If chopping and blending take up most of your prep time, consider a food processor or a small specialist appliance. If you want to cook several dishes or meal components with less supervision, a multicooker may be a better fit. A cooking food processor is worth considering only if you’ll regularly use its preparation and cooking functions, and have room to store the appliance and its accessories.
If your worktop and cupboards are already full, compare the appliance you’re considering with the tools you own. Que Choisir recommends taking factors such as bowl size and the space an appliance takes up into account before choosing a food processor.
You chop vegetables or make sauces and purées to put together throughout the week. The Institut national de la consommation describes batch cooking as preparing several meals in one session, so think about which tasks you actually repeat during that time.
If you’d rather set dishes to simmer or steam than grate and slice ingredients, look at the cooking programmes on a multicooker. Moulinex and Instant Pot ranges include these cooking modes, among others, so check what’s available on the model you’re considering.
Start with the task you do most often when preparing meals, then consider how much space you have and how much food you usually cook.
Consider it if: you already have a way to cook and mainly want to chop, blend, grate or slice.
The trade-off: it won’t cook your dishes, and its accessories need storage space.
Consider it if: you often prepare and cook food in the same session.
The trade-off: functions and accessories vary by model, and you’ll also need room to store them.
Consider it if: cooking dishes or meal components takes up more of your attention than chopping.
The trade-off: its cooking programmes won’t replace accessories for grating, slicing or kneading.
Consider it if: your advance meal preparation involves just a few specific tasks, such as blending a sauce or chopping small quantities.
The trade-off: choose an appliance that suits the dishes you want to make: a mini chopper or blender won’t handle chopping, kneading and cooking all by itself.
| What matters | What to check | Who is it for? |
|---|---|---|
| Space and tools replaced | Measure the space needed with the bowl and lid in place, and check which accessories need storing. | When my cupboards are full, I want a new appliance to replace tools I already use, not add a collection of extra parts. Around 29% of consumers put this need for space first. |
| Batch preparation | Check which tasks it can handle and which discs are actually included for grating or slicing. | If I prepare several components to put together later, repeated chopping is the main task. Around 29% of consumers put this kind of preparation first. |
| Cooking with less supervision | Check the model’s cooking programmes, and distinguish between a timer, guided recipes and a delayed start. | I can prepare the ingredients, but my main aim is to spend less time watching dishes and meal components cook. Around 21% of consumers prioritise this stage. |
| Portions and cleaning | Compare the usable capacity with your usual quantities and check which parts are washable. | When cooking several portions, I want to avoid extra batches and lots of parts to wash. Around 21% of consumers consider this a priority. |
A food processor can replace some preparation tools, but its bowls and accessories may also take up another cupboard. Que Choisir recommends considering the appliances you already own and how much space they take up.
Make a note of the tasks you do each week, then check which parts you need for each one.
Total capacity and usable capacity don’t always mean the same thing. Magimix, for example, lists a total capacity of 1.7 L and a usable capacity of 600 mL for the Mini Plus.
Where usable capacity is stated, compare it with the quantities you usually prepare.
Grating, slicing or blending may require a specific part that’s only included with certain versions. Que Choisir’s test protocols assess some additional functions only when the corresponding accessories are supplied.
Check exactly what’s in the box and how much storage space it needs before relying on a function to replace another appliance.
A preparation task that needs a separate accessory can also mean another part to store and clean.
In France, the Directorate-General for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control explains that the statutory guarantee of conformity is compulsory for goods sold by a business to a consumer. A commercial guarantee doesn’t replace it.
Before taking out a commercial guarantee, read its terms and understand how it differs from the rights provided by the statutory guarantee.
The range mentioned includes the Mini Plus food processor and the Cook Expert XL Connect cooking food processor. Consider these two formats depending on whether you need preparation only or preparation and cooking.
Moulinex offers the Cookeo multicookers, which focus on cooking, and the Companion cooking food processors, which combine preparation and cooking.
The multicooker range mentioned here is for people who want several cooking modes in one pot.
These products cover two ways to prepare and cook with one appliance, two multicooker sizes for cooking-focused use, and a mini chopper for smaller jobs. Start by deciding which task you want to make easier, then check the capacity and space needed for the model you choose.
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Consider this if you’d like to combine preparation and cooking. The name of this version mentions an XL bowl, built-in scales, a large touchscreen and 750 recipes. Check the space needed with the bowl and lid fitted, and make sure it comes with the accessories you need for your recipes.
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A multicooker to consider if you mainly want to cook several portions. Its stated capacity is 7.1 L, so compare this with your usual quantities and the space you have available. If you plan to schedule a cooking start time, check that this function is available on the specific version you’re buying.
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This 5.7 L version is designed for cooking rather than chopping. Before making room for it in a small kitchen, check its dimensions with the lid on and see which programmes this version offers. When pressure cooking, follow the instructions in the manual for filling the pot and releasing steam.
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This mini chopper and blender is suited to specific chopping or blending tasks, rather than cooking meals. If you’re preparing several portions, check how much you can process at a time and which parts need cleaning. Don’t expect it to replace a multicooker.
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Consider this if you want to move from preparation to cooking using a touchscreen. The name of this version mentions built-in scales and 680 recipes. Before relying on it to replace your existing tools, check which accessories are included, the bowl’s usable capacity and how each part needs to be cleaned.
Not if your main need is to cook dishes: a food processor is used for tasks such as chopping, grating and blending, while a multicooker brings together different cooking programmes. They can complement each other if you regularly do both kinds of task.
Where usable capacity is stated, compare it with the quantities you prepare. Magimix lists 600 mL of usable capacity for the Mini Plus, despite its total bowl capacity of 1.7 L, and 3.8 L usable capacity for the Cook Expert XL Connect, despite its total capacity of 4.8 L. Total volume alone isn’t enough to make your choice.
Identify the bowls and accessories you’ll need for your recipes, then check how each part should be washed on the model’s product page. An accessory that’s useful for an occasional task may also mean extra handling and washing every time you use it.
For an appliance sold by a business to a consumer in France, the statutory guarantee of conformity is compulsory and applies to new, second-hand and refurbished goods, according to the Directorate-General for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control. Keep a copy of the product description and proof of purchase, then contact the seller to report the lack of conformity.