And Cuisinart’s food processors have a solid reputation for overall durability—anecdotally, we know of some that have lasted for decades. Finally, the Cuisinart Custom 14’s work bowl was easier to clean than the bowls of most of the other models we tested. We cleaned each model eight times, so we were achingly familiar with the gunk that can get trapped in more-complicated lids. We also appreciate the Cuisinart’s hollow handle, which doesn’t trap food particles and moisture as much as the Breville Sous Chef’s enclosed handle. This unit holds about two cups, so it’s plenty for making a bowl of salsa or prepping onions for a recipe.
Beyond the main blade and one disk each for shredding and slicing, you don’t need much else. Many food processors also come with a dough blade made of plastic, but we found that a metal blade mixed dough just as well, so we don’t think the dough blade is essential. You can usually purchase everything from a juicing attachment to julienne disks separately, but such extras often go unused. Both cookbook authors we spoke with essentially said these add-ons were a waste of money, so we didn’t test any.
We tested each model’s range by first using the Chop feature to finely dice a small onion, timing how long it took and how even the finished pieces were in size. Then we made a one-can batch of hummus to see how quickly and smoothly cuisinart air fryer oven each machine could purée chickpeas, whole garlic cloves, and thick tahini. Finally, we disassembled and washed every mini food processor by hand. I should start by saying that I do own a full-size 12-cup food processor.
It has two speeds and operates when the top is pressed down at the handle, so it’s easy to pulse or to run continuously. The work bowl is tall rather than wide, so in testing it did a good job chopping small amounts of garlic. It also did well chopping onions, nuts, tomatoes, carrots, and mushrooms. It wasn’t perfect at chopping green peppers, but it was acceptable for recipes.
However, at just under 2 pounds, it has a slightly heavier base than other mini models, which helps keep it stable. And we didn’t notice any straining or stuttering of this model’s 240-watt motor, even when it was chopping a fibrous jumbo carrot. As long as you don’t try to use the Food Chopper for heavy tasks, such as making nut butter, we don’t think there’s much risk of burning out the motor. The Cuisinart’s three-year warranty on parts and five-year warranty on the motor aren’t the best among the models we tested, but they’re still pretty good.
Perry is a main producer of Outside the Labs content at CR, where she evaluates products in her tiny Manhattan apartment. The Mini Prep Pro gives you all the performance of a serious food processor, but in a compact and user friendly size – perfect if your kitchen is small or is bursting at cuisinart toaster costco the seams. Cuisinart has been creating inventive and accessible kitchen appliances, cookware and accessories for nearly 50 years. Since 1995, Epicurious has been the ultimate food resource for the home cook, with daily kitchen tips, fun cooking videos, and, oh yeah, over 33,000 recipes.