Food processors: How to buy
Jobs around the kitchen
A jug can make smoothies, milkshakes and more
Many blenders come with different attachments. Make sure yours comes with the tools you need for your kitchen.
- Chopping: We tested all of the machines with a variety of foods used when cooking and baking in the kitchen, including onions, herbs and nuts. So whatever you need to chop, a food processor should be able to help you out.
- Kneading bread: We all know how good home made bread can taste, and a food processor with the correct blades can make the chore of kneading much easier.
- Mixing cakes: Good news for those of us with a sweet tooth, all food processors come with the attachments needed to mix cakes as standard.
- Slicing: Whether you need to finely-chop cucumbers for a salad or roughly chop carrots for a rustic stew, a food processor can do this quickly for you.
- Grating: Food processors can grate both hard foods like carrots or softer foods like cheese but the results depend on the quality of the accessories used. Some machines need more force than others to achieve good results.
- Whipping cream: If you like to top your cakes, pastries and trifles with whipped cream you'll need a food processor that comes with a liquidiser.
- Whisking eggs: If you regularly need to whisk eggs make sure that your food processor comes with a liquidiser.
- Mayonnaise: Food processors with a liquidiser can turn their hand to making mayo.
- Puree: If you need to puree baby food good results can be achieved by a food processor’s liquidiser attachment.
- Shakes: Food processors with liquidiser attachments make excellent milk shakes.
- Smoothies: If smoothies are your thing be sure to buy a food processor with a liquidiser.
What you should look for
- Wide feeder tube: This will accommodate larger items, like potatoes, without you having to chop them first. The Best Buy Kitchen Aid is a good example of this.
- Dishwasher-safe: Washing attachments by hand can be a real pain. Look for a model with dishwasher-safe accessories, and cleaning will be less of a headache.
- Bowl sizes: A large-capacity bowl means you won't be tempted to over-fill it. Equally, a mini bowl, which sits inside the main bowl and has its own blade, is useful when you only want to process a small amount of food, such as herbs or nuts.
- Pulse setting: This allows you to process in short bursts for more control. The processor will stop as soon as you release the button - great for jobs requiring a light touch.