What is the Best Food Processor America’s Test Kitchen? Food processors are incredible devices. They take care of the simple, repetitive tasks that can become a big hassle while cooking or baking, giving you more time to spend on other tasks.
In the modern kitchen, they have become even more versatile, taking care of slicing, dicing, and julienne of fruits and vegetables, whisking eggs, kneading dough, pureeing fruits and vegetables alike.
They also shred cheese. With all these key functions it is no surprise as to why they have become so important and vital to the success of most kitchens.
See also:
Top Picks America’s Test Kitchen best food processor
- Best Overall Food Processor – Cuisinart Food Processor (DFP-14BCNY 14-Cup)
- Best Consumer Reports food processor – Breville Sous Chef Food Processor (BFP800XL)
- Best Professional Food Processor – KitchenAid KSM2FPA
- Best Cheap Inexpensive Food Processor – Braun FP3020 12 Cup
- Best Small Food Processor – Hamilton Beach 10-Cup
- Best Combo Blender Food Processor – Ninja Mega Kitchen System (BL770)
- Best Mini Food Processor – Cuisinart DLC-2ABC Mini-Prep Plus
In this article, we will be discussing our top picks for the best food processors America’s Test Kitchen as well as key factors to consider when hunting the right unit.
Reviews of Best Rated Food Processor America’s Test Kitchen
Here are top-rated food processors on the market today
#1 – Cuisinart Food Processor (DFP-14BCNY 14-Cup): Choice by America’s Test Kitchen
Cuisinart is a known name in the kitchen appliance industry and trusted for producing high quality, durable, and stylish products at affordable prices.
This food processor is no different from the others. It is a high-quality processor with a stainless steel base that houses the engine. The device is designed with the motor as the base, while the bowl is mounted directly on top of it. The feed tube is fixed atop the bowl. The procedure for setup is clearly explained in the user manual that is packaged with it.
It packs a wattage of 720W, which delivers incredible results. It has a large 14-cup bowl, which allows you to process a large number of food items at once. Its feed tube is also sufficiently large to let whole fruits and vegetables in at once, reducing or eliminating the prep work you have to do before usage.
It is efficient and has a wide range of use. It can deliver on every function you require a food processor to do. It is capable of slicing, dicing, pureeing, kneading batter, mixing, and emulsifying.
It includes a shredding disc, stainless steel chopping/mixing blade, a slicing blade, and a spatula. The disc stem is fully detachable, and the individual parts are dishwasher friendly.
Pros:
- Highly versatile
- Easy to use
- One-touch on/off button
- Large feed tube as well as receiving bowl
Cons:
- It lacks precision control
- It is quite expensive
#2 – Best Consumer Reports food processor – Breville Sous Chef (BFP800XL)
This is a straightforward but powerful food processor that doesn’t come cheap but worth its price tag. Described as a powerhouse, the Breville food processor has a 1200W of power output, which supplies a high torque, giving the machine the power and precision it needs to provide you with the best of results.
The machine has precision cutting allowing up to seven different slicing settings, allowing you to choose the size you need your ingredients cut into. It is packaged with five multi-function discs, as well as three different cutting blades.
To help you keep the attachments safely, a storage box customized to house the various blades and discs is provided. This can be stored both vertically or horizontally, giving you more flexibility to store it.
It has two different chutes allowing you more precision when feeding the processor; it has a larger chute that is capable of fitting large fruits and vegetables. It’s smaller chute is a narrow feed that gives more precision when you are cutting or dicing slimmer food products like carrots.
An LCD display allows you to monitor its timer and the cutting settings. It comes with a large 16-cup bowl and two cups.
Pros:
- Highly efficient
- Offers precision settings
- Very versatile
- BPA-free Bowls and cups
- Highly durable
Cons:
- It is quite expensive
#3 – Best Professional Food Processor – KitchenAid KSM2FPA
This particular product from kitchen aid is an attachment to be used with their standing mixer. It is a very efficient way to save space and cost, especially if you also need or already have a mixer.
