Which food processor would you recommend?

[sunmoonstarstoo]

I'll be using it mainly for grating, chopping, slicing veg for casseroles, coleslaw etc. I might use it for mixing cakes but not often. I already have a blender but I guess I could save space in my cupboard if it was incorporated in the food processor. I'm looking for one that has inbuilt storage for grating discs etc as I don't want these rattling around in the cupboard (e.g. I've seen the Magimix has a storage box with it).

But ideally I don't want to spend £200 upwards if I can avoid it.

What food processor have you got and would you recommend it?

Thanks.

[StuntNun]

Magimix is good but it won't blend soups smoothly, and when using it for cutting, grating, etc. you can end up with a few large pieces that you need to chop manually or discard. It's great for grating cheese, Julienne strips, chopping onions finely and making dough or pastry. The mini bowl is good for chopping herbs and making salad dressings. It's not brilliant for cutting chips, it will really only do French fries and there is a certain amount of irregular bits you need to remove before cooking. HTH

[sunmoonstarstoo]

Thanks. TBH we never have chips but I would be regularly grating carrot, chopping onions, peppers etc. Do most food processors leave large pieces at the end that then have to be manually chopped? I guess they do ...

[StuntNun]

Probably although I've only had the one. My biggest disappointment was that it won't blend so I have a separate blender for soup etc. In all other respects I think the Magimix is a good food processor but I wanted to make you aware of the limitations. It is brilliant for pastry which I really appreciate as I hate the feeling of pastry stuck to my fingers and it's much more convenient than buying the ready made stuff which always seems to be the wrong shape/quantity. It's good for pizza base dough as well.

[sunmoonstarstoo]

Thanks. It's probably overkill for me as I use the bread machine for bread and pizza dough and my slow cooker and hand blender for soup, rarely make pastry these days although I hate the feeling of pastry or bread dough too.

It's a pity the little Magimix doesn't grate as that might be a better size for me

[sunmoonstarstoo]

Quick bump - are there any other food processors anyone would recommend? That are cheaper than the Magimix?

[sieglinde]

Sorry, but my recommendation is the even more expensive Cuisinart, which ACTUALLY WORKS and doesn't keep breaking like the two pesky Kenwoods I had. The Kenwoods had an infuriating flange which snapped off if you looked at it, and this meant replacing the whole lid; also it was never very powerful or well-designed. The Cuisinart is brilliant, just brilliant - and you can make homemade mayonnaise in it without even having to stand by it to dribble in the oil. John Lewis sell them. If you want something cheaper to chop and puree, I endlessly use the Bamix hand blender, which does everything - chops fine, mixes, whips - though in small, babymeal quantities. It won't slice carrots, though.