Ok so you want a food processor - let’s take a look at the key things to consider when buying a food processor.
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First thing is the size - if you are a family of upto 4 people or cook in smaller quantities, you can consider a processing bowl of size upto 2L. Most of the ones compared today are around 2L. If you cook in large quantities or do a lot of meal prep or are cooking for larger families, then you can consider one with over 2L size. Amongst the only compared, only Usha and Bajaj have large food processing bowl sizes.
The next thing to decide is the wattage - if you use the food processor for processing items that require longer processing time - like making idli dosa batter, making pastes like coconut, turmeric, ginger OR for dry grinding of masalas - then you need to get a food processor with 750W or higher. If your main use is for chutneys, dips, smoothies, juices, purees and so on - you can go with a food processor less than 750W. If you take a lower wattage for heavy duty cooking, then the food processor could get overheated and stop at times.
All the food processors compared (except Inalsa Easy Prep) are useful also as a mixer grinder. In general - when you get any one of these food processors, you do not need a separate mixer grinder. If you already have one, consider your usecase and buy a separate chopper or kneader only based on your need.Some of the food processors have different motors for food processing and for use as a mixer grinder. When it is the same motor - it can be quite compact and space saving. Amongst the models compared, Rico, some models of Inalsa and Bajaj FX11 have separate processing areas.
Food processors perform a number of functions - most food processors compared perform the following anyway - grating, shredding, slicing, kneading dough/atta. The main differences are in the upcoming functions:
Coconut scraper - if you are a south indian like me, coconut is used pretty much in every dish. Amongst the models compared, only Rico has this option. The alternative of having a scraper is to cut the coconut pieces and grind them in the chutney jar.
Dicing - many of you have asked me about this. Dicing of small pieces can be done in all of them in the slicing attachment. However, if you want dicing of cubes, it’s not possible in most of them. Only Preethi Zodiac Cosmo has this option.
Citrus juicing - if you are looking at juicing citrus fruits like oranges and sweetlime - a citrus juicer is required. Amongst the models compared, Inalsa (the lower cost ones), Preethi Zion and Bosch do not have it.
To perform all of these functions, these food processors come with various jars:
Since the main function is food processing, all of them come with a food processing jar of various sizes - most commonly around 2L.
Inalsa Easy Prep and Fiesta do not come with a chutney jar
Inalsa Easy Prep does not come with a blender jar either - it’s purely for food processing.
Talking about pricing and warranty - it ranges from about 4.5K to about 14k - based on the capability and brand. Preethi Zodiac Cosmo is one that is fully loaded, and hence the most expensive. Inalsa Easy Prep costs the lowest and is useful if you are only looking at a food processor without mixer grinder capabilities. In general - a combination of mixer grinder and food processing will cost higher. All models offer a 2 year warranty with some higher priced models of Usha, Bajaj, Philips, Inalsa and Preethi offering an extra 5 years on the motor.
So based on all of these, let’s talk about my recommendations for the best food processors:
If you already have a mixer grinder and are only looking for a food processor, my recommendation is the Inalsa Easy Prep. It comes with a 1.4L processing bowl and allows you to do grating, slicing, kneading dough atta, and whisking. It does not have the mixer grinder capabilities like the grinding and juicing. With a 800W motor, around 4.5K in price and 2 year warranty, this is ideal for people who are only looking for food processing capability.
If you are looking for a fully loaded food processor for families upto 4 people / cooking in smaller quantities my recommendation is the Preethi Zodiac. It comes in two variants, Zodiac Cosmo which includes cubing / dicing and Zodiac MG which does not include it. The price difference for the addition of dicing is almost Rs. 5000, so you can go with the Cosmo if dicing is a key requirement. They both offer all the capabilities, except for coconut scraping. Both come with a 2 year warranty on the product with 5 years on the motor.
If coconut scraping is an absolute requirement, then I recommend the Rico food processor. Remember it comes with a 700W motor - so heavy duty grinding may be a bit challenging. It comes with a 1.5L processing bowl and comes with all capabilities except for dicing. It’s ideal for small families.
For large families or you are cooking in large quantities - for example when meal prepping - I recommend the Usha Food Processor 3811. With a 1000W motor, 3.5L food processing bowl and almost all capabilities a food processor needs to have, it is an ideal multi purpose food processor. It is missing the dicing and coconut scraping. 2 additional benefits is that it has a storage box where you can nicely store away all of your blades and the juicer helps separate out the seeds too. It also does come with a smaller size of 3810 with a 2.4L - which can be used for families upto 4.