Choose a programmable multicooker if you mainly want to set a dish cooking and spend less time keeping an eye on it. You’ll still need to prepare the ingredients and stir if required. A cooking food processor is better suited to recipes that also involve chopping or mixing, while a food processor may be all you need if your existing appliances already take care of the cooking.
If your ingredients are ready, your priority is to let a programme cook everyday dishes so you don’t have to stay by the hob. A multicooker can help with suitable recipes, but it won’t remove every manual step.
If chopping and mixing take up a large part of your time in the kitchen, check which tasks a cooking food processor can handle before and during cooking. The accessories you need will depend on the recipes and the model.
If your hob, oven or another appliance already takes care of the cooking, a food processor can handle some chopping and mixing tasks. You’ll then need to use your existing cooking equipment.
For everyday dinners, identify which kitchen task holds you up most: keeping an eye on the cooking, preparing the ingredients, or both. Que Choisir distinguishes cooking food processors in particular by their ability to prepare and cook, while food processors handle preparation.
Worth considering: if you want to start a cooking programme suited to your dish and then get on with something else.
Bear in mind: chopping, adding ingredients and stirring if needed are still up to you.
Worth considering: if your recipes regularly combine food preparation and cooking.
Bear in mind: the bowl, blades and other accessories take up space and need cleaning.
Worth considering: if you mainly want to speed up slicing, chopping or kneading before using your usual appliances.
Bear in mind: you’ll need to transfer the food, and cooking remains a separate step.
| Criterion | What to check | Who is it for? |
|---|---|---|
| Keeping an eye on the cooking | Check that the programmes suit your dishes and see what you’ll need to do during a recipe. Confirm the keep-warm or delay-start function on the specific model. | If I start a dish before moving on to another task, I want to be able to leave the kitchen once I’ve added the ingredients. Around 42% of consumers prioritise spending less time monitoring the cooking. |
| Preparation and cooking in one appliance | Check which tasks and accessories are included, then consider the usable capacity and the space the appliance takes up. | When my recipes often involve chopping or mixing before cooking, I want to do these steps in the same appliance; around 33% of consumers prioritise this all-in-one approach. |
| Preparation with existing cooking appliances | Identify the repetitive tasks you want to hand over, and check which accessories are included and how they can be stored. | My appliances already cook meals, but chopping and mixing take up too much time. For around 25% of consumers, speeding up food preparation is the priority. |
A programme can manage the cooking without chopping the ingredients or stirring the dish. How much you need to do depends on the recipe and the appliance.
Think through a recipe you make often, from the first step to serving, to see what you’ll still need to do yourself.
The stated capacity isn’t necessarily the amount you can use for every preparation, especially if there’s a maximum fill level.
Compare the usable capacity and any stated limits with your usual recipes, rather than looking at the stated capacity alone.
Access to recipes and related features varies by appliance and connected service. For example, Vorwerk offers Cookidoo with a subscription after any applicable included periods.
Check which recipes are available without a subscription and whether you can cook manually if you don’t use the service.
A cooking food processor or food processor can mean extra bowls, blades and discs to handle after a meal, even if its features suit your recipes.
Measure the space needed with the bowl in place, then check which accessories are actually included and which parts are dishwasher-safe.
These ranges show different ways to prepare meals. Check the features and accessories for the specific model you’re considering.
The Cookeo range includes multicookers focused on programmable cooking, while Companion combines food preparation and cooking.
Cook Expert combines food preparation and cooking features, with different versions offering different capacities.
Thermomix combines a cooking food processor with guided recipes from the Cookidoo ecosystem.
These appliances meet two of the needs covered here: preparing and cooking with a cooking food processor, or programming the cooking with a multicooker. For each model, compare the listed features with the steps in your evening meal recipes.
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Worth considering if your recipes involve preparing and cooking ingredients in the same appliance.
Advertised features include built-in scales and a large touchscreen. Before relying on it to cook without supervision, check the instructions and see what the recipe requires you to do.
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Worth considering if you want to programme a meal to cook after preparing the ingredients.
The model name indicates 9 menus, two pressure settings and a frying function. Check the manual steps involved in your recipes, as well as the space and maintenance required.
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Worth considering if you alternate between pressure cooking, slow cooking and steaming for everyday meals.
This model is described as a 7-in-1 multicooker with four customisable presets. If you need to start a meal at a specific time, check whether it has a delay-start function. You’ll also need to allow for steam release after pressure cooking.
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Worth considering if you cook several portions and want different cooking modes in one appliance.
The model name indicates a 7,1 L capacity and a 7-in-1 configuration; compare the usable capacity with your recipes too. Check for delay-start and keep-warm functions if your routine depends on them, and allow time for steam release after pressure cooking.
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Worth considering if you want to programme cooking and prepare quantities to suit your household.
The model name indicates 12 preset menus, a power rating of 1 200 W and a non-stick inner pot. Check the usable capacity, available space and fill limits for pressure cooking.
Not necessarily. It can manage the cooking once programmed, but you’ll still need to prepare the ingredients and may need to stir. Read through the steps of a recipe you make regularly before relying on it to cook without supervision.
Usable capacity gives you a better idea of how much you can actually prepare, as the bowl may have a maximum fill level below its stated capacity. Check this limit and the quantities required by your recipes, especially when pressure cooking.
No. Access terms depend on the appliance and its ecosystem. Vorwerk offers Cookidoo with a subscription after any applicable included periods. For the model you’re considering, check which recipes are available without this service and whether you can cook manually.
Check how many parts need washing after the recipes you usually make and whether they’re dishwasher-safe. Also look at how the accessories can be stored and whether spare parts are available for the specific model.