Re-review: Magimix Food Processor

Quite some time ago, I reviewed the Magimix 14-cup food processor in brushed chrome. Now that I've had a chance to live with it for a while - I've had it for well over a year - I figured it was time to update my thoughts.

And... I have a link for a giveaway of a Magimix Food Processor. Check the bottom of the post! Giveaway is over.

I've been using it a lot for the "usual" processor tasks, like making pastry dough and chopping/pureeing various foods. It performs those tasks really well, and it has three different-sized bowls, which is a great option.

But there are a few other things that make this unit really stand out from the crowd.

The first is a plastic ring that comes with the food processor that makes is perform more like a blender. While blenders and food processors have similar spinning blades, they don't work exactly the same.

The plastic insert causes the liquid to get thrown around a bit, just like what happens inside a blender. I blitzed some ice and made some smoothies and shakes, and the result was just like I'd get from my blender.

While I haven't thrown out my blender yet, it is nice to have other options, and if you don't want both appliances, you won't need a blender if you have this processor.

Carrot-orange juice made with the juicer attachment.

So, that's pretty cool, but the thing I fell in love with was an optional accessory - a juicer attachment. It fits into the bowl of the food processor and works like a centrifugal juicer, shredding the fruits and vegetables, and separating juice from pulp.

I don't juice things every day, but there are times when I do a lot of juicing, like when it's tomato season and I want to make sauce.

A juicer does a great job of separating seeds and skin from pulp, which speeds up the sauce-making process a lot. I've used a standalone juicer for that sort of thing, but since I don't do a lot of juicing, it's nice to have an add-on rather that a big countertop appliance.

The major difference between this and a standalone juicer is that the juice and pulp don't eject from the food processor - the juice remains in the bowl of the processor, and the pulp stays inside the juicer attachment.

So, if you're going to make vast quantities of juice, you'll need to stop occasionally and empty the food processor bowl. But it holds a lot of juice, so it's not like you're stopping every few seconds.

And, depending on how fibrous or pulpy your fruits and vegetables are, you might also need to remove the pulp that accumulates. But again, it's not a big chore.

Juicer attachment.

If you already have a food processor, it wouldn’t make sense to buy this just for the juicing feature.

But if you’re shopping for a food processor, I'd highly recommend this one just because it's a really nice food processor, and then I'd suggest that you think about the juicing attachment as well. It's a heck of a lot cheaper to get the attachment, and it it's smaller and more lightweight than a juicer, so it's easier to store.

Bonus is that while some juicers are seriously noisy, this is only as loud as a typical food processor while it’s juicing.

Who's it for: Anyone who's shopping for a food processor

Pros: Juicer attachment is awesome. Really good food processor. Three bowls for different-sized batches.

Cons: Food processors are expensive. All of them are.

Wishes: I wish the parts fit into my dishwasher better. But that's my diswasher's fault

Source: I received this from the manufacturer for the purpose of a review.