Don’t Let Cuisinart’s Mini Food Processor Fool You—Shoppers Say It’s a Powerhouse

Jul 02, 2023

Get it for just $30 at Amazon.

Kristin Montemarano is a commerce food writer focusing on news and deals for Food & Wine and Allrecipes. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in 2017 with an associates degree in baking and pastry arts and working in professional kitchens, Kristin went on to acquire a bachelor's degree in communication arts with a journalism concentration at Ramapo College of New Jersey in 2021. With professional experience and a continuous passion for cooking and baking at home, she has a clear understanding of products and tools that are not only essential, but also effective and high-quality.

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Food & Wine / Tyler Roeland

A mini food processor makes tons of tedious tasks easier. Think easy chopping of onions, garlic, nuts, breadcrumbs, and more with none of the fuss, along with the ability to make smaller batches of our favorite dips and sauces.

And this mini Cuisinart model is the perfect one to snap up — not only is it a convenient size, but it's also on sale for just $30 right now. A small price to pay for a lifetime of quick work, if you ask us.

Amazon

To buy: Cuisinart Elemental 4-Cup Chopper Food Processor, $30 (originally $40) at amazon.com

This mini food processor has a 4-cup capacity, which is a little less than half the size of your typical food processor. You’ll still get exactly what you need, like the cup, the S-shaped blade, a lid, and the motor base.

You can choose from two different functions: chop or grind, which are the primary reasons you’ll likely use the mini chopper. The chop setting is ideal for instances where you want ingredients like onions, bell peppers, garlic, or shallots to be in pieces for sauteing or for adding into mixtures like meatballs, meatloafs, and more. And the grind setting is ideal for making nut butters, dressings, sauces, or dips.

The blade essentially reverses between each function, using the sharp edge for chopping and the blunt side for grinding. The cup also has a BladeLock system, meaning the processing functions won't engage unless the base and the insert is locked in place, so you don't have to worry about any rogue processing if you accidentally hit one of the buttons.

Though easy to clean by hand, you can also pop the base, blade, and lid right into the dishwasher for a hands-off cleanup.

Shoppers love how helpful it is in the kitchen, adding that its small footprint is space-saving and easy to store too. "I love everything about it," a user said, writing that it shreds and grinds whatever you need it to. "It fits under my cabinets. It is all plastic, so no worry about dropping it [and] glass breaking. Best of all? Every part that touches food can be washed in the dishwasher," they added in their review.

Others say they use it every single day, with many writing that it makes chopping vegetables so much easier. Aside from its chopping powers, reviewers also love that it's a more practical option for smaller recipes, as opposed to their larger, heavier food processors.

It's on sale in both stainless steel or gunmetal, so you can pick up whichever color suits your kitchen more.

For fuss-free prep, whether for homemade nut butter, dressings, salsa, or soups — a small food processor is the way to go. Their size helps get ingredient prep going, plus they take up much less space compared to larger models. Grab this Cuisinart one now while it's the lowest prices we’ve seen in at least the last month or two.

At the time of publishing, the price was $30.