A 14-cup food processor, like the Custom 14™ 14 Cup Food Processor, is just right for families or large gatherings. Or, if it’s just you making small batches, a compact option like the Elemental 4-Cup Chopper/Grinder is perfect for simple chopping, grinding or puréeing. We have a wide range of sizes available, including 4, 8, 11, 12, 13, and 14-cup work bowls. Between your food chopper and your bench scraper, you will save a lot of time with ingredient prep, and you won’t have to worry about chopped food scattered all over your kitchen.
If you’re a cook who needs to get dinner on the table quickly, a food processor can feel like an additional pair of hands in the kitchen. It will allow you to prep a range of food—whether you’re grating cheese, chopping nuts, slicing vegetables, or kneading dough—at lightning speed. We’ve been testing food processors since 2013, and we remain convinced that the simple, sturdy, and powerful Cuisinart Custom 14-Cup Food Processor is the best choice for most home cooks. The Cuisinart® Elite Collection™ 4 Cup Chopper/Grinder handles food preparation such as chopping, grinding, and puréeing effortlessly, making your kitchen tasks easier. The superior BladeLock™ System feature keeps you safe by securing the blade in place during processing and pouring.
The Sous Chef is solidly built, with a hefty base that weighs about 15½ pounds (excluding the bowl). This processor also comes with a limited one-year product warranty and has a 25-year warranty on the motor—by far the longest warranty on a motor of any of the models we tested. Another drawback to the Sous Chef is that it made a slightly looser mayonnaise than the Cuisinart Custom 14 and the mini processors we tested. Also, its mini bowl insert did not chop almonds evenly, so we recommend using its 16-cup bowl for this task. We read a few reviews by people who disliked how the Cuisinart Custom 14’s lid locks with the feed tube in the back rather than in the front (which is standard for most models).
A whipping blade is included, which stores easily in the mixer bowl so it won’t get lost in the gadget drawer. All of the parts that contact food are dishwasher safe for easy cleaning. A lid is included so food can be stored in the 6-cup container for later use.
This processor would be ideal for making baby food, thanks to its small size and effective pureeing capabilities. More convenient than ever, the Cuisinart Elemental Collection 4-Cup Chopper/Grinder effortlessly handles a variety of food Preparation tasks such as chopping, grinding, and pureing. The SmartPower blade has a patented auto-reversing ability with a sharp edge for delicate chopping and pureeing soft foods, while the blunt edge grinds through spices and harder foods.
Ninja, KitchenAid, and Cuisinart are usually dishwasher-safe and easy to clean. After testing models with storage boxes, we found that such boxes are convenient for keeping attachments organized, and they’re worth investing in if your model doesn’t come with one. You can also organize blades and disks in a designated cuisinart choppers Tupperware-style container, basket, or other receptacle. We store the Cuisinart Custom 14’s extra blades and disks inside the processor’s work bowl, but be advised that this can scratch the bowl. In terms of pure performance, the Breville Sous Chef 16 Pro was hands down the best food processor we tested.
We weren’t impressed with the Magimix by Robot-Coupe 14-Cup Food Processor. It wasn’t able to chop as evenly as the Breville Sous Chef 16 Pro or the Cuisinart Custom 14. The machine also seized up while preparing pizza dough and was noisier than other models we tested.
This KitchenAid comes with relatively few parts and it disassembles easily for cleaning. We especially appreciate that the bowl has a handle, since we struggled to remove bowls that didn’t have one, especially when we were working with greasy hands. The Food Chopper is covered by a one-year warranty, which is standard for appliances in this price range, and you can get the base in a wide range of colors. One Wirecutter staffer, who cuisinart toaster costco was initially skeptical of the large, 14-cup bowl capacity, has said that so far their Cuisinart hasn’t been too small or too large for any preparations. Another staffer (who admitted to being a little rough on her machine) replaced her Cuisinart with a new one after 11 years of use. Meanwhile, senior kitchen and appliance editor Marguerite Preston still uses a decades-old Cuisinart Custom 14 that she inherited from her parents.
This mini processor by culinary appliance leader KitchenAid is our best overall choice for its high functionality and versatility. Buy it alone, or bundle it with an immersion blender or hand mixer in a matching color. At 3.5 cups, it takes up minimal counter space; even snug kitchens should be able to fit this on the counter without issue. The Cuisinart FP-13DGM Elemental 13 Cup Food Processor and Dicing Kit didn’t chop as evenly as our picks. Our testers were impressed with the dicing kit, which chopped firm vegetables like potatoes and carrots into even cubes. However, since this was the only task this model excelled at, we don’t think it’s best for most people.