A good food processor is like a second pair of hands in the kitchen. Yes, you can do everything a processor does with a knife or a grater but it’s real beauty is speed. Labour intensive tasks like mayonnaise, fresh pasta, pastry, a dozen sliced onions for soup, potatoes for a winter gratin or a heap of grated vegetables for a raw energy salad are the work of seconds.

If you’re thinking about getting a new food processor there are a few things to consider:

Bowl Capacity: Get the biggest food processor you can afford but base it around your needs for everyday use. Most of us cook the same things for the same number of people about 80-90% of the time. Don’t worry about that twice-yearly dinner party or Christmas Day for 20, you can always do a double batch for those odd occasions.

Blades and Accessories: Make sure you get a processor with stainless steel blades, and resharpenable ones are even better. And try to find one that has a plastic dough blade and egg whisk – these are very handy if you like to do a bit of baking or bread and aren’t wanting to invest in a stand mixer. Think about what you’ll need to shred or slice and how often you’ll use these. If you’re a salad lover, think about how easy these are to use and change out and how easily they’ll wash up.

Controls: Most of our best processors have just three functions: on, off and pulse and we find these to be totally sufficient. This allows you total control without a lot of fussing and confusion with a mass of different buttons.

Feed Tube and Lid: A wide feed tube is ideal. Too narrow and you end up having to manually ‘process’ food with your knife before you can process it which kind of defeats the purpose we think!

Power: If you like making bread or heavy doughs, think about how much power you need. It will be much more than if you do more slicing and shredding of vegetables or pureeing. Make sure that your processor can handle being used for lengthy periods without overheating. A cut off switch is a great idea too as it prevents overheating your motor should you push it a little far.

Warranty: Try to find a processor that comes with a good warranty and after sales service. At Milly’s we take care of this for you.

Cleaning: Lots, but not all, of the processor bowls and accessories today are dishwasher safe. If this is a feature you’d like, it pays to check before you buy as not all are.

We really do recommend that you don’t try to skimp when investing in a new food processor. You really do get what you pay for and with many of our models lasting more than thirty years, your per year investment is not high.