; reversible shredder, dough blade, storage case, spatula, mini bowl with small S-bladeLiquid Maximum: 4 cupsWeight of Base: 13.85 lbBowl Capacities: 12 cups, 2.5 cupsDishwasher-Safe: Hand-wash only, don't soak bowl; can wash in dishwasher occasionally (top rack only), but will shorten life of plasticPrice at Time of Testing: $329.95
This powerful food processor handled nearly every challenge we threw at it, doing an especially fine job of mincing parsley and grinding beef. Its pulse function is strong, responsive, and short. We loved the ability to set precise thicknesses from 0.3 to 8 millimeters when slicing, the reversible shredding disk that offers two sizes, and the helpful indicators on the bowl for aligning the lid. It also comes with a 2.5-cup mini bowl for small jobs. While the main bowl has a leakproof gasket, the lid still slides on and off fairly easily, unlike other models with this feature. However, its mixing and chopping fell a bit short of ideal; with slightly too-big gaps between the blade tips and bowl walls, it left small streaks in our yogurt dye test, a bit of yolk in the mayo, and a few big chunks of carrot in mirepoix. Its tall profile and its accessories box took up storage space, and the gray tint of its bowl made it a bit harder to monitor progress. We found its two-part S-blades trickier to handle and clean than other models’ single-piece S-blades, and its bowl and parts are hand-wash only.
Model Number: BFP680BALUSCAccessories: Chopping S-blade, slicer with 24 settings; reversible shredder, dough blade, storage case, spatula, mini bowl with small S-bladeLiquid Maximum: 4 cupsWeight of Base: 13.85 lbBowl Capacities: 12 cups, 2.5 cupsDishwasher-Safe: Hand-wash only, don't soak bowl; can wash in dishwasher occasionally (top rack only), but will shorten life of plasticPrice at Time of Testing: $329.95
Cleanup
Ease of Use
Performance
Magimix Compact 4200 XL White 950 Watt Food Processor
We loved the simple lines of this powerful machine by Magimix, whose parent company, Robot-Coupe, is known for its commercial food processors. Its pulse duration is short, though slightly longer than that of the two highest-ranking models. (Its control buttons feel surprisingly flimsy, however.) It came with tons of accessories, including three sizes of bowls, a ringlike Blendermix tool to help puree without leaks, and a whisk to whip egg whites or cream, with options to buy many more, including dicing, juicing, and spiralizing kits. While it sliced, kneaded dough, and processed pie dough perfectly, it surprisingly did not perform other tasks quite as well—something we’d expect at this price. It left big streaks of color in the yogurt, several irregular pieces of ground meat in the hamburger, a handful of oversize carrot chunks in the mirepoix, and several larger pieces of cheese and carrots after shredding that we discovered in the bowl. We found it frustrating that the lid twists off in the same direction as the bowl so that they both swing loose with the lid still attached.
Model Number: 4200XLAccessories: Large and small chopping S-blade, adjustable slicer with 24 settings, reversible shredder with 2-mm and 4-mm holes, dough blade, BlenderMix tool for processing creamy liquids, whisk, spatula, storage case, “midi” bowl, and mini bowl. Liquid Maximum: 7 cups (must use Blendermix attachment to prevent leaks)Weight of Base: 14.35 lbBowl Capacities: 14 cup, 12 cup, and 6 cupDishwasher-Safe: Yes, but no drying cycle and avoid high temperatures. If washing by hand, do not soak in soapy waterPrice at Time of Testing: $349.95
We loved the simple lines of this powerful machine by Magimix, whose parent company, Robot-Coupe, is known for its commercial food processors. Its pulse duration is short, though slightly longer than that of the two highest-ranking models. (Its control buttons feel surprisingly flimsy, however.) It came with tons of accessories, including three sizes of bowls, a ringlike Blendermix tool to help puree without leaks, and a whisk to whip egg whites or cream, with options to buy many more, including dicing, juicing, and spiralizing kits. While it sliced, kneaded dough, and processed pie dough perfectly, it surprisingly did not perform other tasks quite as well—something we’d expect at this price. It left big streaks of color in the yogurt, several irregular pieces of ground meat in the hamburger, a handful of oversize carrot chunks in the mirepoix, and several larger pieces of cheese and carrots after shredding that we discovered in the bowl. We found it frustrating that the lid twists off in the same direction as the bowl so that they both swing loose with the lid still attached.
