Consumer Reports' top-rated food processor, the Breville BFP800XL/A is masterful in just about every way, and it's incredibly quiet. But at $400, it's also the priciest model in our Ratings by far. What if you can only spend $100? Or even $50? It turns out there are some decent models at that price point, though you'll have to settle for one or two deficiencies. Here are five to consider from Consumer Reports' complete food processor Ratings.
, $100. This is the one $100-or-less model on our recommended list, combining superb slicing and shredding with very good chopping and grating. It holds 7 cups, which could be a plus or minus depending on your needs. The compact machine won't take over your countertop, but if you do a lot of high-volume processing, say for slaws and stir-fries, the relatively smaller capacity (other recommended models hold 11 to 16 cups) could be an issue.
, $70. This 14-cup food processor performed very well or better on every processing task, beating out models that cost two or three times as much. Its model name refers to its ample feed tube, which you'll appreciate when shredding chunks of cabbage or slicing large potatoes. The only knock against the Hamilton Beach is the noise. It's a lot louder than most recommended models, and that could be an issue if you're sensitive to sounds or there's a baby sleeping in the other room.
, $60. This Walmart-exclusive from Farberware has a roomy 12-cup processing bowl, plus a mini-bowl for chopping nuts, herbs, and other smaller items. It performed very well at chopping, slicing, shredding, and grating. But it struggled with purees, so this is not the best choice if you like to blitz soups and sauces in the food processor. Like many inexpensive food processors, it's also on the noisy side.
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, $50. Another low-priced option from Hamilton Beach, this 10-cup model combines decent capacity with mostly standout performance. Shredding in particular is superb, and it also does a fine job chopping, slicing, and grating. Like the Farberware, it's not great at pureeing and noise is once again an issue.
, $30. Oster's 4-cup model looks like it belongs in our food chopper Ratings, but the fact that it slices and shreds makes it a food processor, and it actually holds its own against many full-sized models. It did struggle somewhat in our shredding tests, but otherwise it should do the job for all of your processing needs.
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