Comparison Table
- SCORE9.8
- BrandCuisinart
- Prime
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- BrandCuisinart
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- BrandCuisinart
- Prime
- SCORE9.2
- BrandHamilton Beach
- Prime
- SCORE9.2
- BrandKitchenAid
- Prime
- SCORE9.3
- BrandCuisinart
- SCORE9.2
- BrandCuisinart
- Prime
Last update on 2024-10-09 / Affiliate links / Images, Product Titles, and Product Highlights from Amazon Product Advertising API
Are you a person who loves cooking in your kitchen? If the answer is yes, then a food processor is a familiar thing you see everyday. Food processors make it easier to chop foods, mix or stir several kinds of food into one consistent mixture. Therefore, food processors have been and will always be an essential part of a kitchen. In this article, we will talk about the specifications of the best food processors under $200, and how to choose the best of them online.
1. The blade of the food processor
The blades of the food processor are usually made of metal, because metals would be the only choice that can provide the hardness and the durability that is needed by the features. Here is the list of common blade materials:
- Aluminum blade: Aluminum is the famous material for the lightest metal but still strong enough to perform some tasks with vegetables, chocolate, or soft foods. For tough items such as meat or nuts, aluminum blades would be a bad choice.
- Steel: Steel is a better choice than aluminum. Steel is strong, cheap, but heavier than aluminum. Therefore, it results in slower motor speed, due to the fact that the motor has to carry more weight on its rounds. Steel suffers from a problem called rust, so stainless steel is often used instead of pure traditional steel.
- Plastic: Plastic blades are only designed for very soft food such as watermelon or marshmallows. Plastic blades are cheap, safe for children, and convenient to use. The downsides of plastic is that it becomes harder to clean over time, and it is easy to break.
- Ceramic: Ceramic does not perform perfectly when the job requires a good sharpness. Ceramic is durable, cheap, but heavier and blunt.
The best advice for a food processor blade is stainless steel. However, if your needs fall into some special categories like children safety, or simply you just need a plastic blade, refer to the guide above to choose it by yourself.
Apart from the materials that make the blades, the shapes of the blades also matter. The shapes decide whether the blades are made for mixing or blending the food, and the specifications are usually included with the manual that comes with the box. Therefore, make sure to read it thoroughly before using your blades.
2. The capacity of the food processors
The capacity of the processor is not usually measured by milliliters or gallons but cups. The capacity should be between 2 cups up until 15 cups. Here’s the most popular sizes of food processors:
- 2 - 4 cups: 2-cup to 4-cup food processors are designed for small families to make juice or fruity soup.
- 5 - 9 cups: 5-cup to 9-cup food processors are the “normal-sized” food processors, which are made for making children food, juice, salad, etc. This type suits families with up to four people.
- More than 9 cups: The large food processors are designed for big families or for foods that require lots of blending power. Food processors usually come with stainless steel blades for the hardest tasks possible.
3. The motor
The motor is like the engine of the car in a food processor. The power of the motor is calculated based on the wattage it takes off the electricity source. This power measurement usually corresponds with the capacity of the food processors and the blade shapes and materials. The reason why is obvious: the bigger the food processor and the heavier the blades are, the more power required by the motor to do its job.
- Less than 200W motors: This type of motor is usually graded as weak and not enough for tough foods. It should be perfect for mixing and blending very soft food, because the weak motors would not have side effects of damaging your foods instead of making them better.
- 200W - 500W: Average power taken by the motors. The type of motor is usually included in food processors sized from 5 cups to 9 cups.
- 500W - 1000W: Powerful motors for all kinds of food you have in mind. However, powerful motors might be too powerful sometimes, and they would be even worse when it comes to children's safety.
In conclusion, weak motors aren’t always bad, as well as strong ones aren’t always better. What’s best is the motor that fits your needs in terms of power, uses, prices, and most importantly, safety.
4. The frame
The last thing you need to care about is the frame. There are two types of frame in a food processors, which you might feel like unrelated, but it’s more important that you think:
- Plastic frame: Plastic food processors can’t give strong support to the motor base like metal frames, but it’s safe to use with electricity, especially when your hands are wet.
- Metal frame: Metal frames are strong but more dangerous to electricity. Although the anti-conductor chemicals are used, there is no guarantee that it would not shock you when your hands are not dry.
5. The design
This section mainly refers to the size of the food processors, which you need to know if your kitchen has enough room to hold the device. Food processors would not take much space, but it is a thing to be noticed.
The food processors, like other kitchen appliances, often come with lots of color variants, so don’t be worried about what styles you can choose.
1. Cuisinart FP-13DGM Elemental 13 Cup Food Processor
In the evolution of food processors, Cuisinart FP-13DGM Elemental 13 Cup Food Processor is the best food processor under $200 we can find. The frame is made out of plastic, with the dimensions of 11.25 inches x 21.75 inches x 17.5 inches. The item weighs 19.3 pounds, and comes with two color variants: gunmetal and silver. The device is made by Cuisinart, one of the most respected brands in the price range. It features a 13-cup large bowl, which is enough for your family in any size.