The food processor attachment uses the power from the stand mixer to operate. It is packed with all the tools and attachments you need to perform different cutting and dicing functions, including a slicing disc, dicing kit, and a julienne disc. You also get a storage case to hold all the various attachments to prevent it from being damaged or misplaced.
It is a very efficient product that works precisely. With its customized ‘ExactSlice’ system, it allows you to slice through a wide range of thickness, perfect and even cuts. However, it is a little less than a mixer. It performs best to dice, slice, julienne, and shred foodstuffs. It lacks the ability to knead though or puree fruits and vegetables.
Pros:
- Works efficiently, using the rotor from a mixer as a source of power
- Complete set for slicing and dicing
- Saves space
- Includes case for its attachment
Cons:
- It can only be used with a mixer stand from the manufacturer
#4 – Best Cheap Inexpensive Food Processor – Braun FP3020 12 Cup
The one unique thing about this food processor has to be its quiet and seamless operation. Although, the manufacturer had to sacrifice some power to ensure that the machine lives up to its reputation as being extra-ordinarily quiet.
Made in Germany, it has a very simple design that fully detachable parts that can all be washed with a dishwasher (except for the motor, of course). It is also protected by a year’s warranty, which speaks well of the manufacturer’s confidence in the quality of the processor.
It has a wattage of 600W, which can run up to 900W but no more. It is also very versatile with several attachments that include: 2 shredding accessories, three slicing blades, a whipping and kneading accessory, and a citrus juicer.
It features a preset speed function for more precision. The Braun Food Processor comes packaged with two different cups, a large 12 and a smaller 9 cup bowl.
Pros:
- Very versatile
- Energy efficient
- Easy to clean
- More precision with preset speed function
- Easy to store
Cons:
- Low power output
- Lacks a container for its attachments
#5 – Best Small Food Processor – Hamilton Beach 10-Cup
The Hamilton Beach Food Processor is a fantastic device that comes at a quarter of the price of most other food processors.
It features a special bowl scraper attachments that ensure that the ingredients are close to the blade for consistent results. It makes the use of a spatula obsolete. It is also fitted with a 10-cup bowl which can hold large amounts of foods in one use. The feed chute is also sufficiently large to fit small pieces of fruits and vegetable whole.
As expected, it has a smaller wattage of 450W, which means that you might run into trouble while processing large food pieces. The manufacturers also included two pulse speeds to give you a bit of control over your foods. The cups and lids are made of BPA-free safe materials; they are also dishwasher safe.
It features a multipurpose and reversible shred disc that serves multiple functions but at the cost of precision. It is able to process a wide variety of food types efficiently.
Pros:
- Affordable option
- Impressive versatility
- Easy to clean
- Simple and straightforward to use
Cons:
- Lacks power
- Very low precision
#6 – Best Combo Blender Food Processor – Ninja Mega Kitchen System (BL770)
A super appliance that doubles as both a blender and a food processor using the same motor base. It is a perfect appliance for you if you are just setting up your kitchen without a blender of your own.
Ninja Mega Kitchen System has a power output of 1500watts with two 16 ounce cups with lids. Its cups and lids are BPA free and are dishwasher friendly. It is packed with a reversible slicing disc, which is also capable of shredding, as well as a grating disc.
It has a 64 oz bowl for food processing, which is capable of holding a large number of processed foods at once. Its high power output allows it to process abundant foods easily and precisely.
Ninja Mega Kitchen System lacks a feeding chute and has to be operated like a blender. That is, you have to leave all the food items you need processing in the bowl at once.
Pros:
- Double function
- Works efficiently
- Effortless to clean
- Cost-effective option
Cons:
- Lacks precision
#7 – Best Mini Food Processor – Cuisinart DLC-2ABC Mini-Prep Plus
This is a smaller and less powerful food processor from Cuisinart. It is designed to be affordable and straightforward. It works excellently as a chopping and slicing tool, especially for smaller foods.
As with most low-grade food processors, Cuisinart’s DLC features a reversing blade that is capable of multiple functions but with less precision. You can switch between two options with the automatic blade.
Cuisinart (DLC-2ABC) Mini Prep Plus Food Processor also features a special stainless steel blade for slicing, as well as a spatula to keep food items within the range of the blade.
