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If we had to fill one cupboard slot, the Breville Sous Chef 12 (BFP660SIL) would earn it. Its 1,000-watt induction motor is the most powerful in this lineup, and the standout feature is a variable slicing disc with 24 thickness settings—from paper-thin 0.3mm to 8mm—plus a three-tube feed system that swallows whole tomatoes without pre-cutting. Add a dough blade and reversible shredder and it covers slicing, shredding, pureeing, and pizza dough in one BPA-free bowl. That said, the best food processor is really the one sized to how you cook. Batch cooks and big families gain real capacity from the 14-cup Cuisinart Custom 14; small kitchens and quick herb jobs are better served by a 7-cup or a 3-cup mini. This guide routes you by bowl capacity first, then compares Cuisinart, Breville, KitchenAid, Ninja, and Hamilton Beach on dough capability, feed-tube width, included discs, and cleanup—so you buy once.
For most kitchens, the Breville Sous Chef 12 (BFP660SIL) is the best food processor—a 1,000-watt motor, 12-cup bowl, and 24-setting adjustable slicer handle nearly everything. Large-batch cooks should size up to the Cuisinart Custom 14, while the Cuisinart Mini-Prep Plus covers quick herb-and-nut jobs.
Its 14-cup bowl is the largest here, and a 720-watt motor plus a whole-food feed tube handle big chopping, shredding, and dough jobs in one go. Cuisinart's long motor warranty is a bonus for a workhorse you'll run often.
Best value all-rounder
Ninja Professional Plus Food Processor (BN601)
A 9-cup bowl with a 1,000-peak-watt motor and four Auto-iQ presets (chop, puree, slice/shred, dough) covers most weeknight prep for less than the premium options. The dough blade has real torque for pizza night.
Best mini chopper for herbs & small jobs
Cuisinart Mini-Prep Plus Food Processor (DLC-2ABC)
A 3-cup, 250-watt companion with an auto-reversing blade that minces herbs, nuts, garlic, and dressings and tucks into any cupboard. It won't slice or shred, so treat it as a sidekick to a full-size machine, not a replacement.
How we picked
How to Choose the Best food processors
01
Start with bowl capacity, not brand. A 7-cup suits singles and couples doing quick prep; 11–13 cups fits most families; go 14-cup (like the Cuisinart Custom 14) only if you routinely batch-cook or make large dough loads. Oversizing means washing a huge bowl for one onion.
02
Decide full-size vs. mini honestly. A 3-cup mini (Cuisinart Mini-Prep Plus) is brilliant for herbs, nuts, garlic, and small sauces—but it can't slice or shred. If you'll ever want discs, buy full-size and use the pulse for small jobs.
03
Check wattage against your ambitions—especially dough. 600–700W handles most chopping and light dough; 1,000W (Breville Sous Chef 12, Ninja Professional Plus) adds headroom for stiff pizza dough and hard cheese without the motor bogging down.
04
Measure the feed tube if you hate pre-cutting. A wide, whole-food feed tube (Cuisinart and Breville both do this well) lets you drop in a whole tomato or potato; narrow tubes mean more knife work before the machine even starts.
05
Look at which discs come in the box. An adjustable slicing disc—Breville's has 24 thickness settings—replaces a drawer of fixed discs. Confirm a dough blade is included if you bake, since some kits sell it separately.
06
Think about storage and multi-bowl systems. A storage caddy (KitchenAid 13-Cup) keeps discs and blades together, and sealed or nested bowls cut clutter. A big processor you have to unbury from a cabinet is one you won't use.
07
Prioritize BPA-free, dishwasher-safe parts. Every pick here uses a BPA-free bowl with dishwasher-safe removable parts—but blades stay sharpest hand-washed, and sealed bowls like the Hamilton Beach Stack & Snap help prevent leaks when pouring.
08
Factor in noise and footprint. Induction motors (Breville Sous Chef 12) run calmer than standard motors; budget models like the Hamilton Beach Stack & Snap trade some quiet for a fuss-free stack-and-snap assembly that skips finicky lid-locking.
Find your match
Food Processor Fit Finder: Size the Bowl to How You Cook
Answer in order, then read across to the machine that fits. This is editorial guidance based on how food-processor designs and intended uses differ. It is not based on lab testing or measured performance.
Step 1 - How many people do you usually cook for?
Step 2 - Do you bake or make dough?
Step 3 - Do you need to slice and shred, or just chop?
Your situation
Bowl size to shortlist
Pick from this guide
Trade-off to accept
Solo or couple, quick prep
7-cup full-size
Cuisinart Pro Classic 7-Cup
Small batches only
Just herbs, nuts, garlic, dressings
3-cup mini
Cuisinart Mini-Prep Plus
Cannot slice or shred
Most families, mixed cooking
11–13 cup
KitchenAid 13-Cup or Breville Sous Chef 12
Bigger footprint, higher price
Batch cooks, big families, large dough
14-cup
Cuisinart Custom 14
Awkward for a single onion
Want one-touch presets over dials
9-cup programmable
Ninja Professional Plus
Peak-watt claims overstate sustained power
Tight budget, real full-size bowl
12-cup budget
Hamilton Beach Stack & Snap
450W can labor on stiff dough
Before you buy, confirm on the current listing (do not assume): the exact model number, whether a dough blade is included, feed-tube width, and which parts are dishwasher-safe.
