The customer service representative we spoke to wasn’t able to offer much guidance since they weren’t familiar with the model (they even confessed it doesn’t sell often). In fact, of all the food processors, blenders, and immersion blenders we’ve tested for various guides, we found making mayo easiest in a mini food processor like the Food Chopper. That’s because its lid has a small indent to hold oil and a small hole that allows the oil to pour directly onto the blades so you have a consistent, measured stream. With this method, the mayonnaise comes together without your having to control the flow of oil.
However, to maintain the sharpness and integrity of the blade, it is probably in your best interest to skip the dishwasher and hand-wash. Unfortunately, the blades on these choppers cannot be sharpened, so it’s important to take the best possible care of them. They should last you a long time, but not forever, so if you notice a blade dulling, it is probably time to replace it. Certain brands offer part replacements, so look first to see whether you can just replace the blade before buying a new appliance.
Donna Currie is a food writer and blogger specializing in recipes and kitchen gadgets. She covers kitchen tools and gadgets for The Spruce Eats and is the author of Make Ahead Bread. Perry Santanachote is a multimedia content creator at Consumer Reports. Not having a beat allows her to work on whatever’s trending—from parasite cleanses to pickleball paddles.
With a sleek countertop presence in bright white accented with stainless steel, the processor features a durable Tritan work bowl. The blade automatically reverses direction for thorough chopping and grinding, then stays securely in place when you cuisinart toaster costco pour out your creations. In terms of pure performance, the Breville Sous Chef 16 Pro was hands down the best food processor we tested. It offers extra power; a larger, 16-cup blending bowl; and nicer features compared with the Cuisinart Custom 14.
The Cuisinart Mini Prep Plus ($40) is the simplified version of the winning Cuisinart model; it’s slightly pared down, less expensive, and smaller, with only three-cup capacity. It made quick work of most of the onion we added, but some of the larger pieces got stuck and needed adjusting, which didn’t happen with any of the other models. Also, it had a difficult time getting the hummus smooth, requiring a long blending period—which isn’t very pleasant to sit through, given the machine’s high-pitched mechanical sound.
You can use a food processor for pureeing dips and sauces too, but it will yield coarser textures than a high-powered blender—it’s best for things like hummus and pesto. You’ll need a blender if you want to make silky smoothies or to puree liquids like soup, which can splatter and leak out of a food processor’s doughnut-shaped bowl. This mini, 3.5-cup processor is too small for making bread dough or coleslaw, but it’s the ideal size for chopping one onion or making small batches of mayo or vinaigrette. Ham has a great texture for easy chopping, with either a manual chopper or an electric one.
The obvious drawback to all of these attachments is that they take up a lot of space, and they may not get much use (how often do you make fries, for example?). We appreciate that Breville provides a storage case for the attachments, but the box takes up almost as much cupboard space as the machine itself. For small chopping tasks, the inexpensive KitchenAid 3.5 Cup Food Chopper offers the best value and performance we’ve found in a mini processor. It evenly chops a range of ingredients, including tough jumbo carrots. This machine is a good supplement to a full-size model, or it’s a great alternative, if you don’t want to spend a lot. In our tests, this processor even performed better than the mini bowl attachments that come with some of the larger processors.
Our bakeware is perfect for pleasing a crowd or spending quality time with your own little sous chef. Electric Spice-and-Nut Grinder — There’s nothing like the smell and taste of freshly ground spices. And with the Cuisinart Spice & Nut Grinder, it’s easier than ever to efficiently grind any spice or create original, tantalizing spice blends. The blades are exclusively designed to grind spices and nuts and the simple press-down lid starts the grinding process with one touch, sealing in all the finely ground spices.
The bowl has scratched a bit (because we’ve stored the sharp blades inside it), but otherwise it looks like new. We’ve found that it’s slightly annoying to clean under the on/off buttons, but a damp sponge or paper towel makes the task easier. If you’re typically just cooking for yourself and one other person, you’re probably fine to opt for a smaller, manual 1-cup chopper. Smaller choppers are great for prepping smaller items like garlic, ginger, herbs, and nuts, while larger units are great for bigger items like onions, carrots, peppers, and celery. Food choppers can hold anywhere from 1 to 6 cups of food (in comparison, full-size food processors can hold anywhere from 11 to 16 cups), but the most common size is a 3-cup processor.