Family cooking - do I need a food processor?

[Superarchie]

After a couple of totally chaotic weekends trying to get meals on the table with kids running around I have worked out that I need to cook on industrial scale in advance.
I don't have a food processor - just an old kenwood chef with a chop attachment which is a bit of a hassle to dig out of the cupboard and then wash up.
Would a food processor help? Do you have one and use it regularly? If so, what do you use it for?

When I do industrial cooking of meals to freeze I tend to pull out the magi mix. Great for chopping all the veg, grating cheese for sauce etc.

I also use it for scones & rapid potato slicing for gratins etc.

I find them a faff to set up/clean so it depends on how much I have to do/how problematic it is.
For example: I will get it out once a month to roughly chop onions for the freezer because I do loads anmd it would make me cry for hours to do them by hand. I use it for grating chocolate because it is very quick and the chocolate doesn't have time to melt.
I don't use it for slicing thinly because i find the mandoline does a better job.
What would you use it for?

I wandered into the food processor section of the shop the other day and was wondering if I needed one, I know the Jamie Oliver 30 minute meal book introduction says you need one (which is why I've never used the book), so am basically just place marking to see what people have to say

Momb - I imagine i'd use it for chopping onions (maybe building a stock in the freezer)
I also tend to sneak small chopped veg into bolognese etc, so celery, carrots, courgettes, mushrooms in small pieces. I never chop as fast as I think I can and I end up turning off the heat while waiting for the next veg to be ready.
There's also the veg for stir frys - peppers, courgettes, carrots in thin strips.
I did just see a recipe for sweet potato patties for babies - looked fab until I saw you need to grate 700 g of sweet potato (by hand? no way!)
I think I would make more soup if it didn't involve 15 mins of chopping first.
How much do you get to control the size of the chopped veg?

Also, if I got a food processor I should get rid of the old Kenwood Chef (it's vintage) - can you do cakes with a processor?
And does it live on the counter top? (my kenwood does)

I cook A LOT, and I own a food processor, but I barely ever use it. It's too much faff and I can never be bothered. I do use the stick blender a fair bit though.
You get quicker at chopping etc the more you do it.

I bought a new one. It is quicker than chopping, but takes longer to clean up etc.

I mainly used it for making hummus, but the hummus monster is away at uni, so my stick blender would do.

Does the ancient kenwood chef knead bread? Food processors are supposed to but the motors are not really strong enough, and they go round too fast.

I think you'd find it useful for cooking on an industrial scale in advance, as stated in your OP. I'm not so sure that using it for stirfries midweek will not be more faff than the time it would save.
You can make cakes with one if it has a whisk/beater attachment. I make cakes with a hand held mixer, use a stick blender for blending things, find that coleslaw is too fine in the processor so shred cabbage/grate carrot by hand, use a mandoline for potatoes.
..but for finely chopping all your secret pasta veg it woudl be perfect!
I would replace mine if it broke, which I guess is the acid test...

I use mine a lot for cakes/pastry/scones, for the rubbing fat in bit. It was taking me about 20 minutes, but takes about 30sec in the food processor.

I did find it really good for hiding veg when the children were smaller.

I have never got the hang of slicing or grating things in it though.

Great idea of bulk chopping onions & freezing.
Never thought of that!
Does it also work for peppers, celery, carrots?