No, Food Processors And Choppers Are Not The Same Thing. Here's The Difference

Food processors and food choppers both take up space on your countertops, but they're solving completely different problems. Think of them like a SUV and a motorbike: both get you places, but for very different trips.

The food processor has a heavier price tag, but it also takes on a range of different kitchen projects: making dough, shredding cheese, and even blending sauces, among other tasks. In fact, a food processor can be used to make butter, so it's a really versatile powerhouse.

On the other hand, a food chopper gets just one job done, and that's in the name: chopping. So, of these two gadgets, one is a multitasker, and the other is a specialist, and knowing which one to get, depending on your kitchen needs, matters a lot. Basically, the more complex or time-intensive your food recipes are, the more you will benefit from buying a food processor. However, if you mostly just cook for 1–2 people or just want less prep time, you might save a significant amount of money by opting for a chopper.

Food processors (not to be confused with blenders) are electric kitchen appliances that are extremely adaptable and have been developed to make a lot of what you do to prepare food easier. They are designed to chop, slice, shred, grate, grind, puree, mix, and even knead ingredients quickly and easily. They do this using interchangeable blades and discs that are attached to a central spindle in a work bowl. Another distinguishing feature of food processors is their feed tubes, which are large and can accommodate entire vegetables without cutting them up first.

Food processors are also very powerful. The power of this gadget is categorized by watts. They are typically in the range of 500W for lower-end food processor models, and over 1000W for high-end models. Essentially, the more watts, the more torque the motor can generate. The best food processors should perform tasks like kneading very dense bread dough, grinding meat, or crushing ice, all without straining the motor.

A food chopper is a small, simple kitchen appliance meant mainly to be a small-batch chopping and mincing tool. While a food processor may have lots of attachments and features, a chopper generally has just one set of blades in a small bowl (usually 1.5 to 4 cups capacity) to very quickly pulse chop, mince, or dice ingredients, such as onions, garlic, herbs, nuts, or small amounts of vegetables, into coarser or finer pieces.

Another aspect where choppers differ from processors is the power. Choppers have a considerably limited wattage of about 150W to 250W. This restricts its productivity to softer ingredients and shorter duration tasks; it can not handle dough, tough vegetables like squash, mincing meat, or emulsifying oils. Some choppers do not even rely on electricity at all and just require a quick press.

In terms of cost, food choppers are extremely low-priced entry-level appliances. Many of the basic models are available for $15-$30, while you might spend $40-50 on premium mini-choppers. This situation is vastly different for food processors, which are considered an objectively bigger investment.