Weeknight cooks who like a helping hand
You often cook meals from scratch and appreciate on-screen instructions or help with planning. Built-in recipes or an app are most useful if you’ll use them regularly and are happy with their terms of access.
Who are these appliances for?
Households that like a varied menu
You alternate between soups, sauces, pasta, steaming and slow-cooked dishes. Having food preparation and cooking in one appliance matters more to you than having cooking modes alone.
Households short on space
A new appliance needs to fit on your worktop or in a cupboard. Before choosing an all-in-one model, compare its dimensions, usable capacity and the accessories you’ll actually use.
How do the options compare?
Multifunction cooking food processor
Choose this if: you want to move through the preparation and cooking steps for your usual recipes in one appliance.
Bear in mind: functions, accessories and capacities vary between models. Combining several tasks doesn’t mean all your recipes will fit in one bowl.
Multi-cooker
Choose this if: you’re mainly looking for cooking modes, particularly pressure cooking, steaming or slow cooking.
Bear in mind: you may still need another tool to chop, grate or blend ingredients.
Separate appliances
Stick with these if: your meals often involve the oven, hob or several pans at the same time.
Bear in mind: using several appliances takes up space and means coordinating the different steps.
Once you’ve chosen an option, check what it will actually change about preparing your weekday meals.
| What to consider | What to check | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Recipes and guidance | The instructions available for the specific model and the terms for accessing recipes after any trial period. | I’d like easy-to-follow steps to help me organise the meals I make regularly. For around 42% of consumers in this group, this guidance would be their top priority. |
| Preparation and cooking | The functions and accessories included for your recipes, and whether the usable capacity suits your portion sizes. | When I cook soups, pasta or slow-cooked dishes, I want to combine the tasks I do regularly. Versatility would be the top priority for around 33% of consumers in this group. |
| Space and cleaning | The dimensions of the assembled appliance, where you’ll store it and how easy it is to clean the parts you use every day. | If I have to take the appliance out and clean it after every meal, it needs to be practical for my kitchen. Around 25% of consumers in this group would put these considerations first. |
Mistakes to avoid
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Assuming you need a subscription to cook
Guided recipes can help you plan your week, but they aren’t essential for using a cooking food processor, as Que Choisir points out. However, the terms of the services included vary between models.
Check which modes you can use without a connected service, the terms of any trial and whether you’ll really use the planning features.
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Choosing a bowl based on its total capacity alone
The usable capacity may be less than the bowl’s total capacity. For the Cook Expert featured, Magimix gives a total capacity of 3.5 L and a usable capacity of 2.5 L.
Compare the specific model’s usable capacity and fill limits with the quantities you usually cook.
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Expecting a multi-cooker to prepare all your ingredients
The Cookeo models featured by Moulinex focus on pressure cooking, steaming and slow cooking. These modes alone don’t replace chopping, blending or kneading.
Make a note of the tasks you want the appliance to handle, then check the functions and accessories of the model you choose.
Depending on your recipes, you may still need a separate food-preparation tool.
Brands to compare
Vorwerk
The Thermomix range and Cookidoo are aimed in particular at households interested in guided recipes and meal planning.
- Vorwerk France describes Cookidoo as a guided-recipe service with meal planning and shopping lists.
- Before choosing this ecosystem, check the terms of access to the service and whether you’ll use its connected features.
Moulinex
Companion and Cookeo are designed for different tasks: the former combines food preparation and cooking, while the latter is a multi-cooker.
- Moulinex describes the Companion app as offering recipes, step-by-step instructions and shopping lists.
- Don’t assume a Cookeo can prepare ingredients in the same way as a Companion; check the functions of the specific model.
Magimix
The Cook Expert combines several food-preparation functions with cooking, with capacity varying by model.
- For the Cook Expert featured, Magimix lists mixing, chopping, grating, kneading and cooking among its functions.
- For this model, Magimix gives a bowl capacity of 3.5 L and a usable capacity of 2.5 L. Check the capacity of any other variant.
Silvercrest
The Monsieur Cuisine Smart combines food-preparation and cooking functions with guided recipes.
- Lidl France lists steaming, kneading, blending, chopping and built-in scales among this model’s features.
- Lidl gives the bowl capacity as 4.5 L, with a maximum fill level of 3 L. Also check which variant is available when you choose.
Cooking food processors and multi-cookers on Joybuy
These products offer two ways to prepare weekday meals: Robby cooking food processors combine food preparation and cooking, while Instant Pot and Midea multi-cookers are worth considering when cooking matters more than built-in ingredient preparation.
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Robby Smart cooking food processor with XL bowl
Worth considering if you want to prepare and cook meals with a food processor that has a touchscreen. The product name mentions built-in scales; check which recipes are available for this model and the terms of use.
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Robby Multifunction cooking food processor with built-in scales
Worth considering if you’d like guidance as you prepare and cook meals. The product name lists a touchscreen and 680 recipes; compare the usable capacity with your usual portion sizes and check the terms of access to the recipes.
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Instant Pot Classic 5.7 L, Daydream Blue
Worth considering if you prepare ingredients separately and are mainly looking for a multi-cooker. The product name lists a 5.7 L capacity, seven functions and four customisable presets. When pressure cooking, follow the manufacturer’s fill limits and steam-release instructions.
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Instant Pot Rio XL 7.1 L
Worth considering if you’d like a larger cooking pot for meals centred on cooking, while keeping another tool for preparing ingredients. The product name lists seven functions and a stainless-steel inner pot. Follow the manufacturer’s fill limits and steam-release instructions.
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Midea 9-in-1 pressure multi-cooker, 8 L, black
Worth considering if you cook larger quantities and prepare ingredients with other utensils. The product name lists an 8 L capacity, 1,200 W and 12 preset menus. Before finding a place for it in your kitchen, check its dimensions and the cleaning instructions for its parts.
Frequently asked questions
Are guided recipes essential for using a cooking food processor?
No. Que Choisir says they aren’t essential. However, they can help if you want to follow on-screen instructions or plan your meals. Check which functions are available on the model you choose.
Do you need a subscription to access the recipes?
It depends on the service that comes with the model. Vorwerk describes Cookidoo as a service offering guided recipes and meal planning, among other features. Before choosing a connected appliance, check what remains available without a subscription and the terms that apply after any trial.
How can you check whether a cooking food processor suits your household’s portion sizes?
Compare the quantities you usually cook with the model’s usable capacity or fill limit, rather than looking only at the bowl’s total capacity. For the Cook Expert featured, Magimix gives a usable capacity of 2.5 L for a 3.5 L bowl. Lidl gives the Monsieur Cuisine Smart a maximum fill level of 3 L in its 4.5 L bowl.