Choose a cooking food processor if your meals regularly involve preparing ingredients and then cooking them in the same appliance. If you already have a way to cook food, a food processor is better suited to chopping and slicing; a multi-cooker focuses on cooking, while a heated blender is best for blended dishes. In each case, check which accessories are included, the usable capacity, how much space you’ll need and what access to guided recipes involves.
Your choice depends on which steps of meal preparation you want the appliance to handle, and which ones your kitchen already takes care of.
If you make everything from soups and slow-cooked dishes to steamed meals and dough, consider a cooking food processor. Check that the model can handle the preparation tasks you regularly need, with the right accessories, and that its usable capacity suits your portion sizes.
If your hob and oven cover your cooking needs, a food processor can take care of chopping, grating, slicing or kneading. You’ll still need to cook the ingredients separately, though.
A multi-cooker is a good choice if you’re mainly looking for cooking functions, particularly pressure cooking or steaming. For soups, compotes and other blended dishes, a heated blender is a better option. Neither appliance can replace all the chopping tools you’ll need to make a varied range of meals.
Start with a few meals you make often. The tasks you need your appliance to handle will help you narrow down your options before comparing their programmes.
| Criteria | What to check | What I need |
|---|---|---|
| Preparation and cooking | Check which tasks the specific model can actually handle: chopping, grating, slicing, mixing, kneading and cooking. Make sure the relevant accessories are included for each one. | I want to prepare and cook in the same appliance. If my ingredients are already prepared, a cooking-focused appliance may be enough. |
| Capacity and space | Where both are listed, distinguish between total and usable capacity. Measure how much space you’ll need for the bowl and accessories, both on your worktop and in your cupboards. | I want the bowl to hold my portions without having to cook several batches, but I also need to be able to set up and store the appliance. |
| Cleaning | Check which parts are dishwasher-safe, how to remove the blades, and how to clean the lid and seals. Follow the instructions for heated components. | After a typical meal, I want cleaning to fit the time I can spare. |
| Recipes and accessories | Compare the exact contents of the pack, the manual functions and the terms for accessing recipes or connected services. Vorwerk France says unlimited access to Cookidoo requires a subscription after the initial offers. | On-screen instructions would be useful, but I want to know which accessories and services I’ll actually use day to day. |
A multi-cooker or heated blender may handle some recipes, but it won’t necessarily grate, slice or knead the ingredients you need for other meals.
Write down the tasks involved in the meals you make regularly, then identify which ones you’d still need another appliance to handle.
The tasks listed for a product range don’t necessarily reflect what’s included with every pack. For example, Moulinex lists some Companion accessories as separate purchases.
Check the accessories listed for the exact model and make sure it includes the tools you need for your recipes.
A recipe library may be a separate service from the appliance’s preparation and cooking functions. Vorwerk France says unlimited access to Cookidoo requires a subscription after the initial offers.
Check which recipes are available without a subscription, and consider whether you’ll use the guidance often enough to want to keep paying for the service.
Blades, seals and accessories may need different cleaning steps depending on the model. UFC-Que Choisir recommends considering how easy a cooking food processor is to clean when choosing one.
Check how to take apart and wash the parts you’ll use most often, and whether spare parts are available.
These models illustrate different features. Their specifications don’t automatically apply to other models from the same brand.
The Thermomix TM7 combines food preparation, cooking and on-screen guided recipes.
The I-Companion, Cookeo and PerfectMix Cook ranges cater to food preparation and cooking, cooking, and blended dishes respectively.
The Cook Expert combines food preparation and cooking, while the CS 4200XL is designed for food preparation.
Lidl France presents Monsieur Cuisine cooking food processors as appliances for both food preparation and cooking.
These options include two cooking food processors to consider if you want to combine food preparation and cooking, as well as a food processor to consider if you already have a way to cook food.
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Worth considering if you want to prepare and cook food in the same appliance. The product name mentions built-in scales and a large touchscreen. Before choosing this model, check which recipes are available and the terms for using connected services.
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Consider this model if on-screen guidance is important to you when choosing a cooking food processor. The product name mentions built-in scales and a touchscreen. Check which accessories are included in the pack and the terms for accessing connected recipes.
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Worth considering for preparing ingredients if you already have a way to cook them. The product name mentions chopping, grating and blending. Check which accessories are included and don’t assume that it has a cooking function.
Not if you want to cook in the same appliance. A food processor such as the Magimix CS 4200XL prepares ingredients, including grating, slicing, chopping and kneading them. You’ll then need to cook them separately.
Not always: the terms vary depending on the model and service. Vorwerk France says unlimited access to Cookidoo requires a subscription after the initial offers, while Moulinex France describes the recipe app for the I-Companion mentioned here as free. Also check what each appliance can do without a connected service.
To work out how much you’ll be able to prepare, check the usable capacity if it’s listed, then look at the portions specified for the recipe you have in mind. For the Cook Expert, Magimix France lists a usable capacity of 2.5 L and a total capacity of 3.5 L. Also check how much space the bowl and accessories will take up.