For weeknight meals that mainly involve cooking rice, simmering or steaming with little supervision, start by comparing programmable multi-cookers. A cooking food processor is better suited to a different need if you regularly chop, mix or knead before or during cooking. Sticking with your saucepans, frying pan and oven still makes sense if your recipes use several cooking zones, or if the appliance you’re considering would take up too much space and time to clean.
If your meals often include rice, steamed vegetables or slow-cooked dishes, a multi-cooker is worth considering. It handles cooking according to its programmes, but some recipes still require preparation or input from you.
For soups, sauces or doughs that regularly need chopping, mixing or kneading, look at the functions and attachments of a cooking food processor. Its value depends on the steps you actually do each week.
For family meals or food to keep for later, compare the usable capacity with the quantities in your usual recipes. The bowl’s or cooking pot’s total volume doesn’t necessarily match the amount you can cook in it.
Consider it: if your meals mainly involve starting a cooking programme for rice, steamed vegetables or slow-cooked dishes.
The trade-off: you’ll generally need to step in or use another utensil for chopping, blending or kneading.
Consider it: if your regular recipes combine cooking with ingredient preparation using suitable attachments.
The trade-off: every attachment you use adds another step when it comes to putting things away and cleaning up.
Stick with it: if you often cook with several saucepans, a frying pan or an oven at the same time.
The trade-off: you won’t get the automated programmes offered by a dedicated appliance.
Think through a few meals you actually make, then check the functions, quantities and cleaning involved. In a 2020 survey, Que Choisir questioned 1,695 of its newsletter subscribers who owned cooking food processors. The self-reported results below apply to those respondents, not all French households or multi-cookers. The answers relate to different outcomes and may overlap.
| Priority | What to check | What I need |
|---|---|---|
| Time on hand | Look for settings that suit your dishes, and distinguish between cooking time, delayed start and keep-warm functions. Check each feature on the model you’re considering. | I’d like to get on with something else while the food cooks, without assuming that meal preparation takes care of itself. Among respondents to Que Choisir’s 2020 survey, 52% felt their cooking food processor saved them time in the kitchen. |
| Preparation steps | List the recipes that need chopping, mixing, whisking or kneading. Check which attachments are included and which tasks you’ll still need to do by hand. | Do my menus include enough multi-step recipes to make use of these functions? In Que Choisir’s 2020 survey, 49% of respondents said their cooking food processor had helped them expand their recipe repertoire. |
| Cooking habits | Compare the meals you make regularly with the recipes available for the appliance. For guided recipes, check access requirements and any ingredients or attachments you’ll need. | If I want to cook more meals from scratch instead of using ready meals, the recipes on offer need to suit the food I make. In 2020, Que Choisir reported that 59% of survey respondents said they ate fewer ready meals after starting to use their cooking food processor. This is what they reported, not a guaranteed result. |
| Capacity | Compare the usable capacity and fill limits with the quantities in your recipes, especially for liquid dishes. Don’t estimate portions from the total volume alone. | To cook several portions, I need to know how much will actually fit in the cooking pot or bowl without having to cook another batch. |
| Space and maintenance | Measure the space available and check the appliance’s dimensions. See which parts need washing and whether they’re dishwasher-safe. | I want to keep the appliance somewhere convenient and clean it after the meals I usually make, without creating unnecessary washing-up. |
| Connected features | Check what works without an internet connection, how recipes are accessed and whether a subscription may need renewing. | Am I interested enough in guided recipes to use an account or app, or are the programmes available directly on the appliance enough for me? |
You can’t necessarily fill a cooking pot to its stated capacity. Que Choisir gives the example of a 6 l Cookeo pot with a 4 l cooking limit. This distinction matters if you’re preparing several portions of a liquid or bulky dish.
Check the model’s usable capacity and fill limits, then compare them with the quantities in your recipes.
A cooking food processor can combine preparation and cooking, but these functions are less useful if your meals mainly involve cooking or simmering. You’ll still need to consider the space it takes up on your worktop and the time needed to wash its attachments.
Make a note of five to ten meals you cook during the week. If chopping, blending or kneading comes up often, check which attachments are included; otherwise, start by comparing the cooking functions you need.
Depending on the model, guided recipes or their updates may require an internet connection, an account or a subscription. Vorwerk France, for example, says that Cookidoo subscriptions renew automatically after 12 months.
Check which features work offline, how recipes are accessed, and the renewal or cancellation terms for any subscription.
These ranges illustrate features to compare on the exact model you’re considering; this doesn’t mean they’re among the products listed below.
Cookeo is a range of multi-cookers with guided cooking, while Companion combines food preparation and cooking in a range of cooking food processors.
The Cook Expert range combines food preparation and cooking; capacities vary by model.
Thermomix combines a cooking food processor with the Cookidoo guided-recipe platform.
This selection from Joybuy includes a cooking food processor for recipes that combine preparation and cooking, as well as multi-cookers for meals centred on cooking. For each one, compare the stated features with your menus, portion sizes and available space.
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For recipes where you need to weigh ingredients before cooking, this food processor combines an XL bowl with built-in scales. Check the bowl’s usable capacity and the contents of the guided recipes against the meals you make.
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Worth considering if you’re looking for a multi-cooker for meals you make regularly. The 7,1 L in its name doesn’t tell you the usable capacity, so compare that with your portion sizes and check which settings your recipes need, particularly if you want to delay the start.
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If you like to plan ahead for certain cooking tasks, this model’s name indicates 24-hour programming, nine menus and two pressure settings. Check the usable capacity rather than relying on the stated 6 L alone, as well as electrical compatibility and the language of the instructions and controls for use in France.
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Consider it if your recipes make use of this model’s stated cooking functions and built-in scales. The stated 6 L capacity doesn’t replace a check of the usable capacity; also check its dimensions, cleaning requirements and electrical compatibility for use in France.
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For regular meals that call for different cooking methods, this multi-cooker’s name indicates 12 preset menus, including rice and steaming settings. Compare the usable capacity with your portion sizes rather than relying on the stated 8 L alone; also check the dimensions, cleaning requirements and electrical compatibility for use in France.
It can handle meals where cooking is the main task, such as rice, slow-cooked dishes or steamed food, provided its programmes suit your recipes. If you often need to chop, blend, whisk or knead, check the attachments available for a cooking food processor instead. A multi-cooker generally won’t do these steps for you.
Look up the usable capacity and fill limits for the exact model, then compare them with your portion sizes. Que Choisir, for example, says that a 6 l Cookeo pot has a cooking limit of 4 l. For the Cook Expert XL reviewed, Magimix lists a total capacity of 4,8 l and a usable capacity of 3,8 l.
It depends on the appliance and the features you want to use. Vorwerk France links access to Cookidoo with a subscription that renews automatically after 12 months, while Moulinex lists recipe updates over Wi-Fi for Cookeo Touch. Before choosing, check which recipes and controls are available without a subscription or an internet connection on the exact model.
Count the parts that get dirty when you make your usual recipes, then check how they need to be washed and how much room you’ll need to store the appliance and its attachments. Que Choisir recommends taking maintenance and the space a cooking food processor takes up into account. A handy programme during cooking won’t eliminate the chores afterwards.