A multifunction cooking food processor is best suited to meals that involve both preparing ingredients and cooking them, provided its accessories, size and cleaning requirements fit your routine. If chopping, kneading or cooking is your main priority, a specialist appliance used alongside the equipment you already own may be a better fit. Before choosing, check which functions are actually included and how you can access the recipes.
If your meals often involve chopping, mixing and cooking, a cooking food processor is worth considering to reduce the need to transfer ingredients between appliances. However, compare the steps it can actually handle for the dishes you usually make.
If a hob, oven or multicooker already meets your needs, a multifunction food processor without a cooking function can take care of chopping, grating, blending or kneading without replacing your cooking equipment.
If whisking and kneading are central to your cooking, look at food mixers with a cooking function. According to GIFAM, a food mixer is primarily designed for kneading and mixing, so check the heating options and accessories available with the version you are considering.
Start with the step that takes you the most time, then compare the advertised functions with the space you have, the cleaning involved and the services you will use. The two figures below come from a survey published by UFC-Que Choisir in January 2020, based on 1,695 of its newsletter subscribers who owned a food processor. They reflect respondents’ answers, not the experience of all French households.
| Priority | What to check | Consider your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Preparation and cooking | Identify the tasks your dishes require: chopping, blending, mixing, heating or steaming. Check how these steps fit together and which accessories you need for the model you are considering. | I want to cut down on handling between preparation and cooking. In UFC-Que Choisir’s 2020 survey, 52% of the 1,695 owners questioned said their cooking food processor saved them time in the kitchen. |
| Type of appliance | A multifunction food processor prepares ingredients, while a multicooker is mainly for cooking. For dough, look at the kneading and heating functions of a food mixer with a cooking function, depending on the version. | Chopping slows me down more than cooking, or I would rather keep my existing preparation tools and automate the cooking instead. |
| Home-cooked meals | Compare the dishes you plan to make each week with the functions available, rather than relying on the number of programmes. | I’d like to cook more meals from scratch. In the same UFC-Que Choisir survey published in 2020, 59% of the 1,695 owners questioned said they ate fewer ready meals with their cooking food processor. This self-reported result does not predict the effect of an individual purchase. |
| Accessories | Check which bowls, blades and steaming baskets are included with the exact model. Make sure you know which functions come as standard and which accessories are sold separately. | I grate or steam food every week, so I need to be able to do these tasks with the equipment I actually plan to use. |
| Storage and cleaning | Measure the storage space and the room you will need while using the appliance. Check the manual for cleaning instructions for the bowl, lid, seals and accessories. | I want to be able to set up the appliance and clean its parts without making weekday evenings more complicated. |
| Guided recipes | Check whether recipes are built in, accessed through an app or tied to a subscription. Also look at the access and renewal terms. | If I plan to rely on guided recipes to plan meals, I need to know which features will still be available after I buy the appliance. |
Grating, slicing or juicing may depend on accessories that are only supplied with certain versions. UFC-Que Choisir’s testing protocols assess these extra functions only when the relevant accessories are included.
Make a list of the dishes you usually prepare, then check what comes in the box and whether any accessories are compatible with the exact model.
Washing a bowl, blades and lid after every meal can affect how practical an appliance is for everyday use. In its 2020 survey, UFC-Que Choisir listed having too much washing up as one of the reasons respondents gave for using their appliance less.
For the recipe you make most often, work out which parts will need washing and check their care instructions, especially for the seals and blades.
Recipe and meal-planning features do not come with the same terms across every brand. For example, Vorwerk says that Cookidoo subscriptions renew automatically after twelve months.
Check which features are built into the appliance, which require an app, and which need a subscription or a connected device.
An appliance designed for cooking will not necessarily chop or knead; conversely, a multifunction food processor without a cooking function leaves cooking to another appliance. If you do not distinguish between these uses, your main problem may remain unsolved.
Work out whether meal preparation, keeping an eye on cooking or working with dough takes up most of your time, then compare the different types of appliance for that task.
These options offer two ways to approach weekday meals: a cooking food processor that combines preparation and cooking, followed by two appliances focused mainly on cooking if you already prepare ingredients with other tools.
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Worth considering if you want to combine preparation and cooking in one appliance. Check which accessories are included, the cleaning instructions and the terms for accessing the advertised recipes.
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An option focused on cooking if you already have tools for preparing ingredients. Its stated capacity is 7.1 L; check the manual for cleaning instructions for each part.
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Worth considering for separate cooking if you already have the tools to prepare ingredients. Before using it in France, check the voltage, plug type and cleaning instructions for this model.
No. It can combine preparation and cooking, but grating, blending or juicing depends on the functions and accessories included with the model you choose. Check what comes in the box for every task you want it to handle.
Yes, if you plan to use the appliance several times a week: cleaning is part of the work involved after every meal. UFC-Que Choisir recommends checking how easy an appliance is to maintain. Consult the model’s manual to find out which parts can go in the dishwasher and under what conditions.
It depends on the service that comes with the appliance. Vorwerk says Cookidoo subscriptions renew automatically after twelve months. Before choosing a model for its recipes, check which are built into the appliance and which features require an account, subscription or connection.
Start with the tasks you actually do: steaming, grating, slicing, blending or kneading. For every function you need, check whether the accessory is included with the exact model, how to clean it and whether it can be replaced.