With several styles and attachments, food processors are great multipurpose appliances for the home kitchen. They can simplify prepwork for a wide variety of dishes and replace a number of other tools.
The closest appliances to a food processor are blenders and stand mixers. But while blenders make mixtures smoother and work well for liquids, food processors work best for dry ingredients and pastes. And while stand mixers can beat, whisk, and knead, food processors excel at chopping, grating, dicing, and slicing. Stand mixers can only do some of these things with the help of additional attachments.
While these are all similar appliances (and they do share some functions) none of them can replace the other. There are some things that only a blender can do, and some things that only a mixer can do. But if you’re looking for something that simplifies prep work, and that’s okay at mixing and blending ingredients, a food processor might be right for you.
Types of food processors
All food processors are great for cutting and chopping, but different types come with different advantages.
Batch bowl food processors
Batch bowl processors are the kind of food processor you’re most likely to find in a home kitchen. They consist of a bowl with a rotating disc and a feed chute. They’re called ‘batch’ because you’re working with the same bowl of ingredients and, if your recipe doesn’t fit in your bowl, you’ll have to work in batches.
These food processors offer the widest versatility since you can generally choose a disc that produces the effect that you want. You can do everything from slicing and chopping to whipping and pureeing with the right attachment. And since these are often designed for a home kitchen, you’ll find plenty of models and attachments to suit your needs at various price points.
The most important things to look for when choosing a food processor are power and capacity. A good food processor should be able to mix and blend smoothly and handle heavy, sticky doughs. Larger capacity food processors offer more versatility, though some larger models struggle with smaller amounts of ingredients. Multiple bowl size options can be helpful.
In addition, large feed chutes cut down on prep time, but it’s helpful to have smaller feed chute inserts for even slicing. Smooth blades are better for cutting, while serrated blades are best for chopping. Multiple speed settings can be useful, but the pulse function is most important for giving you power over your processing.
Food Processor | Brand & Model | Motor Power | Capacity | Speeds | Accessories | Special Features | Price |
 | 450 Watts | 10 cups (2.4 L) | 2 speeds, pulse function | Shredding/slicing disc, chopping s-blade | Bowl scraper attachment keeps ingredients in contact with blade. Great for grinding meat. | ||
 | 240 Watts | 3.5 cups (.8 L) | 2 speeds, pulse function | Chopping s-blade | Drizzle basin in lid ensures ingredient integration. | ||
 | 500 Watts | 10 cups (2.4 L) | 2 speeds, pulse function | Shredding/slicing disc, dough blade, chopping s-blade | Extra-large 5-inch (12.7 cm) wide feed chute cuts down on prep work. | ||
 | 1000 Watts | 9 cups (2.1 L) | 2 speeds, pulse function, four program presets | Shredding/slicing disc, dough blade, chopping s-blade | Most powerful food processor on the market for under $200. | ||
 | 600 Watts | 7 cups (1.7 L) | 1 speed, pulse function | Shredding disc, slicing disc, chopping s-blade | Extra-large feed chute with smaller feed chute insert to securely hold smaller vegetables for slicing. | ||
 | 720 Watts | 14 cups (3.3 L) | 1 speed, pulse function | Shredding disc, slicing disc, chopping s-blade | Food processor preferred by Babish of YouTube. Extra-large feed chute with smaller feed chute insert to securely hold smaller vegetables for slicing. | ||
 | 1500 Watts | 8 cup (1.9 L) bowl, plus 72 fl. oz. (2.1 L) blender jar, and two 16 fl. oz. (.5 L) cups | 3 speeds, pulse function, 4-speed blender | Dough blade, chopping s-blade | Also comes with blender and two blender cups. Food processor does NOT have a feed chute. | ||
 | 550 Watts | 11 cups (2.6 L) | 2 speeds, pulse function | Reversible shredding disc, adjustable slicing disc, chopping s-blade | Extra-large feed chute to cut down on prep work. Great for grinding meat and mixing dough. | ||
 | 1000 Watts | 12 cups (2.8 L) | 1 speed, pulse function | Adjustable slicing disc and serrated s-blade | Three feed chute options: 5-inch (12.7 cm), 2.75-inch (7 cm), and 1.5-inch (3.8 cm) | ||
 | 650 Watts | 6 (1.4 L), 10 (2.4 L), and 12 (2.8 L) cup bowls | 1 speed, pulse function | Fine and thick grating and slicing discs, egg whisk, BlenderMix attachment, dough blade, serrated s-blade | Grate, slice, chop, grind, whisk, puree, and even blend. Includes three sizes of feed chute. Perfect for Indian cooking! | ||
 | 700 Watts | 16 cups (3.8 L) | 1 speed, pulse function | Reversible shredding disc, adjustable slicing disc, whipping disc, chopping s-blade | Heavy duty commercial motor and die-cast housing. Made in the USA. |
Continuous feed processors
Continuous feed processors are most commonly found in commercial and industrial kitchens, though there are home models. They consist of a feed tube, a food dispenser, and a processing chamber between them. The processing chamber might sound just like the batch bowl’s bowl, but the food doesn’t stay there for long. This is why they’re called ‘continuous’, since you can continuously add ingredients which will then be ejected through the dispenser.
