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Buying a food processor or blender is a bit like hiring a sous chef

Food processors and blenders are invaluable kitchen buddies, smashing through boring cookery tasks like chopping, grinding and mixing so that you can get on with the fun bits (read: the eating!).

Trust us when we say that once you own one, you'll wonder how you ever managed before. Ready to whip up some hummus, nut butter or cauliflower rice? Ready, steady, cook!

Food processors and blenders are similar, but food processors have sharper blades. Blenders are best for blitzing food into liquids like soups, sauces and smoothies, but food processors are superior for slicing and dicing vegetables, grinding meat and kneading dough.

Know which one you’re after? Here are our top-rated bits of kit to add to your kitchen:

Size: The bigger the food processor, the more it can do. You should find that a 2.5 litre bowl or jug will suffice for home use.

Blades and discs: Food processors almost always come with a slicing disc, grating disc, chopping blade and dough blade. These may be enough for you, but add-ons can include spiralizer discs and dicing blades. For easy cleaning, look for removable blades that are dishwasher-safe.

Pulse: This function is essential for controlling your chopping, so that you don't end up with carrot juice instead of cubes!

Stability: Food processors and blenders like to shake about a lot when they're busy, so look for suction-cup or non-slip feet to keep them stable on your kitchen worktop.

Pre-set programs: Though uncommon, some food processors have pre-set programs for different tasks like pulsing, puréeing and kneading. This is handy as it means you can simply press a button and leave it running, rather than hovering over it to pulse. Blenders tend to offer two or three pre-set functions, including smoothie, ice crushing and auto-clean.

Our team rigorously tested a range of food processors and blenders to see how well they grated (carrot, cheese and chocolate), sliced (cucumbers), minced (beef), whipped (cream), blended (homemade mayo), crushed (ice and nuts) and chopped (onions, bread and hazelnuts).

If a model had kneading and mixing functions, our testers mixed pastry dough and cake batter before baking both and judging the finished products. Speed, ease of use and evenness of blending were taken into account, as was the clarity of the instruction guide.

If you like your appliances to do it all, this robust machine will please. The processor doubles up as a blender and breezed through testing, especially when mincing steak and mixing dough. 

It’s dishwasher-proof (apart from the base) and easy to use. It was occasionally a little too powerful for its own good though – there was a lot of wastage in our cucumber slice test and it wobbled during our dough test, but otherwise, it’s a multi-tasking masterchef.  

Key specs Capacity: 1.8 litres  Size (cm): 48(H) x 25.5(W) x 19(D) Power levels: 3 Pulse function: Yes Included attachments: 2.1-litre jug with lid, 1.8-litre bowl, Stack blade, Dough blade, Chopping blade, Slicing / grating disc, Disc adapter

The grating discs on this ultra-powerful machine are awesome, blitzing through four carrots in only three seconds!  Its massive 3.7-litre capacity lets it tackle heavier ingredients like dough and beef without clogging up. 

Its innovative peeling and dicing attachments come in handy when you want to prepare dinner quickly, but it's a shame that there's only one power level. There are lot of parts to this winning model, but it's really easy to use and comes neatly packed in a storage box. 

Key specs Capacity: 3.7L Size (cm): 45.6(H) x 28.2(W) x 22.6(D) Power levels: 1 Pulse function: Yes Included attachments: Mini bowl, 12mm dicing kit, peeling disc, micro-serrated S-blade, reversible shredding disc, variable slicing disc, Julienne disc

This large-capacity food processor makes light, and surprisingly quiet, work of bulkier ingredients. It minced beef to perfection and its extra-wide feed tube proved helpful for making bread and pastry dough. 

There are two speed settings and the slicing disc offers two thicknesses. It comes in black, cream and red and looks slick on your worktop.

Key specs Capacity: 3.1L Size (cm): 41.5(H) x 28(W) x 26(D) Power levels: 2 Pulse function: Yes Included attachments: Slicing disc, grater disc, whisk, dough blade, egg whip, small blade, large blade

Food processors can get eye-wateringly expensive but there are affordable options to be found. This model comes in at under £100 and does a lot for its price. 

