Is this the ultimate time-saving food processor? We tested it to find out

Food processors come in many different forms, from the all-singing all-dancing models that have every possible attachment and cost several hundred pounds, to smaller more paired back options. This Kenwood MultiPro GO sits in the latter camp, but with a twist.

When fully assembled this compact food processor is virtually the same size as a kettle. But it comes with a nifty attachment that funnels sliced and grated foods into a separate container, so there’s no limit to the quantity of food it can handle.

The chopping blade can only be used for smaller quantities though, and there’s only one processing speed to choose from. Nevertheless, this is an appliance that can out-perform its size, making it a fantastic option for compact kitchens, and one of the best food processors around.

Kenwood loaned me the food processor and I was surprised at how much I liked it. My usual food processor is big and bulky and usually getting it out of the cupboard and setting it up just feels like far too much effort. But the Kenwood MultiPro GO is quick and easy to set up. If this lived in my kitchen permanently, I think I’d use it far more than my big top-of-the-range model.

Kenwood MultiPro GO product specs

• Material: Plastic
• Colour: Grey
• Capacity: 1.3 litre bowl with a working capacity of 750ml
• Attachments: stainless steel blade, reversible 4mm slicing and grating disc
• Weight: 1.94kg
• Power: 650 Watts
• Size: (H)29.7 x (W)23.9 x (D)15.8 cm
• Cable length: 105cm

Unboxing 

Unsurprisingly, this compact food processor comes neatly packaged in a small box and although the parts come individually wrapped in plastic bags, all the other packaging is fully recyclable cardboard.

When I removed it from the box, it was smaller than I expected, and once assembled and on the worktop its compact size is even more evident. The size is pretty similar to my kettle and I’m struck by how easily I’ll be able to store it away in a cupboard or drawer.

It’s made of plastic which means it’s lightweight, but it also lacks the robustness of a heavy-duty metal food processor. However, for tasks like chopping, grating and slicing, it doesn’t need to be particularly sturdy.

In the box, there’s the main processing bowl that can be used with the stainless-steel chopping and mixing blade, or with the reversible shredding and slicing disc. The lid has a pusher for feeding in foods, and next to this is where you’ll find the power button.

The Express Serve attachment can be used in place of the main bowl when slicing and grating, and it utilises a spinning disc to fling the sliced and grated food out into your chosen container via a wide chute.

First impressions 

Setting it up is a straightforward task, like most food processors the bowl and lid have to be slotted on correctly in order for it to start. But once in position they twist easily into place. On top of the lid there’s a sliding power button that slides one way to switch it on, or the other way for the pulse function where it’ll stay switched on for as long as you hold it in this position.

The processor bowl has a working capacity of around 750ml so it can’t be used for very large quantities. But as I mentioned above, when the Express Serve attachment is in place, there’s no limit to the amount you can grate and slice. And this really is its strong point, so if you’re a fan of making big coleslaws and salads it’ll become invaluable.

The main bowl doesn’t have a handle, which is a minor niggle, but I did miss it when moving the bowl from the scales back to the base. Likewise, the slicing and grating disc can be fiddly to remove since there’s only a very small central piece to hold onto. Having said that, I did appreciate the groove for the power cable, so you can wind it around the base for neat storage and utilise the small rubber piece to hold it in place.

Using the food processor

Grating

I wanted to grate a whole 350g block of cheese so I put the Express Serve attachment on with a big jug under the chute to catch all the cheese. I chopped the block in half and fed it in via the feed hole in the lid, feeding the second half in immediately after the first. Impressively, the whole lot was grated in under 10 seconds.

A small amount of cheese was wedged in a corner of the lid, but there was no melting, clogging, or chunks left ungrated. Similarly, none had made its way underneath the spinning disc that propels it out of the chute. My only criticism is that some of the grated cheese ended up as smaller crumbs, but having said that, the majority of it was good size shreds, and how often does it really matter if your cheese isn’t perfectly evenly grated?

To grate one carrot for a salad I used the disc with the main bowl since it was only a small quantity. I popped the whole carrot in, and in just a couple of seconds it was evenly grated to perfection. There was just a small sliver that remained ungrated on the top of the disc. I did notice that the bowl was pretty full, so I’d have to use the Express Serve attachment if grating any more than one carrot.

Slicing

The slicing disc is a helpful tool if you’re making potato dauphinoise, it’ll save you a lot of time. I sliced my potato with the Express Serve attachment in place and a big bowl under the chute. My potatoes were too big for the feed tube in the lid, so I had to cut them to fit. This did mean that the slices weren’t round, but that’s a small price to pay for the fast, even results I got by slicing them in the food processor. The slices are about the thickness of a pound coin and it raced through my pile of potatoes with satisfying speed.