It comes packaged with a recipe book to give you ideas. It also has an 18-year warranty.
Pros:
- Compact and easy to store
- Affordable option
- Durable
- Works great for slicing and shredding
- Dishwasher safe parts
Cons:
- Less powerful
- Very small chute
How We Test Food Processors?
The Kitchen Appliances and Technology Lab at the BeefSteakVeg regularly tests food processors to see how evenly they dice onions, mince parsley, grind parmesan cheese, shred carrots and mozzarella, slice tomatoes, and knead dough. We also keep track of how quickly each model completed these tasks and how much food remained unprocessed.
We grade ease of use by assessing how helpful the owner’s manual is; how simple it is to assemble the blades, chute, and lid; the intuitiveness of the controls; the variety of settings available; and the cleanability.
The Breville Sous Chef is our top pick, out of the more than 75 we’ve tested over the years. When it comes to performance, it’s at the top of the line, with a super powerful motor, a micro-serrated S-blade, an adjustable slicer with 24 settings (ranging from paper-thin to thick-cut), a reversible shredder, a dough blade, and more. It passed every test, dicing onions, mincing parsley, and slicing tomatoes evenly in seconds.
How to Choose the Right Product?
By now, you must have observed some of what we consider as a ‘must-have’ in a standard food processor. We also have a few prejudices like having a more precise control, like slicing width. Anyway, we will be highlighting the essential points you need to consider before eventually picking your choice. They include:
- Versatility: The amount of quality attachments you get from your food processor determines its range of function and how useful and helpful it will be to you.
- Performance and Sound: Processors with high power outputs are able to process a larger chunk of foods with more precision, but this should not be sacrificed for a noiseless machine.
- Size of receiving bowl and feeding chute: This determines how much prep work you need to do before feeding your appliance. If you need to do too much pre-cutting because the feeding chute is too small, then it defeats the purpose of the food processor. Larger bowls also make sure that you can process larger food items at once.
- Precision Control: Can you control the exact size that your appliance delivers? Precision control ensures that you have a say in the output.
- Cleaning Ease: Easily detachable parts are much more convenient to clean. It is also advisable to choose appliances that can be washed with the dishwasher without being damaged.
Other smaller points include ease of storage, attachment storage, extra functions, etc.
What Size Food Processor Should I Get?
Consider the types of tasks you’ll be performing with your food processor and choose your capacity accordingly:
- 2- or 4-cup models are ideal for small-scale tasks such as chopping herbs, making hummus, pureeing baby food, and whipping up dressing or mayonnaise.
- 8-cup models are ideal for beginners because they are neither too large nor too small. Keep in mind that while they can be used for pastry dough, making bread in this size would be difficult.
- We recommend 12- or 14-cup models for most families. They’re versatile and large enough to handle bread dough, and they frequently include a second small work bowl for smaller tasks as well as a variety of accessories.
Alternative Video: 12 Ways To Use A Food Processor
Conclusion on Best Food Processor America’s Test Kitchen
The best food processors are a particularly significant investment that requires a lot of thought. They are indispensable tools that ease our prep work before cooking. We hope we have been able to help make your choice easier, depending on your budget and your preference or need for precision.
FAQ on Food Processor reviews
The Breville Sous Chef 16 Pro was by far the best food processor we tested in terms of pure performance. When compared to the Cuisinart Custom 14, it has more power, a larger, 16-cup blending bowl, and nicer features. And it performed admirably in every test, particularly slicing.
Processing larger foods with a wider feed tube. Making large batches of recipes such as dips, sauces, soups, fillings, and much more to feed a crowd, save for later, or give as gifts.
The Black & Decker Ergo 3-Cup Chopper (EHC650B) is the most user-friendly food processor. According to users, this food processor is very simple to use. The ease of cleanup is highly rated by users.
[…] No matter how skilled you are with blades as a chef, you won’t always get consistent slices of ingredients all the time. The ideal kitchenware used lately for slicing ingredients for a recipe is either a grater or a chopper, and sometimes a food processor. […]