Model Number: 4200XLAccessories: Large and small chopping S-blade, adjustable slicer with 24 settings, reversible shredder with 2-mm and 4-mm holes, dough blade, BlenderMix tool for processing creamy liquids, whisk, spatula, storage case, “midi” bowl, and mini bowl. Liquid Maximum: 7 cups (must use Blendermix attachment to prevent leaks)Weight of Base: 14.35 lbBowl Capacities: 14 cup, 12 cup, and 6 cupDishwasher-Safe: Yes, but no drying cycle and avoid high temperatures. If washing by hand, do not soak in soapy waterPrice at Time of Testing: $349.95
This compact model had a bowl and lid that were simple to snap together without twisting, and it did a terrific job on most tasks, engaging quickly with food and chopping, shredding, and blending well (though a bit loudly). We liked that it was fairly easy to clean, didn’t trap food, and offered good visibility. All parts are easily stored in the bowl, a space-saving boon, and it’s light and portable. However, its extra-narrow feed tube forced us to trim food extensively to fit, slicing was a bit messy, and we wish the whole thing was larger: maxing out at 3 cups of flour, it couldn’t accommodate double batches of dough; we had to clean it between single batches, so it took more than twice as long as bigger models. The motor also stalled, shutting down temporarily just as each batch of dough was done, which gave us concerns for its power and durability. We figured out that the bowl can hold about 5 cups of liquid, but the manual frustrated us with its lack of specifics. Finally, until we learned to remove it first, the feed tube insert fell out every time we opened the lid and popped up as we pressed down on food; there’s no way to lock it in place.
Model Number: KFP0919BMAccessories: Chopping S-blade, dough blade, reversible thin slicing/shredding disk, reversible medium slicing/shredding disk, thick slicing diskBowl Capacity: 9 cupsLiquid Maximum: 5 cupsWeight of Base: 4.65 lbDishwasher-Safe: Yes, top rack only, invert bowl; gentle cycle, avoid high temperatures. If washing by hand, avoid abrasivesPrice at Time of Testing: $135.00
This compact model had a bowl and lid that were simple to snap together without twisting, and it did a terrific job on most tasks, engaging quickly with food and chopping, shredding, and blending well (though a bit loudly). We liked that it was fairly easy to clean, didn’t trap food, and offered good visibility. All parts are easily stored in the bowl, a space-saving boon, and it’s light and portable. However, its extra-narrow feed tube forced us to trim food extensively to fit, slicing was a bit messy, and we wish the whole thing was larger: maxing out at 3 cups of flour, it couldn’t accommodate double batches of dough; we had to clean it between single batches, so it took more than twice as long as bigger models. The motor also stalled, shutting down temporarily just as each batch of dough was done, which gave us concerns for its power and durability. We figured out that the bowl can hold about 5 cups of liquid, but the manual frustrated us with its lack of specifics. Finally, until we learned to remove it first, the feed tube insert fell out every time we opened the lid and popped up as we pressed down on food; there’s no way to lock it in place.
