That said, we also looked at mini food processors (also called mini choppers). Some full-size models come with an extra, smaller bowl that essentially acts as a mini food processor, but in most cases, we cuisinart air fryer oven found that a dedicated mini processor did a better job. Mini food processors have bowls ranging in capacity from about 1½ cups to 6 cups, but we focused on those with a capacity of about three cups.
If an electric chopper is more your speed, the Cuisinart Mini Prep Plus Food Processor not only makes quick work of chopping small foods, from nuts to apples, but can also emulsify your salad dressings. The blades are very sharp, so take care when handling them, but a plastic piece on top of the blade cuisinart air fryer oven assembly provides a place to hold it safely. Browse our full selection offood processors and choppersto find exactly what you’re looking for. As for cleaning, The New Food Processor Bible’s Gilletz recommends putting water and a few drops of dish soap into the work bowl and running the machine.
Both cookbook authors we spoke with essentially said these add-ons were a waste of money, so we didn’t test any. She’s also a prolific food blogger and the author of “Make Ahead Bread,” which is aimed at demystifying the art of bread making. Donna loves checking out new kitchen cuisinart choppers gadgets—she’s tested hundreds of products for The Spruce Eats, including eight food choppers for this roundup. No need for electricity, manual pushing, or cranking—this cordless electric chopper has a 5-cup capacity and can chop up to 40 onions on a single charge.
You will be responsible for paying for your own shipping costs for returning your item. Shipping costs are non-refundable and we are not responsible for items lost in return transit, so you are encouraged to keep track of the tracking number. It features two speeds — chop and puree — so you can prepare anything from pico de gallo to pesto in one compact gadget. We also love that it has a drizzle basin where you can pour liquids in slowly for maximum emulsification and a pour spout for easy serving. If the item is not returned in its original condition, the buyer is responsible for any loss in value. Please note that any items on sale, or marked as final sale are NOT eligible for return.
Unlike manual choppers, though, electric food choppers can also make salad dressing, mayonnaise, and other emulsified sauces. To start, we tested how evenly each food processor could chop a variety of ingredients, including onions, fibrous carrots, soft tomatoes, delicate parsley, and whole almonds. We also made a 1-cup batch of mayonnaise in the processors to see how quickly and evenly they could produce a stable emulsification.
Consider including a Cuisinart food processor on your wedding registry as you set up your new home. This little chopper has a 3.5-cup bowl that is big enough for serious food prep when a full-sized food processor is too big for the job. It has two speeds and operates when the top is pressed down at the handle, so it’s easy to pulse or to run continuously.
The size of the feed tubes in the lid (used to insert potatoes, carrots, or other hunks of food to be sliced or shredded) also makes a difference. Most full-size processors come with a wide feed tube that’s fitted with a food presser, which has a narrower feed tube (with its own presser) in the center. The larger tube should be big enough to easily fit a block of cheese or a potato, so you don’t have to spend time cutting food into pieces that are small enough to fit. But the smaller tube needs to be narrow enough to keep carrots and other thin items upright during slicing.
Michael Sullivan has been a staff writer on the kitchen team at Wirecutter since 2016. Previously, he was an editor at the International Culinary Center in New York. He has worked in various facets of the food and restaurant industry for over a decade.
In our tests, we found that a 14-cup capacity food processor bowl was ideal for most people. In fact, of all the food processors, blenders, and immersion blenders we’ve tested for various guides, we found making mayo easiest in a mini food processor like the Food Chopper. That’s because its lid has a small indent to hold oil and a small hole that allows the oil to pour directly onto the blades so you have a consistent, measured stream.
And Cuisinart’s food processors have a solid reputation for overall durability—anecdotally, we know of some that have lasted for decades. The Cuisinart has a strong motor and a heavy base (roughly 18 pounds with the bowl on) that keeps it stable. Though its 750-watt motor is less powerful than those on some other models we tested, such as the 1,200-watt Breville Sous Chef (our upgrade pick), this didn’t negatively affect the Cuisinart’s performance. Making pizza dough was our most motor-intensive test, and the Custom 14 kneaded it effortlessly, without wiggling across the counter like some other processors we tried.