Continuous feed processors offer the best precision, as you can choose discs that produce highly consistent results, and no food stays in contact with the disc for very long. However, this does decrease their versatility. Slicing and chopping are simple and precise, and so are grating and shredding. But whipping and pureeing aren’t going to happen. This type of processor works best with solid ingredients, not soft mixes.
These food processors are great for handling large quantities of food, and their discs tend to be heavy-duty enough to handle almost anything you could throw at them, but as they’re designed more for commercial kitchens they tend to be rather expensive, and few models exist for the home kitchen.
There are also combination food processors that allow you to choose to work either in batches or continuously. They have bowls with a closeable food dispenser and offer the widest variety of uses, but they tend to be even more expensive than continuous feed processors.
- If you’re interested in bringing the ease of a continuous feed processor into your home kitchen, consider a Waring Commercial Sealed Batch Bowl/Continuous Dicing Food Processor with a 4 quart (3.8 L) capacity and LiquiLock Seal system. It retails for around $1000.
- There’s also the heavier-duty 6 quart (5.7 L) version for $2000.
Buffalo choppers
Also known as bowl choppers or food cutters, buffalo choppers consist of a wide, shallow bowl that spins, bringing whatever you put into it into contact with the blade housing. Their high-powered motors make short work of chopping anything you put into them, though they aren’t as versatile as other types of food processors.
Due to their powerful motors, their loudness, and the fact that their bowls are usually open (these processors don’t have feed chutes), they are not recommended for the home kitchen. These are for commercial and industrial settings, and their prices reflect that.
Types of food processor blades, discs, and kits
While most food processors tend to come with s-shaped blades, as well as shredding and slicing discs, many processor models have numerous other blades, discs, and kits that are available. Here, we’ll take a look at a variety of attachments—some that come with most models, some that you may have to purchase separately—and see what you can make with them and what other kitchen implements they might be able to replace.
Image | Type | What It Does | Used For | Replaces | Notes |
 | Smooth s-blade | Cuts, chops, grinds | Raw meat, hard vegetables, cookie dough, pie crust | Knife, meat grinder, coffee grinder, spice grinder, chopper | |
 | Serrated s-blade | Chops, purees | Frozen foods, nuts, herbs, cooked meat | Knife, blender, immersion blender | |
 | Perforated s-blade | Mixes liquids, emulsifies | Sauces, mayonnaise | Blender, whisk | |
 | Shredding disc | Shreds, grates | Vegetables, fruits, cheeses, citrus rinds | Knife, grater, ricer, rasp, zester | May be combined with slicing disc for some models. May be reversible to achieve different levels of shredding thickness. |
 | Rasping disc | Grates, rasps | Hard cheeses, chocolate | Grater, rasp | |
 | Slicing disc | Wide slicing | Hard vegetables | Mandoline, knife | May be combined with shredding disc for some models. May be adjustable to customize slice thickness. |
 | Dough blade | Kneads | Bread dough, cookie dough | Hand kneading, dough hook mixer attachment, beater mixer attachment | Can be made of metal or plastic. |
 | Whipping disc | Whips | Whipped cream, meringue | Whisk, whisk mixer attachment | |
 | Blender-like disc | Blends and mixes liquids | Soups, batters | Blender, beater mixer attachment | Check the liquid capacity of your food processor before using these. |
 | Julienne disc | Julienning, slicing into strips | Hard vegetables | Knife, julienne peeler, mandoline | May come in various sizes. |
 | Brunoise disc | Fine dicing | Vegetables, fruits | Knife, vegetable chopper | |
 | Gaufrette disc | Makes thin waffle shapes | Potatoes, hard vegetables | Mandoline with crinkle-cutter attachment | |
 | Dicing kit | Even dicing | Vegetables, fruits | Knife | Requires disc and grid. |
 | Crimping disc | Crinkle-cutting | Potatoes, hard vegetables | Mandoline with crinkle-cutter attachment | |
 | French fry disc | French fry cuts | Potatoes, hard vegetables | Knife, French fry cutter | Generally requires disc and grid. |
 | Pulping disc | Pulping | Fruits, vegetables | Blender, some citrus juicers | |
 | Juicer attachment | Juicing | Fruits, vegetables | Juicers | |
 | Citrus juicer attachment | Citrus juicing | Citrus fruit | Citrus juicers |
Take full advantage of your food processor
The food processor is often underutilized, but with a modern model, a variety of attachments, and recipe books like these, you can do so much more than just chop and slice.
Food processor starter kit
- Get the Cuisinart Custom 14-Cup Food Processor for best overall power, versatility, and ease-of-use!
- Shredding and slicing discs as well as a good chopping blade are the most important, but there are many options available.
- Get a food processor cookbook, like Food Processor Perfection, to get the most out of your food processor.