Model Number: KFP0919BMAccessories: Chopping S-blade, dough blade, reversible thin slicing/shredding disk, reversible medium slicing/shredding disk, thick slicing diskBowl Capacity: 9 cupsLiquid Maximum: 5 cupsWeight of Base: 4.65 lbDishwasher-Safe: Yes, top rack only, invert bowl; gentle cycle, avoid high temperatures. If washing by hand, avoid abrasivesPrice at Time of Testing: $135.00
This tall, lightweight machine had some very nice design elements that made it particularly easy to use, including a workbowl that simply slid onto the base and feed-tube inserts that were a breeze to clean. It sliced potatoes and tomatoes perfectly and we found it easy to adjust slice thickness, though we had to trim the potato extensively before it fit in the tube. Shredding cheese and carrots went fairly quickly, but food sometimes got trapped around the base of the feed tube and carrot juice sprayed around the bowl, indicating a slightly duller shredder than ideal. The machine made fluffy mayonnaise and we appreciated the hole in its feed-tube insert for drizzling in oil gradually. Its large capacity meant it produced a smooth, elastic double batch of pizza dough. However, its lightweight base let the machine jump around the counter as it kneaded. The pulse function ran long, so blades continued to process for more than three full seconds after we wanted them to stop, which over-chopped food. Cleanup took extra time since its multi-part blade shifted enough in mixing to allow dough to ooze between parts and glue the blade in place. And the workbowl has a rim near the top with a ridge that traps bits of vegetables and flour. Its hinged lid seemed handy at first but often turned out to be in the way when we were trying to remove food from the bowl. We loved how the blades were cleverly designed to store in a plastic caddy inside the workbowl but always struggled to get the parts to fit.
Model Number: KFP1318Accessories: Adjustable slicer, reversible shredder, dough blade, S-blade, caddy rack stores inside workbowlBowl Capacity: 13 cupsLiquid Maximum: 9 cupsWeight Of Base: 5.5 lbDishwasher Safe: Top rack only, avoid high-temperature cyclesPrice at Time of Testing: $149.99
This tall, lightweight machine had some very nice design elements that made it particularly easy to use, including a workbowl that simply slid onto the base and feed-tube inserts that were a breeze to clean. It sliced potatoes and tomatoes perfectly and we found it easy to adjust slice thickness, though we had to trim the potato extensively before it fit in the tube. Shredding cheese and carrots went fairly quickly, but food sometimes got trapped around the base of the feed tube and carrot juice sprayed around the bowl, indicating a slightly duller shredder than ideal. The machine made fluffy mayonnaise and we appreciated the hole in its feed-tube insert for drizzling in oil gradually. Its large capacity meant it produced a smooth, elastic double batch of pizza dough. However, its lightweight base let the machine jump around the counter as it kneaded. The pulse function ran long, so blades continued to process for more than three full seconds after we wanted them to stop, which over-chopped food. Cleanup took extra time since its multi-part blade shifted enough in mixing to allow dough to ooze between parts and glue the blade in place. And the workbowl has a rim near the top with a ridge that traps bits of vegetables and flour. Its hinged lid seemed handy at first but often turned out to be in the way when we were trying to remove food from the bowl. We loved how the blades were cleverly designed to store in a plastic caddy inside the workbowl but always struggled to get the parts to fit.
Model Number: KFP1318Accessories: Adjustable slicer, reversible shredder, dough blade, S-blade, caddy rack stores inside workbowlBowl Capacity: 13 cupsLiquid Maximum: 9 cupsWeight Of Base: 5.5 lbDishwasher Safe: Top rack only, avoid high-temperature cyclesPrice at Time of Testing: $149.99
This 12-cup machine was very easy to assemble. It featured an array of seven control buttons, almost as many as on a typical blender, which felt excessive. (By contrast, our top-rated food processor has two simple buttons Off and On/Pulse.) Instead of a traditional S-blade for chopping, this model had a fearsome-looking double blade that was scary to handle but reasonably effective. Mincing parsley took twice as many pulses as other models, but the results were uniform and dry. The pulse button ran for a long time after we released it, so food continued to process past the desired point. The adjustable slicer disk sliced potatoes well, but it sometimes struggled with softer plum tomatoes, which barely fit into the feed tube. We were able to get neat, thin slices of tomato, but on thicker settings slices were ragged and oozed juice. The food processor could not emulsify mayonnaise its blades were positioned too high, so they couldn’t make contact with the egg yolk on the bottom of the workbowl. Dough took longer to mix than the recipe indicated but ultimately came out well, though cleanup was difficult because of the overly complicated design of the workbowl lid, which trapped flour.