This is an editorial decision aid built from how food-processor categories differ in bowl capacity, motor power, and included discs, plus the general power guidance also stated in the buying guide. It contains no lab test results, no measured performance figures, no pricing data, and no owner-review counts. Wattage figures are shorthand guidance, not test findings. Every model-specific fact it points to (capacity, wattage, included blades, warranty, model number) should be confirmed on the current manufacturer or retailer listing before purchase.
Ranked, best first
Our Top Picks
1
BrevilleBest Overall
Breville Sous Chef 12 Food Processor (BFP660SIL)
Capacity
12 cups
Motor
1,000 watts
Feed chutes
3 sizes (5", 2¾", 1½")
Slicing disc
Variable, 24 settings (0.3–8.0 mm)
Bowl
BPA-free
Warranty
1-year product, 10-year motor
What we like
Three feed-chute sizes cut down on pre-cutting whole produce
Variable 24-setting slicing disc gives unusually fine thickness control
10-year motor warranty signals confidence in the induction motor
Worth noting
Priciest option here by a wide margin (around $400)
Large, heavy unit that eats real counter and storage space
The most versatile all-rounder here, best for cooks who want fine slice control and reach for the machine often.
Selections here are based on current amazon.com availability and manufacturer specifications, not on first-hand lab testing or star-rating aggregation. A few buying notes worth knowing: adjustable slicing discs (Breville's 24-setting disc, KitchenAid's ExactSlice) replace a drawer of fixed discs, so they punch above their price if you slice a lot. Advertised 'peak watts' (Ninja) describe momentary draw, not sustained output, so compare continuous-watt figures where a maker publishes them. A wide, whole-food feed tube (Cuisinart and Breville) saves the most prep time in daily use. And a dough blade is not universal—confirm it is in the box before counting on the machine for pizza night. Motor-warranty length is the clearest confidence signal a manufacturer gives: Breville backs the BFP660 induction motor for 10 years and Cuisinart covers its full-size motors for 5, versus 18 months on the Mini-Prep Plus.
Our Take
“If you cook often and want one machine that genuinely does everything, the Breville Sous Chef 12 is the one to buy and stop thinking about—the 1,000-watt induction motor, three-size feed system, and 24-setting adjustable slicer cover more prep, more precisely, than anything else here. It is also the most expensive and the biggest, so if you cook in bulk the Cuisinart Custom 14's larger bowl is the smarter spend, and if you mostly want one-touch convenience the Ninja Professional Plus does the job for far less. Buy the Breville for versatility, the Cuisinart for capacity, the Ninja for value—and keep a Mini-Prep Plus around for the small herb-and-garlic jobs none of the big machines are worth dragging out for.”
Frequently Asked Questions
What size food processor do I actually need?
Match the bowl to your cooking. Singles and couples doing quick prep are fine with a 7-cup like the Cuisinart Pro Classic 7-Cup. Most families land at 11–13 cups. Only go 14-cup (Cuisinart Custom 14) if you regularly batch-cook or knead large amounts of dough—an oversized bowl is awkward for small jobs.
Can a food processor knead bread or pizza dough?
Yes, if it has a dough blade and enough motor. The Breville Sous Chef 12, Cuisinart Custom 14, and Ninja Professional Plus all include a dough blade and have the torque for pizza and enriched doughs. Very stiff or high-hydration bread doughs still do better in a stand mixer.
Is a mini food processor worth buying?
For herbs, nuts, garlic, dressings, and baby food, a 3-cup mini like the Cuisinart Mini-Prep Plus is genuinely useful and stores easily. But it can't slice or shred, so it's a companion to—not a replacement for—a full-size processor.
Cuisinart vs. Breville vs. KitchenAid vs. Ninja—which is best?
It depends on your priority. Breville (Sous Chef 12) leads on motor power and its 24-setting adjustable slicer, so it's the most versatile all-rounder. Cuisinart (Custom 14) wins on bowl size and the widest accessory and parts availability. KitchenAid (13-Cup) bundles adjustable slicing plus a tidy storage caddy. Ninja (Professional Plus) is the value pick, trading manual speed dials for one-touch Auto-iQ presets at a lower price. For most kitchens the Breville is the safest single buy, but the right answer is whichever brand matches your bowl-capacity and dough needs.
Where our specs come from
Sources
The Breville Sous Chef 12 (BFP660) has a heavy-duty 1,000-watt induction motor, a 12-cup bowl, three feed-chute sizes (5", 2¾", 1½"), a variable slicing disc with 24 settings from 0.3mm to 8.0mm, and a 1-year product / 10-year induction-motor warranty. Breville — Sous Chef 12 (BFP660) official product page
The Ninja Professional Plus (BN601) is a 9-cup food processor with a 1,000-peak-watt motor and four Auto-iQ preset functions (chop, slice, purees, dough), including three blades and a food chute with pusher. Amazon.com — Ninja Professional Plus (BN601) product listing
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