The 13-cup bowl space is divided into two bowls: one on the bottom and one on top; the top bowl measures 4.5 cups and the bottom bowl measures 8 cups. The motor is made out of stainless steel and interchangeable. The SealTight Advantage system patented by Cuisinart makes sure of the bowls and the blades being locked before getting into any kind of work.
Finally, the food processor is designed for easy cleaning, and all the cleaning steps are already included in the manual.
- 13-cup bowl
- 550 watts
- SealTight Advantage system patent pending
2. Magiccos Food Processor, 14 Cup Digital Food Chopper
Magiccos Food Processor, 14 Cup Digital Food Chopper is not initially made to be a food mixer but a food chopper. The blade is designed of stainless steel and the power wattage is huge at 1000W. That kind of power is sufficient to chop any kind of food you want from soft vegetables to tough nuts and even beef. The capacity is 14 cups to be suitable for most households.
We can see a total of seven accessories, including a chopping blade, a dough blade, a spatula, a reversible shredding blade disc, and many more. Finally, the controller is assembled in front of the machine, with the digital screen and buttons, as well as a set of 3 Auto-IQ programs for processing foods.
- 3 Auto ID programs
- 1000W - stainless steel blade
- 14 cups
- Seven accessories
3. AmazonBasics 4-Cup Food Processor, Red
The budget choice for our list today is the AmazonBasics 4-Cup Food Processor, Red. Branded AmazonBasics, the food processor only takes up as little space as 8.5 inches x 8.5 inches x 15 inches. There is a 4-cup capacity bowl, a 450W power rated motor, and a plastic frame.
With that design, the food processor is good at herb chopping, sauces making, and some other activities that don’t involve too hard ingredients. The blades are interchangeable, along with the lid and the bowl.
The highlighted feature about the food processor is that it is compatible with dishwashers, which means you don’t have to wash your processor with your own hands; instead, you can always use a dishwasher. FInally, the product is warranted for one year with the limited warranty policy.
- Dishwasher safe
- Interchangeable blades, lid, and bowl
- 450W rated motor
- Plastic frame
- 4 cups for portability.
4. Ninja BN601 Professional Plus Food Processor
The next item in our list today, hence the name Ninja BN601 Professional Plus Food Processor, shows itself as a candidate for professional chopping. The item is equipped with a 1000W motor, a 9-cup capacity bowl, and a stainless steel blade that is advertised to be restaurant grade.
The processor is programmed to work automatically with four modes of Auto IQ food processing presets. Even if you’re a professional cook or an amateur person in the house, you can always benefit from the well-defined presets.
Cleaning the device has been made easier by the process of pouring a little water into the bowl and using some drop of soap. Finally, alongside the blades that come with the box, the brand is generous enough to give you a list of 20 recipes you can do with their product.
- 4 Auto IQ presets
- Restaurant grade blades
- Easy cleaning
- 9-cup bowl and 1000W motor.
1. Are metal blades always better than others?
Most of the time, yes. Metal blades are strong and durable, as well as sharp; however, metal blades can be inappropriate when your family has children under 10 years old, for they might get cut trying to use the food processors, under or not under your supervision.
2. My food processor doesn’t work. What can I do?
If your food processor doesn’t work, the procedure for your should be as below:
- Unplug your processor. This step is extremely important because if the processor doesn’t work due to some electric malfunctionality, you should be safe by unplugging the power cord.
- Check the blades whether they are put in place and rotatable.
- Check the lid. Modern processors should simply not work if the lid is not closed. There is a little trigger on the lid itself, physical or magnetic, designed for the device to check if the lid is on, and if the trigger doesn’t work, the processor doesn’t work.
- Check the power cord. Using the wrong voltage could not only result in the processor not working but result in the processor getting damaged.
- Finally, if all of the above don’t work for you, take it to the professional repair store.
3. Can I replace the blades of my device?
Yes, of course. The blades come separately with the device, and there are usually multiple of them. Therefore, it allows you to switch between the blades or replace when it has lost the sharpness you need.
4. When do I need to clean my food processor?
It is recommended by scientists that you should clean your food processors right after you have finished working with it. Leaving the food inside the processor for long might be an ideal environment for bacteria or mold.
5. What about the warranty of my device?
The food processors usually come with one year of warranty. In our personal experience, you have to really care about this warranty period, because you might end up in a situation when the food processor stops working and you can’t get it repaired because you have lost your warranty card. Note that you can always check with the reseller or the warranty center about how much time of the warranty you have left.
Food processors are essential devices in your kitchen. With a good food processor, you can make juice, sauces, salad, or any kind of dish that matches your customization in your imagination. We have talked about the specifications of the best food processors, how to choose the best of them online. Finally, these are our final picks for the topic of the best food processors under $200:
- The best food processor under $200: Cuisinart FP-13DGM Elemental 13 Cup Food Processor
- The runner-up: Ninja BN601 Professional Plus Food Processor
- The most powerful device: Magiccos Food Processor, 14 Cup Digital Food Chopper
- The budget choice: AmazonBasics 4-Cup Food Processor, Red
These are the best food processors under $200. I hope that this guide is helpful to you when choosing the blender for your kitchen. See you in the next recommendations and be sure to check out other reviews as well. Don't forget to share with me the best food processor under $200 that you like!