Model Number: NF701Accessories: “Auto IQ” programs for timed chopping, reversible shredding disk, adjustable slicing disk, chop/quad blade, dough bladeBowl Capacity: 12 cupsLiquid Maximum: 6 cupsWeight Of Base: 5.6 lbDishwasher Safe: YesPrice at Time of Testing: $169.99
This 12-cup machine was very easy to assemble. It featured an array of seven control buttons, almost as many as on a typical blender, which felt excessive. (By contrast, our top-rated food processor has two simple buttons Off and On/Pulse.) Instead of a traditional S-blade for chopping, this model had a fearsome-looking double blade that was scary to handle but reasonably effective. Mincing parsley took twice as many pulses as other models, but the results were uniform and dry. The pulse button ran for a long time after we released it, so food continued to process past the desired point. The adjustable slicer disk sliced potatoes well, but it sometimes struggled with softer plum tomatoes, which barely fit into the feed tube. We were able to get neat, thin slices of tomato, but on thicker settings slices were ragged and oozed juice. The food processor could not emulsify mayonnaise its blades were positioned too high, so they couldn’t make contact with the egg yolk on the bottom of the workbowl. Dough took longer to mix than the recipe indicated but ultimately came out well, though cleanup was difficult because of the overly complicated design of the workbowl lid, which trapped flour.
Model Number: NF701Accessories: “Auto IQ” programs for timed chopping, reversible shredding disk, adjustable slicing disk, chop/quad blade, dough bladeBowl Capacity: 12 cupsLiquid Maximum: 6 cupsWeight Of Base: 5.6 lbDishwasher Safe: YesPrice at Time of Testing: $169.99
Cleanup
Ease of Use
Performance
Black + Decker PowerPro Wide-Mouth 10-Cup Food Processor, Black
Very lightweight with grippy suction-cup feet that forced us to wrench it off the counter every time we needed to scoot it around, this inexpensive model performed surprisingly well, especially compared with models costing 10 times as much. Its motor was extremely loud and raucous, like a jackhammer, and it blew air at us as it worked. Still, it chopped mirepoix and ground beef quickly and effectively, though parsley took a long time to process and still emerged a bit uneven. Shredding carrots and cheese left moderate amounts of waste, but the shreds were acceptable even if they were less fluffy and uniform than other models; slices of potatoes and tomatoes emerged uneven and wedge-shaped, with a fair amount of juice in the bowl, indicating bruising. Yogurt flew all over the bowl without blending into a smooth green color. The blades just barely managed to reach the egg yolks when making mayonnaise, which came out heavy but acceptable. Both pie and pizza doughs were processed well, though it took a bit longer than in other models and we found dough stuck in all kinds of crannies. The pusher assembly traps water and takes a while to dry. All in all: not too bad, especially considering its price.
Model Number: FP2500BAccessories: Chopping S-blade, slicing and shredding disksBowl Capacity: 10 cupsLiquid Maximum: 2 cupsWeight of Base: 3.8 lbDishwasher-Safe: Yes, top rack onlyPrice at Time of Testing: $35.12
Very lightweight with grippy suction-cup feet that forced us to wrench it off the counter every time we needed to scoot it around, this inexpensive model performed surprisingly well, especially compared with models costing 10 times as much. Its motor was extremely loud and raucous, like a jackhammer, and it blew air at us as it worked. Still, it chopped mirepoix and ground beef quickly and effectively, though parsley took a long time to process and still emerged a bit uneven. Shredding carrots and cheese left moderate amounts of waste, but the shreds were acceptable even if they were less fluffy and uniform than other models; slices of potatoes and tomatoes emerged uneven and wedge-shaped, with a fair amount of juice in the bowl, indicating bruising. Yogurt flew all over the bowl without blending into a smooth green color. The blades just barely managed to reach the egg yolks when making mayonnaise, which came out heavy but acceptable. Both pie and pizza doughs were processed well, though it took a bit longer than in other models and we found dough stuck in all kinds of crannies. The pusher assembly traps water and takes a while to dry. All in all: not too bad, especially considering its price.
