Best Food Processors for Your Kitchen

The best small food processor or best vegetable chopper for your kitchen typically comes with a clear plastic mixing bowl, a lid and an S-shaped chopping blade. This size holds just 1 to 2 cups and is great for minor food preparation and grinding small solids.

Larger, more advanced food processors will have a feeding tube with a push stick, additional blades for different uses and safety features. With a feeding tube you will be able to prep more in less time.

The best food processors for your kitchen will be hand-operated or electric.

Explore the differences between a hand-operated food processor and an electric food processor to determine the best food processor for your kitchen.

Hand-Operated Food Processor

• Smaller appliance with rotary hand-turn operation
• Inexpensive and convenient
• Main functions are chopping, dicing and slicing
• No electricity needed, great for outdoor use
• Easy to manage small batches

Electric Food Processor

• Most common food processor, requires an electric outlet
• Handles tasks faster than hand-operated because of powerful motor speeds
• Typically attached with feeding tube
• More attachment options for cooking a lot
• Puree and mincing for large batches

When you’re looking for the best food processor for your kitchen, here are some general features to look for:

• Locking lids lock into the mixing bowl, helping capture splash during use
• Detachable lids and bowls make your cooking and cleaning time simpler. A discharge plate detaches from the bowl and removes your newly cut foods seamlessly.
• The best food processors have a clear on and off button. A touchpad is easy to clean and may have additional buttons for speed.
• Look for models that have dishwasher safe parts. The easier to clean, the more eager you’ll be to cook your favorite meals. You must clean processors regularly to prevent blade rusting, molding, and foodborne illness.
• Look for variable speeds. Motor power varies depending on what you plan to process in this appliance. More dense ingredients require anywhere from a 600-800-watt motor.
• A pusher is a huge benefit to your convenience and is designed to get your items diced quicker. Use this tool to slide larger solid foods into the feed tube and save you time on the cutting board.
• Some models offer a blender feature. This saves kitchen space to have a combo appliance and offers functions to improve your cooking.

Blades sit at the bottom of the food processor, accompanied by discs that mix and grind foods, liquids and produce. More mid-level or premium food processors have disc attachment options. A smaller, entry-level unit will include the standard slicing or shredding disc.

• Slicing Discs: Thinly slices’ vegetables and other produce for several uses in cooking.
• Shredding Disc: Shaves and shreds herbs, fruits and vegetables into fine, thin strands.
• Julienne Disc: Quickly cuts thicker foods into sticks. Best if used with a feeding tube.
• Grating Disc: Cuts cheese and other produce into very fine pieces.
• Dicing Disc: Cut vegetables and foods into small square dice bits.
• Brunoise Disc: Grates and dices produce into a small size perfect for garnishing or soup and salad.
• Whipping Disc: Spins spices and other ingredients to create thicker liquids like sauces or dips.
• Crimping Disc: Cut waves into a variety of sliced vegetables.
• Pulping Disc: Slices produce into pulp style and size for an extra touch in your liquid beverages or meals.

Other attachments can be added to a food processor to make baking and juicing easy.

• Egg Whip: Attachment, two arms and open paddles at the end, used to fluff eggs and other cream-based foods that require whipping.
• Dough Blade: Blunt plastic or metal blade that kneads bread and pizza dough.
• Citrus Juicer: Dome-shaped attachment that fits atop the feed tube shaft to capture juice after being squeezed.
• Non-Citrus Juicer – Attachment softens and liquifies fruits and vegetables as they enter the feed tube. This attachment stores pulp and strains juice.

Safety Tip: Purchase a food processor with a locking lid to prevent accidental spillage or stains during use and for protection in case of a lose blade.