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See why.High-End Professional-Style Food Processors
We tested two high-end food processors to see whether they offered any extra features that made them worth nearly two to three times the price of an ordinary food processor.
By Published Jan. 1, 2016We still eschew high-end food processors in favor of the Cuisinart Custom 14 Cup Food Processor—a powerful, affordable workhorse that produces stellar results every time. For the past 2 years we've stocked over two dozen of these food processors in our test kitchen, where they receive extended daily use. Read the full review here.
What You Need To Know
We tested two expensive, high-end food processors, the 16-Cup KitchenAid ProLine Series and the Waring Commercial 3.5-Quart Pro Food Processor, running them through the same tests as our average-priced models to see whether their “professional” designation made any difference to their performance and sturdiness, and whether they offered any extra features that made them worth nearly two to three times the price of an ordinary food processor.
Our conclusion? The Waring is nice; a souped-up version of our winning model, the Cuisinart Custom 14, made by its sister company. They share the same compact shape and simple design, and the Waring’s quiet motor and extra blade options were a pleasure to use. However, its performance in a few key areas, including chopping and slicing, actually fell short of our winner. The KitchenAid ProLine is a space-hogging behemoth at more than 16 pounds, 18 inches high, and 12 inches wide, and includes an equally enormous accessories box (including a successful dicing attachment). Like the Waring, its motor was powerful and quiet, but its performance also fell short of the top average-priced models. For nearly $700, the flimsy-feeling plastic dial that controls this machine is disappointing. While the performance of both models was not bad, we can’t recommend spending this much for less-than-stellar results. We’ll be sticking with the practical, affordable workhorse that is our winner.
Everything We Tested
Recommended with reservations
- Mixing: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Cleanup: 3 stars out of 3.
- Slicing: 2 stars out of 3.
- Chopping: 2 stars out of 3.
- Pureeing: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Shredding: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 3 stars out of 3.
Despite a simple, compact shape; a solidly built base; intuitive controls; and a quiet motor, this 14-cup machine’s performance fell short of models that cost less than half as much. Chopping was often uneven, with larger pieces left under the spinning blade. While it mixed dough and pie crust promptly and well, it struggled to emulsify mayonnaise without a lot of scraping and help from testers (its workbowl was the same size as that of our winner, which successfully made mayonnaise) and left streaks in our yogurt dye test.
- Mixing: 3 stars out of 3.
- Cleanup: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Slicing: 2 stars out of 3.
- Chopping: 2 stars out of 3.
- Pureeing: 3 stars out of 3.
- Shredding: 3 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 1.5 stars out of 3.
With an assertively wide and tall footprint and an enormous sidecar of accessories, this hefty, 16-pound model is “a bit show-offy,” as one tester put it. While the motor purred through a puree, kneaded dough to velvety smoothness, and whipped up fluffy mayonnaise in its mini bowl, its chopping performance was uneven, and pulsing the cheap-feeling plastic dial-style knob was uncomfortable and inexact at best. The thickness-adjusting lever on the front of the machine is unmarked, so choosing a specific measurement involves trial and error.
Reviews you can trust
Reviews you can trust
The mission of America’s Test Kitchen Reviews is to find the best equipment and ingredients for the home cook through rigorous, hands-on testing. We stand behind our winners so much that we even put our seal of approval on them.
Lisa McManus
Lisa is an executive editor for ATK Reviews, cohost of Gear Heads on YouTube, and gadget expert on TV's America's Test Kitchen.
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