7 Best Food Processors, Tested by Food Network Kitchen

Cuisinart is to food processors what Kleenex is to tissues — the brand has become a descriptor for the item itself. No wonder this model is our choice for most home cooks. The design is smart and straightforward; clearly a lot of thought went into pre-troubleshooting.

The 13-cup bowl is on the larger side, so you can go ahead and double that pie crust recipe — and the processor also comes with a 4.5-cup bowl to tackle smaller jobs. The slicing blade adjusts to seven different thicknesses and the reversible shredding blade allows for fine or coarse grating. Even the manual is spiral-bound to make it easier to use.

The Breville pureed, sliced, grated and made dough without issue and with very little effort. At 1000 watts, the machine was one of the more powerful that we tested making quick work of all of our tasks. One of our favorite attributes of this machine was its versatility/adjustability. The feed chute features 3 different size options allowing you to slice/grate larger pieces than some other machines may allow. The slicing blade is also adjustable with 24 different settings ranging from .3mm to 8.0mm thick. Unlike the other machines, the measurements are clearly written on the adjustment dial. Even more, the blade is easy to adjust with just a click. Another noticeable difference with this machine was its pulsing mechanism. We loved that the machine stopped immediately when releasing the pulse button whereas other machines had a more delayed stop. Overall, this machine was excellent. It was powerful, fast, consistent and easy to use.

This processor has three speeds — high, low and pulse — and we found that these functions allowed for even control depending on the task. We found that it easily and uniformly diced an onion, made short work of grinding Parmesan, and pulled together pie crust in a few pulses. However, if you’re making emulsions or need to incorporate ingredients fully, like with pesto, processing on the high setting may take longer than more powerful models. The reversible slicing and shredding disc was easy to install thanks to the manual’s clear directions. It easily sliced half a zucchini with the help of the plastic food pusher. One thing to note: the feed tube isn’t very wide, so if you’re processing a lot of vegetables or fruit at one time, be sure to cut them accordingly and perhaps allow for a little extra time.

We appreciated the twist-free design on this processor, which was intuitive to use and allowed the work bowl to click into the base easily. The flip-up lid easily latches over the work bowl, but we found that the food pusher that nests inside the feed tube often fell out, so either remove it or take extra care opening the lid after processing.

Let's say you're looking for a solid food processor with a full-size capacity and plenty of functionality: This is a fantastic choice. It's thoughtfully designed (we love that the shredding and slicing blade is one unit, and the bowl has a pour spout — so smart!), and the 12-cup size means it can handle a wide range of jobs.

You only have one option for slicing thickness, but it works very well; it made quick work of a zucchini with nearly no waste. The same is true of the shredding blade — only one thickness, but very efficient. The buttons (one for slice/shred, one for puree/mix and one to pulse) offer different levels of power so each job gets done the way you want it to.

Best if money and space are no object: Breville Sous Chef 16 Pro. This is the Ferrari of food processors, almost as good as having an actual human sous chef in your kitchen. They thought of everything for this one — different-sized feed chutes so you can slice or shred thick or thin items easily, 24 slicing thickness options, 5 cutting disks so you can make anything from French fries to julienne vegetables, a timing function — even the caddy that holds all the accessories is thoughtfully labeled, so you know what everything is at a glance. If the 16-cup-capacity bowl is too much for the job at hand, grab the 2.5-cup mini-processing bowl. The one thing to note is that it takes up nearly as much space as an actual Ferrari — this is not the model for small kitchens or anyone without a lot of counter space.

The Ninja was one of the most affordable on our list, but it did not lack power. At 1000 watts it is just as powerful as our first choice. The unique double blades are great when you are processing larger quantities and prevent a common problem of some older machines; just the bottom of the mixture being pureed rather than top to bottom. It is easy to clean by hand but all parts are also dishwasher safe. The Ninja was also one of the lighter machines we tested weighing around 7 pounds. It performed close to par with the other machines and while it did not get as fine of a puree on the pesto as the other machines, it is still a formidable machine for the price point.

What makes the Magimix stand out is its tiered bowl system. It has 3 bowls that nest within each other, ranging from large, medium to small. The tiered system allows you to go from one step to the next without having to stop to clean. We pureed the pesto in the small bowl, then immediately moved on to slicing zucchini in the medium bowl and then directly into making pie dough in the largest bowl. The machine also comes with two unique attachments: a whisk for beating egg whites or cream and a BlenderMix for making smoother, creamier soups and smoothies. The machine is a bit heavier and more expensive than the others we tested so it would be suited for someone who would be using their processor regularly.