Chopping onion was easy in the large bowl, resulting in fine, evenly chopped pieces. It also created even breadcrumbs, after we added four slices of bread cut in quarters into the bowl. It took 20 presses of the pulse button until we were happy with the result.

There is a recipe chip included in the price, which gives easy access to tried-and-tested, basic recipes displayed on the touchscreen. There’s also a subscription-based service called Cookidoo that provides access to thousands of recipes online. The machine is sturdy and with four suction-cup feet it clings to the work surface and keeps vibration to a minimum. But even with this steadiness, the motor is extremely noisy. Stability: It’s vital that a food processor is stable on a countertop because of the speed their blades spin at. All the models above have non-slip or suction-cup feet to limit movement. There was very little to complain about with the slicing and grating though, but only one size makes its uses limiting. The light stainless-steel blade performed well and chopped through onions, carrots and celery without struggle, and blending a soup was as straightforward as it comes. Pastry fared less well, and it needed much more processing than is right to create a light and crumbly finished dough. Are you a busy cook making family meals, baking, bread making and entertaining, or, do you merely want to speed up preparing ingredients? Your choice will help determine what functions are essential to you. How much space do you have?We’ve broken down the features worth considering when you’re shopping around for one of these multi-tasking machines. This good-looking, solid machine comes in five colours and with not one but three bowls, which nest neatly one inside the other. The large blades and discs are interchangeable with the main (three-litres), medium (2.6-litres) and mini (1.2-litres) bowls. The three sizes of bowl give greater flexibility in quantities, from chopping herbs through to large batches of pastry and even 1kg bread without strain.

There are just three operating push buttons on the base, with a pulse, stop and auto button, where usually there would be at least two speeds. Pushing auto, the processor runs in a continuous mode, which gave better and more even results and created the best pastry of all the processors tested. The 950w motor was supremely efficient and made light work of producing even slices and grating with no wastage. Chopping, mixing, grating, slicing, dicing – and more besides – if you’re looking for a food processor that will take big kitchen prep tasks in its stride, you can finish your search right here. Ideal for busy cooks, the Cuisinart Expert Prep Pro food processor will be your best friend in the kitchen, saving you loads of time and effort when you’re batch baking or cooking for a crowd. The Andrew James processor, cost-wise, may be sitting towards the lower end of the market but it delivers a vast range of attachments and accessories. The processor itself is robust and a good weight, and – with the addition of rubber suction cup feet – stays relatively still while processing, although when grating hard cheese, it did move slightly and was rather noisy. There is no storage with this processor though and with so many attachments – jugs, bowls etc. – it requires a lot of space. The blades and the slicing discs, as would be expected, are super sharp and with no distinctive safe storage, accidents can happen, as a cut finger here bears testament. Do not, however, dismiss this food processor, it has its place, and for someone who will only expect it to perform light duties and doesn’t want to over-challenge it with large quantities, the Tower delivers good results, even if it does take a little longer than others.There are many parts to the Cuisinart Prep Pro and thankfully storage has been well thought through, with separate boxes for discs and blades. The dicer and spiraliser will need extra room in the cupboard but are worth it.

The Magimix is the quietest of the processors tested too, as its solidity holds it firmly on the worktop with little or no vibration. This solidity, however, makes the processor one of the largest and heaviest but, if you have a large family to feed, are a fervent baker or avid cook, you’re going to love this machine. Key specs – Size: 33(H) x 32(W) x 30(D) cm; Bowl size: 2.2 litres; Power: 550w; Attachments: 4 blades, cutting and stirring knife, heating system, Varoma steamer, measuring cup, butterfly whisk, spatula, recipe chip; Additional notable features: Speed continuously adjustable from 100 to 10,700 rpm, Cook-Key (not included)The base of the Prep Pro was lighter than expected when compared to similarly priced machines, but that in no way affected the rigours of the testing, which were all tip-top with no complaints at all. The processor sits well on the counter with little vibration, meaning it’s also quiet.

The controls are straightforward with the dial having two speed settings, pulse and off. Equally the set-up instructions were easy to follow and the machine was up and running in about 10 minutes – most of that time was spent sifting through all the attachments to sort out what was what. Multi-function processors are bulky, some with many attachments. Perhaps a compact style will suit you better. The bowl size of the food processors we’ve tested range from 1.9 litres to 3.7 litres, and the bigger they are, the more features the appliances tend to have. It makes sense that a food processor boasting lots of features will likely take up much more space than one that’s limited to chopping, grating and puréeing. Key specs – Size: 42(H) x 25(W) x 34(D); Bowl size: 1.5 litre; Power: 600w; Attachments: 1 grating/slicing disc, blender disc and stainless-steel chopping blade; Additional notable features: 1.4-litre blender Whatever you need the Expert Prep Pro to do, the two BPA-free bowls ensure you have the right size tool for the task. If you need to prep really big quantities of food, you can use the 3 litre bowl with the large blade or discs, or for small amounts, use the 950ml bowl. The small bowl nests inside the large one and is fully sealed, so nothing will leak when you’re making small amounts of your favourite dips and dressings.

The Tefal processor has an impressive range of attachments, which at this price is a bargain. It’s sturdy and even on top speed there was little vibration, meaning a very quiet machine. There is also an in-bowl storage box and the cord winds neatly away, making this an excellent space-saving processor.