A cooking food processor can earn its place in a small kitchen if you regularly use its preparation and cooking functions and can keep it within easy reach. If your existing appliances already take care of cooking, a food processor is better suited to chopping or mixing; if you’re mainly looking for cooking programmes, a multi-cooker may be a better fit. In either case, remember to allow space for the accessories and the parts that need cleaning.
You want to cut down on transferring food between chopping, mixing and cooking, and can keep the appliance and its accessories somewhere within easy reach. UFC-Que Choisir highlights the space an appliance takes up as a factor to consider when buying.
Your hob, oven or slow cooker is all you need to cook meals. You’re mainly looking for help with slicing, grating, blending or kneading, while keeping cooking as a separate step.
You prefer guided cooking that needs little supervision. However, check which chopping or blending steps you’ll still need to do with your usual utensils.
The question is whether you want to combine preparation and cooking, complement your cooking appliances or simply make cooking easier. UFC-Que Choisir distinguishes between these types of appliance and points out that a multifunction model won’t necessarily perform every task equally well.
Consider it: if you plan to prepare and cook food regularly in the same appliance.
Bear in mind: you’ll need to keep the appliance and its accessories somewhere accessible, and several parts may need cleaning.
Consider it: if you already have cooking covered and mainly need help preparing ingredients.
Bear in mind: cooking remains a separate step, using its own appliances and utensils.
Consider it: if you’re mainly looking for programmes that let you cook meals with less supervision.
Bear in mind: its cooking modes won’t automatically replace chopping, mincing or blending.
| What matters to you | What to check before buying | Who is it for? |
|---|---|---|
| Combining preparation and cooking | Check which tasks the model can handle and which accessories are actually included. Measure the space you’ll need to use the bowl and open the lid. | If I want to move from preparation to cooking with fewer transfers, I need to be able to keep the appliance close to hand. Around 42% of consumers would make this integration their priority. |
| Cooking without constant supervision | Look at the programmes, guidance and bowl capacity in relation to your usual portion sizes; check how you can access the recipes. | For everyday meals, I prefer guided steps and cooking that needs less attention, even if I prepare the ingredients separately. This would be a priority for around 33% of consumers. |
| Speeding up preparation | Check the chopping, blending or kneading functions and accessories, then make sure you have room to store them. | My current appliances already cook my meals; I want to make food preparation easier. Around 25% of consumers would put this need first. |
Cooking food processors, food processors and multi-cookers don’t all handle the same tasks. UFC-Que Choisir also points out that versatility doesn’t guarantee equally good results for every function.
Make a list of the things you prepare regularly, then check each task against the functions and accessories included with the model you’re considering.
Depending on the appliance, guided cooking may rely on an app or a subscription. A cooking programme also doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get guidance on preparing the ingredients.
Check which recipes and functions are available without a subscription, as well as the renewal terms if you want to use an associated service.
Bowls, discs and other parts all need storage space. In a 2020 survey of food processor owners, UFC-Que Choisir also found that washing up was one reason people used their appliances less often.
Check the dimensions of the whole appliance, the space needed to handle the bowl and exactly which parts are listed as dishwasher-safe.
Parts availability depends in particular on the manufacturer’s commitments, as explained by the French Directorate-General for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control.
For your chosen model, check whether the bowls, lids, seals or blades you might need are available, and find out how repairs are arranged.
These products let you compare a food processor that combines preparation and cooking with two multi-cookers designed for cooking. Consider how much room they’ll take up in your kitchen and which steps you’ll still need to do separately.
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Worth considering if you want to combine preparation and cooking in one appliance.
The product name indicates that it has built-in scales, a touchscreen and 680 recipes. Check how much room you’ll need to open the lid, store the accessories and clean the parts.
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Worth considering if cooking is your priority and you can prepare the ingredients separately.
This version is listed with a 5.7 L capacity, slow-cooking and steaming functions, and four customisable pre-sets. Check its external dimensions before deciding where to put it; when pressure cooking, follow the filling and opening instructions.
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Worth considering if you’re looking for cooking programmes and have room for an 8 L bowl.
The product name indicates 12 pre-set programmes and a power rating of 1200 W. Check the external dimensions, voltage and whether the plug is compatible with your set-up. When pressure cooking, follow the filling and opening instructions.
Measure the space you have in mind, as well as the room needed to open the lid and remove the bowl. Allow space for the accessories too: an appliance stored out of reach may be used less often day to day.
It depends on the appliance and the recipe service it comes with. Before choosing, distinguish between the recipes included with the product and those available through an app or subscription, then check the renewal terms.
Check which parts need to be removed and which are dishwasher-safe for the specific model. In a 2020 survey of food processor owners, UFC-Que Choisir cited the amount of washing up as one reason people used their appliances less often; this finding alone doesn’t describe how all French consumers use their appliances today.
For goods sold by a trader to a consumer in France, the legal guarantee of conformity applies to new, second-hand and refurbished products, according to the French Directorate-General for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control. Keep your proof of purchase and the description of the functions or accessories advertised for the model you receive.