If you regularly make soups, sauces or slow-cooked dishes and want to prepare and cook them in the same appliance, a cooking food processor could be what you need. If you already prepare ingredients with your existing equipment, a multi-cooker may be enough to automate the cooking. Keeping your food processor and cooking appliances is also a sensible option if food preparation features matter more to you. In each case, compare the usable capacity, space needed, cleaning requirements and access to recipes.
You want to go from mixing to cooking soups, sauces or slow-cooked dishes without using a separate saucepan. According to Que Choisir, integrated cooking is precisely what sets a cooking food processor apart from a conventional food processor.
You already chop or blend your ingredients, but want a cooking pot for slow cooking or pressure cooking. The cooking modes featured by Philips France for its multi-cooker illustrate this other priority: cooking rather than integrated food preparation.
Your food processor or utensils already do the chopping, grating or kneading. Before adding a cooking food processor, consider whether integrated cooking would save you enough transferring between appliances to justify the space it takes up and the extra cleaning.
For soups, sauces, slow-cooked dishes and steaming, the first question is whether you also want to prepare ingredients in the appliance. Capacity, accessories and cleaning requirements then help you compare models.
Worth considering if: you regularly want to prepare and cook in the same appliance.
The trade-off: you’ll need to make space for it and check that its accessories really cover the recipes you make.
Worth considering if: you already prepare your ingredients and mainly want to programme slow cooking, steaming or pressure cooking.
The trade-off: you’ll still need other utensils for chopping, grating or kneading.
Keep these if: your main tasks are chopping, grating, slicing or kneading, and your current appliances already take care of the cooking.
The trade-off: you’ll need to transfer ingredients between preparation and cooking.
| Criteria | What to check | Who is it for? |
|---|---|---|
| Preparation and cooking in one appliance | Check which steps in your recipes the appliance can handle in sequence, and which accessories are actually included. | If I often make soups and sauces, I want to avoid switching from a food processor to a saucepan. Around 33% of consumers put this all-in-one approach at the top of their list. |
| Programmable cooking | Check for the cooking modes you need, especially slow cooking, pressure cooking and steaming, as well as the bowl capacity. | I already prepare my ingredients; it’s mainly the cooking I want to simplify. For around 25% of consumers, programmable cooking is the priority. |
| Equipment you already own | Compare the features and accessories of your current food processor with those of the model you’re considering. | I already chop or knead with my food processor and want to avoid paying for features I already have. Keeping this equipment is the main priority for around 25% of consumers. |
| Cleaning and recipes | Check which parts are dishwasher-safe and which recipes you can access without a subscription. | If I’m going to use the appliance regularly, I want to be able to clean its parts and use its recipes without any everyday restrictions. These are priorities for around 17% of consumers. |
A cooking food processor heats food, but that doesn’t guarantee the model you choose will come with the accessories needed for grating, slicing or kneading. According to Que Choisir, cooking is what sets this category apart from food processors, not a standard set of food preparation features.
Choose a few recipes you actually make and check, step by step, which functions and accessories come with the exact model.
The total volume doesn’t always match the amount you can cook. Magimix, for example, lists a 3.5 L bowl and a usable capacity of 2.5 L for the Cook Expert Connect.
Compare the usable capacity and the space needed for the appliance, its bowl and accessories, rather than relying on the stated volume alone.
A free app and a recipe library that requires a subscription don’t offer the same terms of use. These vary by brand and model.
Check which recipes are available without a subscription, the renewal terms and whether you can cook in manual mode.
In France, the legal guarantee of conformity is compulsory for goods sold by a business to a consumer, as the Ministry of the Economy reminds shoppers. This is separate from any commercial guarantee offered with the appliance.
Read the commercial guarantee terms separately, including exclusions and how to make a claim, and keep your proof of purchase and the product description.
The Companion range may appeal to households looking for a cooking food processor with food preparation accessories.
According to Magimix, the Cook Expert combines cooking with food preparation tasks such as grating, slicing, kneading and whisking.
The Thermomix TM7 may appeal to anyone who wants to follow guided recipes on the appliance’s screen.
These appliances offer two ways to cook: cooking food processors that combine preparation and cooking, and multi-cookers for households that already prepare their ingredients and mainly want to manage the cooking. If your food processor and current appliances meet your needs, keeping them is another option.
Image unavailable
Worth considering if you want to prepare and cook soups or sauces in the same appliance.
The model name mentions an XL bowl, built-in scales and a large touchscreen. Before choosing this model, check the usable capacity, included accessories, electrical compatibility and recipe access terms.
Image unavailable
Compare this model if you want to prepare ingredients and then cook them with the help of recipes displayed on screen.
The model name mentions built-in scales, a touchscreen and 680 recipes. Check the usable capacity, dimensions, dishwasher-safe parts and electrical compatibility of this model.
Image unavailable
Worth considering if you already prepare your ingredients and want to use a cooking pot for slow cooking or steaming.
The model name specifies a 5.7 L capacity, seven functions including slow cooking and steaming, and four customisable programmes. It won’t replace your chopping or grating utensils; when pressure cooking, follow the filling limits and opening instructions.
Image unavailable
Compare this model for cooking larger meals if you already prepare ingredients using other utensils.
The model name specifies an 8 L pot, 1,200 W of power and 12 pre-set programmes. Check its usable capacity, dimensions and electrical compatibility before making space for it in your kitchen.
Image unavailable
Worth considering if you want to bring cooking together in one appliance for smaller quantities, while continuing to prepare ingredients separately.
The model name specifies a 3.8 L capacity, seven functions and up to four portions. Check that the pot suits your recipes and that the plug and voltage are compatible with your setup; follow the opening instructions when pressure cooking.
Not necessarily: a cooking food processor adds cooking, but its food preparation features depend on the model and the accessories supplied. Compare the tasks you usually do — chopping, grating, slicing, kneading or whisking — with the functions the model you’re considering actually offers.
No, access terms vary depending on the appliance and the service it uses. Moulinex offers a free app for the documented Companion XL, while Vorwerk provides Cookidoo with subscription terms. Before buying, check which recipes are available without renewing a subscription and which manual functions are included.
Check the cleaning instructions for each part of the model you’ve chosen: bowl, lid, seals, blades and accessories. A “dishwasher-safe” label for some parts doesn’t mean they can all be cleaned this way.
For purchases from a business, the legal guarantee of conformity applies to new, second-hand and refurbished goods, as the Ministry of the Economy reminds shoppers. Keep your proof of purchase and the advertised product details so you can report the discrepancy to the seller. Any commercial guarantee is separate from this legal protection.