To slice a carrot into discs, I chopped the carrot in half and put both halves alongside each other in the feed tube. The food processor whizzed through the carrot, slicing it with effortless ease in a matter of seconds. The slices were even and round, there was nothing wasted.

Tomatoes are one of those foods that’s deceptively difficult to slice cleanly and evenly. It’s why sales people always use tomatoes to demonstrate how sharp knives are. So I didn’t actually hold out much hope that this disc would be up to the job. Plus, I didn’t have any big tomatoes, just an assortment of small ones and cherry tomatoes from a local farm shop. Nevertheless, I piled them into the feed chute and gently pressed the pusher on top. And to my surprise, in just a few seconds the bowl was full of perfect tomato slices, I was very impressed.

Mixing and chopping

I used the blade to mix up a dough for flour tortillas, the 200g flour, 20g butter and 120ml water is just below the maximum capacity given for dough in the instruction manual. After a few pulses to mix in the butter, I added the water. Unless you keep a hand on top, it does move around a bit while it brings the dough together, but even some of the best food processors move around when mixing dough, so that didn’t surprise me. I was quite impressed that it brought the dough together quickly and didn’t struggle when I left it on to knead it for a few seconds.

When making a salsa I threw in some halved chillies, a garlic clove and some cherry tomatoes and put it on to chop. It took just three short bursts to finely chop everything. I had to open it up and scrape down the sides between each burst to ensure all the garlic was finely chopped, but that wasn’t much of an inconvenience given how speedy it was.

To chop an onion, I quartered it first and opted to pulse it so I could keep an eye on the texture. After 10 quick pulses it was finely chopped. Admittedly, the pieces weren’t completely even, there were a few slightly bigger pieces in the mix. But I’d say it was about 80% even which is good enough for most dinners I usually cook and faster and easier than chopping by hand.

For a quick healthy porridge topping, I added a handful of cashew nuts along with a handful of sunflower seeds to the food processor. And happily, it took just 10 seconds to blitz them into a powdery crumb that I could sprinkle on my breakfast.

Finally, when making apple sauce, I threw in some cooked apples and a little water. But the softened apple proved to be no match for this little food processor and within seconds it was a silky smooth puree.

Cleaning

Hurrah, all the removable parts are dishwasher friendly and since everything is small, it won’t take over your entire dishwasher. But you should be careful how you place sharp blades into your dishwasher, both so that they don’t rub on anything which would result in either damage to the blade or potentially the dishwasher shelf. But also for safety, in case someone else is unloading the dishwasher.

I have to say though that I often found myself washing it by hand, grating some carrot for example doesn’t leave it very dirty and it’ll rinse clean in seconds. If you’ve been grating cheese or chocolate though, the dishwasher will make the clean-up easier. Drying it is a bit fiddly and I’d recommend leaving it to air dry on a drainer if you can.

Comparisons

If this compact food processor won’t meet your needs, you could consider the Sage Peel and Dice Food Processor. It’s a robust food processor that’s well built and comes with a wide array of attachments to help with just about every kitchen chore, but it’s a big beast and at over £500 this is an investment level appliance.

Or for more of an in-between option, the Ninja BN650UK is currently top of our best food processors list. It’s got a 2.1 litre bowl and comes with a dough blade as well as the main chopping, grating and slicing attachments. And at under £100 it represents cracking value for money.

Should you buy the Kenwood MultiPro GO? 

This is a great, compact food processor from a trusted brand, and it’s reasonably priced. If you’re looking for a food processor but you’re really pushed for space, I think the MultiPro GO is the ideal compromise.

It’s brilliant for slicing and grating stacks of food, but it can’t be used for chopping and mixing large quantities, so you’ll need to weigh up what you plan to use it for and whether this combination works for you.

I think it’s a cracking little food processor that’s easy to store and clean. Admittedly you don’t get a choice of different slicing and grating sizes, but most people default to one size for everyday use, and it means your cupboards aren’t cluttered with discs you don’t use.

About this review, and the reviewer 

With years of reviewing household appliances under her belt, it’s amazing that Helen still loves cooking and still manages to find appliances that surprise her. When she’s not in the kitchen she’s usually either doing some kind of DIY or exercising.

Helen lives in a village in Buckinghamshire and reviewed this air fryer from her own kitchen, which is in a 17th century cottage with unnervingly low beams that make her glad to be short. Kenwood loaned Helen this food processor for two weeks so she could put it through its paces to bring you a thorough run down of what it’s really like to use.