Model Number: FP2500BAccessories: Chopping S-blade, slicing and shredding disksBowl Capacity: 10 cupsLiquid Maximum: 2 cupsWeight of Base: 3.8 lbDishwasher-Safe: Yes, top rack onlyPrice at Time of Testing: $35.12
Cleanup
Ease of Use
Performance
Hamilton Beach Professional 14-Cup Dicing Food Processor
We truly appreciated this model’s clever stacking design that allowed us to put the bowl and lid straight on with no twisting. We also liked its big pull-over metal bar that locked down the bowl and doubled as a handle for toting the comparatively lightweight machine. It performed well when shredding and slicing (with 14 thickness settings) but fell short when chopping and mixing, leaving large, irregular chunks when grinding beef or chopping mirepoix—the vegetables bounced around for over a minute before the blade started cutting. Mayonnaise would not emulsify, no matter what we did (there’s no mini bowl), and big streaks of blue and yellow remained in the processed yogurt, denoting poor mixing ability. A complicated, nook-filled lid interior and vertical ribs on the bowl made removing contents with a spatula difficult, and they trapped both water and food, slowing cleanup. It also had multiple buttons, with different ones for every function, but that meant we had to stop and read them each time. Its dicing attachment worked but left a good deal of waste and seven parts to clean; we’d only break it out for very large batches.
Model Number: 70825Accessories: Chopping S-blade, shredding disk, adjustable slicing disk with 14 settings (0.8 to 6 mm), ½-inch dicing attachment with cleaning tool, storage boxBowl Capacity: 14 cupsLiquid Maximum: 7.5 cupsWeight of Base: 7.35 lbsDishwasher-Safe: Yes, but avoid high temperaturesPrice at Time of Testing: $136.21
We truly appreciated this model’s clever stacking design that allowed us to put the bowl and lid straight on with no twisting. We also liked its big pull-over metal bar that locked down the bowl and doubled as a handle for toting the comparatively lightweight machine. It performed well when shredding and slicing (with 14 thickness settings) but fell short when chopping and mixing, leaving large, irregular chunks when grinding beef or chopping mirepoix—the vegetables bounced around for over a minute before the blade started cutting. Mayonnaise would not emulsify, no matter what we did (there’s no mini bowl), and big streaks of blue and yellow remained in the processed yogurt, denoting poor mixing ability. A complicated, nook-filled lid interior and vertical ribs on the bowl made removing contents with a spatula difficult, and they trapped both water and food, slowing cleanup. It also had multiple buttons, with different ones for every function, but that meant we had to stop and read them each time. Its dicing attachment worked but left a good deal of waste and seven parts to clean; we’d only break it out for very large batches.
