A cooking food processor could suit you if you want to prepare and cook a variety of meals in one appliance, provided you have space to use it and are happy to clean its parts. If your ingredients are already prepared and you’re mainly looking to manage the cooking, consider a multi-cooker instead. If you want to chop or knead without changing how you cook, a food processor may be enough. Your existing appliances are also an option if they already cover these steps.
The key question is whether you want an appliance to handle ingredient preparation, cooking, or both.
If you’d like to spend less time keeping an eye on your cooking, compare the programmes and usage instructions for multi-cookers. A cooking food processor could be a good fit if you also want to do some of the preparation in the appliance.
An appliance that combines preparation, cooking and guided recipes can help you plan a range of meals. Check the features of the model you’re considering and how you access its recipes : these vary between ranges.
If you already own a food processor or several cooking appliances, identify which tasks you still find challenging. Also measure the space needed to use the appliance and store its accessories.
To compare your options, start with the steps you’d like an appliance to handle. UFC-Que Choisir’s guide to cooking food processors also recommends considering how much space they take up and how easy they are to clean.
Consider it : if you want to combine some preparation and cooking tasks for a variety of meals.
Bear in mind : you’ll need space for the appliance and will have to clean the parts used for each recipe.
Consider it : if your ingredients are already prepared and you’re mainly looking for a cooking pot with modes suited to the dishes you make.
Bear in mind : cooking modes alone won’t chop, grate or knead ingredients.
Consider it : if chopping, grating or kneading takes up too much of your time, but you’re happy with your cooking equipment.
Bear in mind : you’ll still need to cook your preparations separately.
Consider them : if your equipment already covers the preparation and cooking you do most often.
Bear in mind : you’ll still need to manage the steps between these appliances yourself.
| Priority | What to check | What you need |
|---|---|---|
| Time at the hob | Check which cooking modes are actually available, which steps you’ll need to do by hand and whether the model needs to be monitored. | I’d like to be able to do other things during some stages, without assuming the appliance can be left unattended. |
| Preparation and variety | Check chopping, grating, kneading and cooking separately. Look at the guided recipes and how you can access them. | To add variety to my meals, I mainly need help preparing ingredients, following the steps, or both. |
| Capacity | Compare the usable capacity, the number of portions stated and any limits for the recipes you plan to make. | I sometimes make several portions ; I need a cooking pot suited to those meals, not just a large stated capacity. |
| Available space | Measure the width, depth and height of the space you have in mind. Allow room to open the lid and store accessories. | I need to be able to use my worktop with the appliance in place and its parts close to hand. |
| Cleaning | Identify the parts you’ll need to wash after your usual recipes and check the manual to see whether they’re dishwasher-safe. | An appliance I plan to use often should also be easy to clean after a meal. |
A cooking food processor combines preparation and cooking, while a multi-cooker focuses on cooking in a pot. If your current utensils already prepare ingredients the way you like, you may not use the extra functions very often.
Make a note of the tasks you want the appliance to handle : chopping, kneading, slow cooking, steaming or pressure cooking. Then compare the features of the specific model.
The cooking pot, open lid and accessories all need space while you’re using or storing the appliance. So the relevant dimensions go beyond the product’s front-facing footprint.
Measure the entire space, including the height beneath your cupboards, then check how much room you’ll need to remove the pot and open the lid.
Recipes built into an appliance and a catalogue accessed through a service are two different things. For example, Vorwerk states that access to Cookidoo requires a subscription after a trial period.
Check which recipes are built into the model you’re considering, which require an account or subscription, and what remains available without the service.
Depending on the recipe, you may need to clean the cooking pot, lid, blades and accessories. The number of functions doesn’t tell you how many parts you’ll need to wash after a typical meal.
Check the manual for the parts you’ll use most often and their cleaning instructions ; also consider how easy they are to take apart.
These ranges show different ways of combining preparation, cooking and guided recipes ; features vary by model.
Moulinex offers Cookeo multi-cookers and Companion cooking food processors. The two ranges are worth comparing depending on whether you mainly want help with cooking or also with preparing ingredients.
The Thermomix TM7 is for people interested in a cooking food processor with built-in modes and a guided recipe service.
The Cook Expert combines preparation and cooking with several bowls ; it’s worth checking its usable capacity and the space it needs carefully.
This selection includes two cooking food processors that combine preparation and cooking, followed by three multi-cookers for households that already prepare their ingredients and are mainly looking for a cooking pot.
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Worth considering if you want to prepare and cook in the same appliance while following recipes on screen. The stated usable capacity is 3 L, and the listed dimensions are 40 × 26 × 36 cm. The title and description give different numbers of pre-loaded recipes : confirm the figure for the version on offer, as well as the terms for accessing new recipes.
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This model combines preparation and cooking functions with guided recipes. Its stainless steel bowl is listed as 3.5 L, and its dimensions as 38 × 28.5 × 31 cm. The product description says not to leave the appliance unattended while it’s running. It also says to wash the accessories by hand, despite the rinse programme.
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Consider it if you’re mainly looking to cook meals for several people in one pot. The stated capacity is 7.1 L, for up to eight portions, and the modes listed include pressure cooking, slow cooking and steaming. Check that your existing utensils cover ingredient preparation and that the dimensions of 30.9 × 41.5 × 29.8 cm will fit in your kitchen.
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This option is for programmable cooking when other utensils already cover ingredient preparation. The stated capacity is 5.7 L, for up to six portions, with seven cooking modes and four customisable programmes. Measure the space you have in mind and confirm the appliance’s dimensions before choosing it.
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Worth considering if you cook large quantities and want programmes for one-pot cooking. The stated capacity is 8 L, for up to ten portions, with twelve pre-set programmes. Before setting aside space for it, confirm its dimensions and check how to clean the parts you’ll use.
A cooking food processor can handle preparation steps as well as a built-in cooking stage, while a food processor is mainly designed for tasks such as chopping, grating, mixing or kneading. UFC-Que Choisir’s testing protocols distinguish between these uses; that doesn’t mean every model has all these functions. If your current equipment already cooks your meals the way you like, start by comparing only the preparation tasks you’re missing.
A multi-cooker is worth considering if you already prepare your ingredients and mainly want a choice of cooking modes in one pot. Check that the model you’re considering has modes suited to the dishes you make, and read its monitoring instructions ; don’t assume it can chop or knead just because it has several programmes.
Identify the parts that come into contact with food in the recipes you usually make : the bowl, lid, seal, blades or basket, depending on the appliance. Then check the manual to see which parts can be removed and which are dishwasher-safe. A rinse programme won’t necessarily mean you can skip washing the accessories.
No, it depends on the model and the associated service. Vorwerk, for example, distinguishes access to Cookidoo from using the Thermomix. Before choosing an appliance for its recipes, check which are built in, which require an account or subscription, and which remain available without the service.