First, what is a food processor?
A commercial food processor has a central motor, usually self contained, that drives a shaft to which a blade or other cutting implement is affixed. Food is either processed in a bowl for sauces, soups, or finely diced vegetables, or through a continuous feed chute that allows sliced or shredded vegetables to be ejected quickly into bins.

There is an important distinction between a commercial food processor and one that is designed for home use. Commercial units are more powerful and are built to withstand the use and abuse a commercial kitchen dishes out.

They are also more expensive than many home models, and some restaurants fall into the trap of buying a common household food processor because of the price tag. Unfortunately, when you account for shortened lifespan and lost productivity due to downtime, the added investment required by a commercial unit more than justifies itself.

The first thing to consider when buying a commercial food processor is capacity.
Be sure to size your new food processor to the task. If you overwork the processor by constantly pushing its capacity, you could shorten its lifespan and effectiveness. Manufacturers usually list capacity information so that you can easily calculate how much output you can expect from a given model.

Some units have more than one bowl size.
This allows you to change the capacity according to what you are processing. This is especially useful if you have medium and small size processing tasks. Larger capacity tasks are best handled by food processors with a continuous feed.

Variable speed units are more versatile and can handle foods of different densities.
They also tend to cost more, but if you have a variety of needs, the added investment is more than worth it. If you need processing capacity for a dedicated, simple prep task, variable speed probably won’t help you much.

The same goes for units that come with multiple attachments. The more attachments a unit has, the more food preparation tasks it can perform in your kitchen, but are probably not necessary for simple, dedicated tasks.

Safety features are especially important because they can prevent kitchen staff injury, especially with new or untrained help. Most, if not all, modern food processors have built-in safety features designed to minimize the risk of injury. The most common is an automatic shut-off feature, but make sure you check out a list of safety features before you buy any model.

Food Processors