@Marie_Ciolfi) Updated 03/12/21 at 17:15 a.m. Share:
Chop, mix, emulsify, cook, sear, keep warm... Multifunction food processors can do a lot. Whether you are novice cooks or enlightened amateurs, everyone can appreciate the versatility of these complete appliances.
A real household appliance hit in recent years, the multifunction cooker has the wind in its sails. This market, hitherto driven upwards by expensive models, is now being challenged by the arrival of convincing products at very competitive prices. These versatile appliances bring together many functions and impose themselves as a clerk in the kitchen (but also in professional kitchens). There are many models with more or less possibilities, cooking methods and accessories. From vegetable soup to macaroons and beef bourguignon, robot cookers allow any cook, amateur or expert, to succeed in any recipe, including the most complex.
Vorwerk, Magimix, Moulinex, Kenwood, Silvercrest… all these brands offer food processors at varying prices. From entry-level to high-end, prices range on average from 300 euros to more than 1 euros. In order to help you choose your robot cooker, we offer you this comparison which lists many models. You can also consult our guide to buying the best products of the moment.
Chop, mix, emulsify, cook, sear, keep warm... Multifunction food processors can do a lot. Whether you are novice cooks or enlightened amateurs, everyone can appreciate the versatility of these complete appliances.
A real household appliance hit in recent years, the multifunction cooker has the wind in its sails. This market, hitherto driven upwards by expensive models, is now being challenged by the arrival of convincing products at very competitive prices. These versatile appliances bring together many functions and impose themselves as a clerk in the kitchen (but also in professional kitchens). There are many models with more or less possibilities, cooking methods and accessories. From vegetable soup to macaroons and beef bourguignon, robot cookers allow any cook, amateur or expert, to succeed in any recipe, including the most complex.
Vorwerk, Magimix, Moulinex, Kenwood, Silvercrest… all these brands offer food processors at varying prices. From entry-level to high-end, prices range on average from 300 euros to more than 1 euros. In order to help you choose your robot cooker, we offer you this comparison which lists many models. You can also consult our guide to buying the best products of the moment.
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Editorial buying guide
What are the best multi-function food processors?
Let yourself be guided by our experts
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A food processor, what for?
Robot cookers are supposed to help users make recipes easily and quickly. They allow everyone to ensure (and often succeed) the preparation of meals for several people (between 4 and 8 people depending on the model). Amateur cooks will appreciate being taken by the hand to succeed in the most sophisticated recipes when the most initiated can use them to go even further. More or less complete and intuitive in their approach, these devices are not necessarily capable of the same things. It is therefore important to clearly define your needs before making your choice.
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What criteria should be taken into account?
Several parameters should be taken into account before buying a food processor: what place can you give the food processor on your kitchen worktop? Do you have a large family? Check the capacity of the bowl. Do you want to grate or slice raw vegetables? Be careful, not all robots do this, far from it. It is necessary to check if the number of recipes proposed (and their nature) is sufficient to "depreciate" this robot, or even better, to see if it is enriched regularly. Some even have a community that shares new recipes. This is all the more important if you do not intend to use your device in manual mode and you want to let the robot guide you.
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What can a food processor do?
Food processors are capable of searing, simmering, steaming, mixing, kneading, blending, pureeing, emulsifying, grinding, slicing. Finally, few devices offer a slice cut. There are the Cook Expert and Cook Expert Premium XL from Magimix, those from Kenwood (kCook Multi Smart and CookEasy+) or the Companion XL from Moulinex thanks to their accessories. Capable of doing almost everything, they combine the functions provided by several small household appliances (such as a steamer, a blender, an ice cream maker, a food processor) in one.
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What are easy-to-use food processors?
Ease of use is probably the most important point, because these robots that can do many things can quickly turn into war machines. They are everyday devices that we handle regularly. It is essential that they are simple to use and that they have good ergonomics. The quality of the materials is essential so that the robot does not deteriorate with handling. It is important that the bowl is not too heavy and that its main handle (or the two side handles) facilitate its extraction or repositioning. The cover must also be removed and repositioned without having to force; otherwise, you risk getting burned at the end of a preparation. The Thermomix TM5 and TM6 have this automatic lid closing system which makes it easier to use. On the other hand, the lid of the Monsieur Cuisine Connect from Lidlest impractical because it fits and is difficult to remove. Finally, the control panel is very important. If it is only composed of keys that are not necessarily eloquent, this can compromise the grip. A badly thought out control panel and that's the end: you will be condemned to use it, manual in hand. On the other hand, if it is a screen that acts as a control panel, this benefits the convenience of use.
