Is the KitchenAid Food Processor Worth the Counter Space?
Worth it, but treat the bowl with care
Why chopping and shredding by hand gets old fast
Your hand cramps around the box grater somewhere around cup three of shredded cheese, and you think, not again. Or you're hunched over a cutting board turning ten tomatoes into salsa by knife, one slow pulse at a time, wondering if there's a faster way. That's the exact moment a KitchenAid food processor earns its counter space, or doesn't.
How the KitchenAid food processor actually works
Here's what I'd want to know first: the whole machine is built around not having to think about which blade goes where. All three cutting attachments, chopping blade, shredding disc, slicing disc, live in a caddy that nests right down inside the 13-cup bowl, so the drawer full of loose discs disappears into one stack. The clever bit is the Exact Slice disc: instead of swapping discs to go from a thin cucumber slice to a thick potato round, you turn a dial on the outside of the lid and the blade height adjusts while it's still locked in place. That's the difference between a five-minute reset and a five-second one, and it's the reason this thing actually gets used on a Tuesday instead of saved for special occasions. The 3-in-1 feed tube backs that up by taking whole or halved vegetables, so you're not pre-cutting a tomato just to feed it a machine that's supposed to save you the cutting. Underneath, a 500-watt motor and three speeds plus pulse handle the actual work, from grating a block of cheddar in seconds to kneading a batch of pizza dough that would otherwise mean twenty minutes of hand work. The bowl clicks into place without the usual twist-and-align dance, and a splash of warm water with a drop of dish soap run through it does most of the cleanup before you've even reached for a sponge. None of that is flashy. It's just a machine designed so the annoying five minutes before cooking, the grating, the slicing, the chopping, stop being the part you dread.
So the real trade isn't chopping versus not chopping, it's your time versus the counter space this takes up. If you're already reaching for a knife three or four nights a week, this buys back that time every single one of them. If salsa night happens twice a year, you're storing a 13-cup commitment for a five-minute job.
Who the KitchenAid food processor is for, and who should skip it
Worth it if
- you chop, shred or knead several times a week
- you want one machine to replace a grater, mandoline and dough hook for small batches
- cabinet space is tight and you want every blade stored in one caddy
- you like adjusting slice thickness without swapping discs mid-recipe
Skip it if
- you only chop an onion or make salsa a couple of times a year
- you need a bowl that can take daily heavy-handed use without babying it
- you're short on deep cabinet space, since the bowl and caddy take real depth
- you already own a stand mixer and rarely shred or slice
If you only chop an onion once a week, a small hand chopper covers you and this stays in the cabinet.
Is the KitchenAid food processor worth it
If chopping, shredding or kneading shows up in your week more often than not, this is a quiet yes, it'll earn its spot on the counter. If salsa night is a twice-a-year event, a hand chopper does the same job without asking for a shelf. The one thing to watch: treat the bowl gently, it's plastic doing a lot of work, not glass.
No more cramped hand around a grater, no more forearm ache mincing garlic for the fourth night running. Day one looks like dropping a block of cheddar down the feed tube and watching it turn to shreds in under ten seconds, then walking away while it works through the salsa instead of standing over a cutting board. A good number of the well over a thousand people who've bought this specifically like how much it holds and how neatly the caddy tucks the blades away, though the plastic bowl is the one part worth handling with a little more care than the price tag suggests. Treat it like a tool, not a mixing bowl for stirring, and it should hold up fine.
Amazon shoppers rate it 4.4 out of 5 across 1,544 ratings. That is their number, not ours.
Before you go
How many cups does the KitchenAid 13-cup food processor actually hold?
It holds 13 cups in the main bowl, enough for a full batch of pie dough or a big bowl of slaw in one go.
What blades and discs come with the KitchenAid food processor?
It ships with a chopping blade, a shredding disc and a slicing disc, all of which store together in a caddy that nests inside the bowl.
Can you adjust the slicing thickness on the KitchenAid food processor?
Yes, the Exact Slice disc has an external dial so you can go from thick to thin without swapping discs.
How many speeds does the KitchenAid 13-cup food processor have?
It has three speeds plus pulse, run by a 500-watt motor.
By the numbers
We have reviewed 218 kitchen products. 92% land where this one does: worth it, with a condition attached. Only 8% earn an unconditional yes at full price. Every verdict is published as open data in the Is It Worth It Reviews Verdict Dataset (CC BY 4.0).
Full spec sheet
| Brand Name | KitchenAid |
|---|---|
| Recommended Uses For Product | Chop |
| Included Components | Chopping Blade, Shredding Disc, Slicing Disc |
| Model Name | 13-Cup Food Processor |
| Number of Items | 7 |
| Unit Count | 1 Count |
| Item Type Name | Food Processor |
| Model Number | KFP1318CU |
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