Help choosing food processor

nuatha

A lot depends on how you envisage using it.
I have a biffinet food processor (Lidl) which covers my grating shredding and blitzing needs. Theblender attachment is rarely used these days as I tend to use a stick blender.
Cake mixing, bread kneading etc is covered by a Kenwood Chef.
If I was starting from scratch, I would go down the Chef route and add its grating attachments. The only thing I find that the Chef doesn't cover is blitzing, for this I'd opt for a stick blender with a bowl/jug.
HTH

Need2bthrifty

As previous posters have said I think it’s important to think about what job you want the appliance to do, below is a list of what I have and they all get used but for different jobs.

Kenwood Chef (701A) plus liquidiser (a 1970’s model which I inherited)
Kenwood Food Processer (FP110 series)
Kenwood mini chopper
Pacific Hand Blender

Although I am mainly cooking just for myself I’m a great believer in batch cooking and I use the Chef liquidiser most often for soups, sauces, puree’s, smoothies.

The Chef Mixer for things like scones, pastry and some cakes.

Next would be the mini chopper, great for small quantities, anything from breadcrumbs, pesto, sauces, and pulsing small amounts of veg or meat.

The Hand Blender I use quite a bit for desserts, all-in-one cake recipes, ice creams and of course essential, IMO, for meringues.

My Food Processor is the one that gets used the least although it comes with various attachments including grater, slicer, juicer & whisk. I only ever seem to use the grater for large batches of veg for coleslaw/soups – the main blade gets used for pulsing things like meat/veg for Meatloaf/Burgers or the like but only when I’m making large amounts and to be honest I could do it by hand with less things to wash-up.

I hope I haven’t confused the issue but in my mind it depends on what kind of lifestyle/situation you are in and where you feel the appliance will make the difference.

Pink.

Hi Mrs Monkey Boy,

As your thread has now dropped down the board I've added it to the existing thread on choosing a food processor where you'll find more advice.

Pink

Gaaraz

Hi,

I'm after a food processor but have no idea what to look for - I guess something that we can use for making cakes etc (they always seem to come out better in a food processor!) but a whole number of other things too, such as making smoothies etc - would that require a blender attachment?

Would welcome any recommendations - don't want to spend loads since I'm an awful chef, but similarly don't want to buy something and regret not getting something a little better

Thanks!

Pink.

This thread may help:

Help choosing food processor

I'll add your thread to that one later to keep the suggestions together.

Pink

joedenise

I had a small Kenwood processor. Got it in Tesco for about £25; think they're probably about £30 now.

I would get a separate blender/liquidiser for things like smoothies.

Denise

Gaaraz

Thanks! I really liked the idea of an all in one, but actually it makes so much more sense to get them seperate - then if one breaks I don't have to replace the whole lot!

Will have a read of that now, thanks Pink

amiaspden

It really depends on what you expect to use it for.

I got by for years on just a stick blender with the added goblets for chopping etc. Then finally splashed out on a Magimix because I wanted to make bigger quantities of coleslaw etc than I could manage with my biggest goblet. But there are still some things the stick blender is better at. The other day I was trying to grind sunflower seeds in the Magimix. I gave up after a few minutes, tipped them out into the stick blender goblet and had a fine powder in seconds!

The stick blender is much easier for soups than a liquidiser as you can zap it directly in the saucepan.

Cornucopia

I have an Argos Value Food Processor, and for the money (was £12) it is exceptionally good. The design has changed since I bought mine, though.

I believe that several retailers have their own value lines.