Model Number: 70825Accessories: Chopping S-blade, shredding disk, adjustable slicing disk with 14 settings (0.8 to 6 mm), ½-inch dicing attachment with cleaning tool, storage boxBowl Capacity: 14 cupsLiquid Maximum: 7.5 cupsWeight of Base: 7.35 lbsDishwasher-Safe: Yes, but avoid high temperaturesPrice at Time of Testing: $136.21
Discontinued
Cleanup
Ease of Use
Performance
Cuisinart Stainless Steel 13-Cup Food Processor
We frequently mistook this model for the Breville Sous Chef, which it very closely resembles. But its performance, while acceptable, fell short of the Breville and its own Cuisinart sibling. Its motor is loud, and its parts felt a bit cheap and lightweight, but it shredded carrots and cheese nicely and blended mayonnaise and pizza dough effectively. That said, its pulse duration ran long, and with a slightly larger blade gap than was optimal, it left streaks in yogurt and irregular pieces in the mirepoix, ground beef, and pie pastry. It sliced well, though its wavy, heavily serrated blades left grooves on food. Its raised, rubbery buttons trapped crumbs and were uncomfortable to push. Luckily its parts are dishwasher-safe, because food often flew up to the lid when we started the motor. Water collected in its handle and pusher that didn’t evaporate after 16 hours of air drying. We could process 8 cups of liquid due to a gasket that prevented leaks, but its grippiness constantly made the lid difficult to align, open, and close. We did like the easy handling of its single-piece S-blade and the automatic blade-lock that keeps it in place when pouring, and while its motor felt a bit underpowered, its lightweight base was easy to move around. Accessory kits for dicing and spiralizing are sold separately.
Model Number: SFP-13Accessories: 4.5-cup mini bowl, chopping S-blade in two sizes, dough blade, slicing disk that adjusts from 1 to 7 mm, reversible shredding disk, spatula, storage boxBowl Capacity: 13 cupsLiquid Maximum: 8 cupsWeight of Base: 5.65 lbDishwasher-Safe: Yes, top rack onlyPrice at Time of Testing: $146.92
Cleanup
Ease of Use
Performance
We frequently mistook this model for the Breville Sous Chef, which it very closely resembles. But its performance, while acceptable, fell short of the Breville and its own Cuisinart sibling. Its motor is loud, and its parts felt a bit cheap and lightweight, but it shredded carrots and cheese nicely and blended mayonnaise and pizza dough effectively. That said, its pulse duration ran long, and with a slightly larger blade gap than was optimal, it left streaks in yogurt and irregular pieces in the mirepoix, ground beef, and pie pastry. It sliced well, though its wavy, heavily serrated blades left grooves on food. Its raised, rubbery buttons trapped crumbs and were uncomfortable to push. Luckily its parts are dishwasher-safe, because food often flew up to the lid when we started the motor. Water collected in its handle and pusher that didn’t evaporate after 16 hours of air drying. We could process 8 cups of liquid due to a gasket that prevented leaks, but its grippiness constantly made the lid difficult to align, open, and close. We did like the easy handling of its single-piece S-blade and the automatic blade-lock that keeps it in place when pouring, and while its motor felt a bit underpowered, its lightweight base was easy to move around. Accessory kits for dicing and spiralizing are sold separately.
Model Number: SFP-13Accessories: 4.5-cup mini bowl, chopping S-blade in two sizes, dough blade, slicing disk that adjusts from 1 to 7 mm, reversible shredding disk, spatula, storage boxBowl Capacity: 13 cupsLiquid Maximum: 8 cupsWeight of Base: 5.65 lbDishwasher-Safe: Yes, top rack onlyPrice at Time of Testing: $146.92
*All products reviewed by America’s Test Kitchen are independently chosen, researched, and reviewed by our editors. We buy products for testing at retail locations and do not accept unsolicited samples for testing. We list suggested sources for recommended products as a convenience to our readers but do not endorse specific retailers. When you choose to purchase our editorial recommendations from the links we provide, we may earn an affiliate commission. Prices are subject to change.
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Lisa is an executive editor for ATK Reviews, cohost of Gear Heads on YouTube, and gadget expert on TV's America's Test Kitchen.
Lisa McManus is an executive editor for ATK Reviews, cohost of Gear Heads on YouTube, host of Cook's Illustrated's Equipment Review videos, and a cast member—the gadget expert—on TV's America's Test Kitchen. A passionate home cook, sometime waitress, and longtime journalist, she graduated from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism and worked at magazines and newspapers in New York and California before returning like a homing pigeon to New England. In 2006 she got her dream job at ATK reviewing kitchen equipment and ingredients and has been pretty thrilled about it ever since. Her favorite thing is to go somewhere new and find something good to eat.
