Hamilton Beach 10-Cup Food Processor with Bowl Scraper Review

We purchased the Hamilton Beach 10-Cup Food Processor and Bowl Scraper so our reviewer could put it to the test in her kitchen. Keep reading for our full product review.

The Hamilton Beach name carries a lot of weight. The brand has been around for over 100 years and is known as one of the most innovative companies in its industry. Its kitchen appliances are renowned for being affordable, efficient, and attractive. We decided to test out the company’s 10-cup food processor in our kitchen to see how it lived up to expectations. Read on for our thoughts on the appliance’s performance, design, price, and competition. 

Performance: Belies its low price

This is a straightforward food processor that includes a classic set of very sharp blades: a standard S-blade for mixing, pureeing, and chopping, and a reversible disc for slicing and shredding. The 450-watt motor is loud, so if you have a lot of prep work, we suggest doing it beforehand if you plan on entertaining guests. 

The motor is surprisingly powerful—most jobs required a run of just 30 to 45 seconds. We put the Hamilton Beach food processor to the test by making a banana almond ice cream. It easily pulverized the frozen bananas and crushed the almonds all at once, transforming the ingredients into a delightfully creamy paste in seconds. It did well with small, single-serve batches as well as larger ones. But we do advise holding the machine in place while being used for larger batches as it can shake a lot even with the suction cup base. 

To test its puree performance, we attempted to make a classic basil pesto. If you frequently use a food processor, you likely understand the frustration of starting and stopping the machine to ensure all ingredients have been properly incorporated. This model has a bowl scraping attachment, which we thought might be more hype than actual effectiveness, but the feature proved to be a game-changer. In one go, our pesto came out perfectly blended and creamy. 

The scraper attachment is a very welcome addition to this food processor. It removed remnants from the sides of the bowl so we never once had to remove the lid. Although the scraper doesn’t reach all the way to the bottom, it does have a handle on top of the machine that allows you to move the attachment from side to side, saving both time and patience. 

The processor comes equipped with a BPA-free, 10-cup capacity work bowl as well as an extra-large feed tube. While the latter seems like it’d prove super useful, we didn’t find it made much of a difference when adding loose ingredients. For things like measured parmesan (for our pesto), we found that using the tube actually made more of a mess than it was worth. Instead, we just removed the lid entirely when adding loose ingredients.  

Design: Lightweight and modern  

This is an attractive, yet understated appliance. Its black and stainless steel build easily matches most kitchen decor, making it a machine we would happily stow on the countertop if needed. If you have cabinet space, though, the lightweight appliance measures just 10.25 x 8.43 x 15.47 inches, so it can easily be tucked away.  

The food processor features a suction cup bottom which came as a surprise to us when we struggled to lift it off the counter after use. At first, the suction seemed slightly unnecessary, but because the appliance weighs just 6.2 pounds, it proved extremely helpful when working with frozen ingredients that shook the machine. The suction was successful in keeping the machine in place, but we still advise holding it down by hand for additional support. 

Ease of Cleaning: No elbow grease needed 

Cleanup is super easy—but be sure to take care when washing the blades as they are extremely sharp. The only area we had some difficulty cleaning was the feed tube. Our almond and banana ice cream left some stubborn remnants that were hard to get to so we suggest rinsing immediately after use or soaking if necessary. The appliance is dishwasher safe, but with how easy it is to clean, we’d sooner just do it by hand to get it put away. 

Price: A crowd-pleasing cost  

Hamilton Beach’s 10-Cup Food Processor will definitely get the job done and look good doing it. At $45, this model isn’t the cheapest on the market, but it’s pretty darn close. This is a no-brainer purchase when you weigh its low cost and high performance.  

Hamilton Beach 10-Cup Food Processor vs. Oster 2-Speed 10-Cup Food Processor 

While the Hamilton Beach food processor is a great choice, this Oster model is also comparable in size and price (at $45 and $35, respectively). Both machines offer a 10-cup capacity, but each has an attachment that differs from the other. For the baker, the Oster offers a dough kneading attachment which the Hamilton Beach version does not. However, after using the Hamilton Beach model, we can attest that its unique bowl scraper attachment is an option that sets it apart from even higher-end models on the market. 

In terms of motor, the Oster offers a 500-watt speed while the Hamilton Beach is slightly less robust at 450-watts. That said, we have yet to run into an ingredient that the Hamilton Beach wasn’t equipped to handle. Regarding aesthetics, we prefer the Hamilton Beach model’s sleek stainless steel to Oster’s all-black construction.