It proved easier to assemble, store and clean than many rivals, as all its parts are dishwasher-safe and fit into the 2.3-litre bowl. It tackled basic slicing and dicing with ease, but struggled to mix cake batter and chop nuts evenly. Still, it's a great starter gadget.

Key specs Capacity: 2.3L Size (cm): 37.5(H) x 22(W) x 26(D) Power levels: 2 Pulse function: Yes Included attachments: Universal blade, kneading hook, beating disc, slicing reversible disc - thick/thin, shredding reversible disc - coarse/fine

Weigh your food, blend it and process it with this space-efficient gadget. It comes with a heatproof blending jug that can also blitz ice, accurate built-in scales and it boasts a wide range of accessories, including a citrus juicer. 

Its power dial lets you take control of the speed and, on test, it was simple to use, performing notably well mincing meat. Its max power mode did make it a tad unstable and the cap leaked when we filled it to the max liquid line, but it’s a good one if you’re after substantial capacity.

Key specs Capacity: 3 litres Size (cm): 40.0(H) x 20.0(L) x 26.5(W) Power levels: Variable Pulse function: Yes Included attachments: 3 litre food processor bowl, 1.5 litre ThermoResist glass blender jug, slide, grate and dice discs, Express Dice blade, Weighing tray, Dual metal whisk, Dough tool, Citrus juicer, Compact Smart Store storage bag

If you're sold on the idea of a food processor but don't want to splash a lot of cash on something you might not use everyday, try this neat entry model. 

It's a doddle to use and compact enough to store in a small cupboard or push out of the way. It chops veg and grinds herbs quickly and evenly but lacks accessories for other cooking jobs.  Key specs Capacity: 1.9L Size: 37.5(H) x 19(W) x 24(D) Power levels: 2 Pulse function: Yes Included attachments: Fine disc, medium disc, small and large chopping blades

This blender's impressive 10 speeds, plus pulse function, give you plenty of control over the consistency of your food. It blended well during testing, producing silky mayo, as well as evenly chopping nuts and quickly turning bread into breadcrumbs. It's a bulky piece of kit but it's easy to set up, use and clean. 

Key specs Capacity: 1.4L Size (cm): 46(H) x 20W) x 28(D) Power levels: 10 Pulse function: Yes Included attachments: Recipe book

Though far from cheap, this small blender delivers a lot of bang for your buck. It's robust and looks pricier than it is, with a heat-resistant jug for blending hot ingredients up to 80C. 

It's simple to use and powerful at its highest setting (use the dial to vary the speed). There's a pulse mode for making breadcrumbs and three preset functions include ice crush and auto-clean. Overall, it's great value for money.

Key specs Capacity: 2L Size (cm): 21.5(H) x 19.2(W) x 40.6(D) Power levels: Variable using dial Pulse function: Yes Included attachments: None

This super-powerful 1800W blender is best suited to passionate chefs willing to splash the cash on a serious bit of kit. It scored top marks for making breadcrumbs and pureeing chickpeas, but it crushed ice so hard that it became powder! 

It's intuitive to use, thanks to clear controls and a generous range of speed settings, but it's heavy at nearly 10kg and gets extremely loud on high. It looks fabulous on a kitchen worktop, especially if you opt for the shiny 'candy apple' colour.

Key specs Capacity: 2.6L Size (cm): 45(H) x 27(W) x 23(D)  Power levels: 11 Pulse function: Yes Included attachments: 60ml measuring cup, flex-edge tamper, silicone collar 

You can make icy smoothies and hot soup in this reliable blender that proved the quietest on test. The preset modes proved handy and effective, producing creamy soup, glossy mayo and silky pancake batter. It's heavy, so we suggest finding it a permanent place on your worktop - you'll be using it all the time anyway.

Key specs Capacity: 1.8L Size (cm): 40.5(H) x 16.5(W) x 16.5(D) Power levels: 4 Pulse function: Yes Included attachments: Recipe book