The best food processor

By Christine Cyr Clisset, Michael Sullivan

This post was done in partnership with The Sweethome, a buyer’s guide to the best things for your home. Read the full article here.

After spending 40 hours researching food processors, interviewing experts, and conducting nearly three years of long-term testing, we still think the Cuisinart Custom 14-Cup Food Processor is the best choice for most home cooks. With just pulse and on buttons plus a single bowl, this is one of Cuisinart’s most basic models, but it consistently chops, slices, and kneads better than any other food processor we’ve found for under $300.

How we tested

Our food processor picks (from left to right): The Cuisinart 3-Cup Mini-Prep Plus, the Cuisinart Custom 14-Cup Food Processor, and the Breville Sous Chef. Photo: Michael Hession

The best models should chop vegetables and herbs evenly (without pulverizing them), grate veggies and cheese uniformly, slice cleanly, and finely grind bread crumbs, nuts, and other dry ingredients. Better-quality machines with strong motors and heavy bases will also grind meat and mix sturdy yeast doughs without skidding across the counter, unlike low-quality machines.

We tested five large food processors 10 times each, chopping vegetables and parsley, slicing tomatoes and potatoes, grating soft mozzarella, grinding bread crumbs, pureeing a particularly delicious hummus, and mixing double batches of pizza dough. We also cleaned each model’s bowl, lid, and food presser 10 times—a test that proved more revealing than we’d expected.

We tested mini choppers by making a blended salsa, a Thai curry paste, and mayonnaise, and grinding almonds. We chopped one onion in each mini food processor to gauge evenness of texture. We also chopped whole almonds and shredded soft mozzarella cheese if the chopper came with a disk for shredding.

Our pick

With just two buttons, the Cuisinart Custom 14-Cup Food Processor has one of the simplest-to-use interfaces of the processors we tested. Photo: Michael Hession

The Cuisinart Custom 14-Cup Food Processor does everything that a great food processor should without any unnecessary extras that would boost its price. With one bowl and only on and pulse buttons, it’s simply designed—but it works as well as or better than machines with multiple bowls and more attachments. Unlike some other models in our tests, the Cuisinart Custom’s base never shook while running, even when processing double batches of dough. The Cuisinart Custom comes with just the right number of blades and disks, and all of them will stow inside the mixing bowl, so you won’t need to store a big box of attachments. The Cuisinart Custom’s base and jar were also easier to clean than those of most of the competition.

We first recommended the Cuisinart Custom in 2013, and over the past three years, we’ve consistently liked using it. We’ve made slaws, grated cheese, blended dips, and kneaded pizza dough in it, and it has worked well. The 14-cup bowl doesn’t leak, and the controls are exactly what you need.

This processor’s base is heavy, so we’ve found that keeping it on the counter to use often is the best approach. Over the years, the jar has gotten a bit scratched (perhaps because we’ve stored the sharp blades inside the jar). We’ve also noticed on other Cuisinart models that the plastic on the S-blade attachment discolors slightly with prolonged use. However, we haven’t tested the Cuisinart Custom long enough for this to happen. Overall, we still really like using this machine.

Great for small batches

The chop and grind buttons on the Cuisinart Mini-Prep Plus move the blade in opposite directions. Photo: Michael Hession

If you want a processor for little batches of vinaigrette or mirepoix, we really like the 3-cup Cuisinart Mini-Prep Plus. It chopped onions more evenly than the other models we tested it against. On top of that, its seamless plastic membrane buttons were easier to keep clean, and its handled jar was more convenient to use. We also think this model is the most convenient, idiotproof tool we’ve found for making small batches of mayonnaise (as long as you’re using a recipe formulated specifically for a food processor). And it’s a great option for people who can’t or don’t want to invest in a $200 machine. You couldn’t make bread dough or shredded salads in it, but you could grind or chop small batches of herbs or nuts and do other tasks that would be more tedious by hand.

Great for power users

The Breville Sous Chef performed best overall in our tests, but it is very large and has more attachments than most people need. Photo: Michael Hession

The Cuisinart Custom is a great value for the amount of performance it offers, but if you plan to use your food processor several times a week, or you need a more powerful machine to cook for large groups, or you use a scale for most recipes, consider investing in the 16-cup Breville Sous Chef. Its 1,200-watt motor and its smart design save you time in use and cleaning; in fact, despite its many accessories, it was the easiest to clean of all the models we tested. That said, if you use a food processor only occasionally, the Breville’s high cost probably outweighs its benefits. And given that it’s huge—over 18 inches tall and nearly 20 pounds—you’d need a big kitchen if you want to keep it on the counter.

Should you upgrade?

If you have an older machine that still works well, stick with it. But if your current machine’s motor base is so lightweight that the appliance stutters across the counter when in use, you’ll appreciate a model with a heavier build. And if your processor is 11 cups or smaller but you cook for more than two, you might prefer a model with a larger bowl.

If you often make things like homemade mayonnaise, vinaigrette, or small batches of bread crumbs, you might want to pick up a mini food processor—even if you have a full-size version. A mini model will process smaller quantities more efficiently, and its diminutive size means it’s easier to move around a counter and to store and clean.

This guide may have been updated by The Sweethome. To see the current recommendation, please go here.