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A touch screen on a food processor, is it really useful?
Food processors equipped with a screen are generally used for guided cooking. Indeed, some devices assist the user in each step of his preparation. These steps are displayed on the screen. It is also on the robot's screen that the user will be able to configure the various settings of his robot (temperature, blade rotation speed, program duration) or even look for recipes. The latest Thermomixes, the Silvercrest Monsieur Cuisine Connect from Lidl, the CookEasy+ from Kenwood and the new Companion Touch from Moulinex have a screen. For other, more rudimentary devices, the guided cooking goes through the mobile application (provided that the robot is connected of course).
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A connected robot-cooker for what?
In general, connectivity on small household appliances is not essential, but on robot cookers, it is really useful insofar as it allows the product to develop its catalog of recipes (in the case where the robot offers guided cooking). Today, all the food processors that we recommend are connected since they allow you to take advantage of a wider range of recipes.
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What are the different recipe catalogs?
Each manufacturer declines its own catalog of recipes more or less provided. Only Vorwerk charges for this service (36 euros per year) for its Thermomix. For other manufacturers, access to recipes is free. Some manufacturers mix their recipes with those of the community while others are content to display the ratings of the “community” for the best preparations. We invite you to read the details of the offers available for each food processor manufacturer.
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Integrated or separate scale?
The robot-cookers integrating a scale are not legion but the shooting is gradually corrected. The Thermomix TM5 or TM6, the Monsieur Cuisine Connect and the CookEasy+ from Kenwood integrate a scale directly into the motor unit when it is delivered alongside on the Cook Expert Premium XL from Magimix or the Multi Smart from Kenwood. In use, a scale directly integrated into the robot is more practical because it limits handling (the user does not have to take out his scale, a container and then decant into the bowl). All scales are supported by a Tare function. Most of them are accurate to 5 grams; that of the Thermomix TM6 is precise to the nearest gram.
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What accessories are sold with the food processors?
Almost all the robots are delivered with a 4-blade knife, an interior steamer basket, an upper steamer basket (often on two levels), a flexible spatula, a beater, a kneader. We can hardly expect fewer accessories from a robot capable of doing almost everything. Magimix, Kenwood and Moulinex offer many other accessories (including cutting discs for slicing or grating). In this, they allow to extend the functions of a robot and it is very appreciable. You still need a little space in your cupboards to accommodate them.
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What are small food processors?
City dwellers in need of space can hardly accommodate a robot cooker on their work surface. However, some models are no more bulky than a heated blender such as the e.zicom ezichef Mixeo robot or the Simeo RCI 710. Thermomixes can also be considered on a work surface. Inevitably, the “small” food processors have a fairly limited bowl capacity (less than 3 litres) and can barely ensure the preparation of dishes for 4 people.
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What is the difference between a food processor and a multicooker?
Do not confuse food processor and multicooker. The robot-cooker can sear, simmer, steam, emulsify but also mix, knead, mix, purée, grind, mince. Multicookers, as their name suggests, are only used to cook food. They can replace the oven, saucepans, yogurt maker or even the bread machine. The multicooker, like the Moulinex Cookeo, can cook food at several temperature levels (gentle cooking, quick cooking, steaming, etc.). Remember that the Cookeo is a new kind of pressure cooker, whose promise is simple: "Cook quickly and well by letting you guide". The range includes many models.
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How to clean your robot?
If you take more time to wash it than you have gained by using it at the expense of another appliance (vegetable grinder, saucepan, etc.), the robot loses interest. What you need to see is if the bowl comes apart easily, if the lid is full of nooks (in which food could get lodged), if the lid gasket is removable for thorough cleaning and if the various parts of the robot are dishwasher safe. In any case, we advise you to put a little water in the bowl, a few drops of washing-up liquid and to run the appliance at maximum speed for 30 seconds to facilitate cleaning.
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What is the noise level?
The noise level necessarily depends on what is being prepared and the food that is put in the bowl – necessarily mixing cooked vegetables is less noisy than crushing ice. But the noise is also linked to the power of the motor and the architecture of the robot, it can vary from one device to another. You have to be vigilant about the noise level emitted during simmering because this preparation can last several hours and when the robot is installed in an open kitchen, it can be complicated. In this configuration, we recommend a sound level below 50 dB(A).
