I have the 4200 and every time I fight that tank out of the overcrowded cupboard, I wish I‘d gone with a smaller one. And you should know, that many inserts can only use the smaller bowl. The full bowl is only for kneading and the rotary knife. Everything else is the mid or small one. And by design, all these bowls are very limited in capacity, as the rim around the hole in the bottom, where the axle from the motor comes through, is not very high.
I have a few Magimix products and I love the very high quality. But the food processor is only half as versatile as the marketing implies. And it needs a lot of space.
I’ve never used a 3200 in person, but the motor of the 4200 is plenty powerful - sometimes even too much. It’s not easy to blend or grind something to a state in between solid and powder.
Two really annoying things about all Magimix food processors:
* While most parts can go in the dishwasher, there’s no way to position the bowls that prevents them from forming puddles. More often than not, you end up having to run half the machine again. I solved it by taking a drill to the lower rim of the bowls so water can drain when they’re angled.
* The big outer bowl has two layers with space inside, and food particles will find their way in there from day one - with no meaningful way to get them out again. So be prepared for tiny pieces of grated carrot inside the handle.
I got mine in a limited run with some additional attachments:
* The extra press kit for juicing firm fruits and vegetables works very well, but it’s rather small and a real pain to clean. Still, if you’re into fresh apple-carrot-whatever juice, go for it.
* The citrus juicer… well, it works. But unless you regularly make litres of fresh orange juice, you might want to skip it.
* The dicing & French fries kit - I love it, and it works surprisingly well. It’s also very easy to clean, as they even designed a little detachable comb to remove potato bits that get stuck in the grid. If you ever make your own fries or like larger cuts, this one’s great.
As for the default attachments:
* The rotary slicers, dicers, cutters, and blades are all top quality. Mine have been through the dishwasher for years and are still very sharp.
* The plastic dough hook hasn’t seen much use, but its edges are already bent and chipped. I believe there’s a metal version available separately.
* The whisk is… well - I tried it a few times and found it pretty terrible. It’s very flimsy, and the results are nothing to write home about. My KitchenAid makes perfectly stiff egg whites in no time - at a quality this whisk will likely never achieve.
If you need additional attachments, check second-hand marketplaces. People buy these machines (or get them as gifts 😆) and soon realise they don’t need 90% of what came in the box. That’s when they sell things off - often basically unused.
So overall: if you really want a food processor, the Magimix is a very solid, high-quality investment - with a few downsides.
What I’m less sure about is whether it’s the right choice if you’re mainly baking. 🤔
A year before the Magimix, I bought myself a KitchenAid - commercial grade, with bowl lift, safety grill, stainless attachments, and a powerful DC motor. For dough, it’s just perfect. 2.5 kg of bread? That thing doesn’t even flinch. It also makes perfectly stiff egg whites in no time. I had a smaller KitchenAid before that, but with just 1 kg of dough, it would constantly struggle and wobble across the countertop. The big one is a different league and the Magixmix does not play in the same one for kneading.
I have a few attachments for it that I use all the time:
* The old-style grater
* The simple pasta roller
* The Mockmill (a real stone mill for grains - slightly slow, but very good, compact, and easy to store)
* A meat grinder from Grossag (Germany), which is stainless steel and much better quality than the KitchenAid version
I can’t recommend the food processor attachment they sell - it’s just not worth it, and actually the reason I ended up buying the Magimix afterwards.
And excuse my unsolicited kitchen ramble - I'm not only a nerd when it comes to work, and my weekend has already started. 🤭 If you want to know anything else, feel free to ask anytime!
Of those, Sage is easily the best brand to go with, but 9 cups is quite small.
Why isn’t Magimix in the running? European brand (same company as Robot-Coupe) and the best overall food processors out there imo
Magimix and Sage are generally pretty similarly priced if you compare apples to apples. A 14 cup Magimix will obviously be significantly more expensive than a 9 cup Sage though.
You really want to be in the 14 cup range for a food processor. Any smaller than 12 cups at the very smallest and it significantly limits its usefulness.
> is it the sort of appliance where it’s worth spending a bit extra?
Absolutely. It’s one of the only appliances I can think of where the absolute top of the line version (Magimix 4200XL or 5200XL) won’t be past the point of diminishing returns for most people. If you want something cheaper, a Cuisinart Custom 14 is a noticeable step (or two) down, but a good value. If the Cuisinart isn’t within budget, I’d honestly rethink if it’s something you need since anything cheaper than that is gonna have a lot of limitations and/or shortcomings.
Wattage can’t really be used to directly compare appliances.
Magimix is so much better than Ninja it’s not even funny, although I would get the 4200XL instead of the 3200XL
What Magimix is well within a $250 budget? A mini one? That isn’t gonna cut it
For doughs, you want something no smaller than 12 cups. Ideally 14. So a Magimix 4200XL can definitely do what you want and is a great machine, but you’re not gonna get one for $250
In your budget, the only good option is a Cuisinart Custom 14, which is a definite step down but still a very capable and well-regarded machine that can do everything you described
I don’t think ever seen an attachment for a food processor to roll out or cut pasta though. And I don’t think I’d trust one if I did see such a thing.
Peeling, cutting French fries, and even dicing aren’t really core food processor competencies. The Breville you mentioned is the only good quality one that has those features afaik
A Magimix is as good if not better overall, but it can’t really do those first three things. I would really ask yourself how important those use cases are and if a food processor is the only way you can achieve them
A large, high power food processor (like a Cuisinart Custom 14, Magimix, etc) does a very good job kneading doughs under many conditions, but it’s not a complete replacement for a mixer because it’s not great at things like batter, whipping eggs, etc. Of course, a food processor is your best bet for stuff like hummus.
If you don’t have the space or budget for both a food processor and a stand mixer, you can do a food processor plus a *hand* mixer instead for a lot less money and minimal tradeoffs in terms of capabilities.
Magimixes are great (my mom’s Cuisinart Custom 14 feels like a poorly designed toy compared to it) and come with a smaller bowl insert. Certainly doesn’t take up less space than the Cuisinart though. imo big food processors are the only ones worth having though.
If you’re really, really serious about making doughs, look into a Magimix. It’s significantly more expensive, but *so* much better. More powerful, much better warranty iirc, way more thoughtfully designed, and more (actually very useful) accessories included.
The Cuisinart Custom 14 is a solid value, but beyond that I genuinely don’t understand why so many people rank it the best food processor
imo this is actually one of those rare cases where the high end option isn’t well beyond the point of diminishing returns. Yeah, having used both I’d say the Magimix is at *least* twice as good as a Cuisinart Custom 14.
If budget isn’t a problem, Magimix is fantastic and checks all your boxes
Breville is also very good but in the price range
Cuisinart if you want something cheaper. Still good (and good value), but a marked step down from the other two
No. It’s just way too much machine for 99.99% of home cooks. It’s great if you need to do enough processing for 200 covers, but if you’re just trying to mince some mushrooms for your family of four, it’s way less suitable than a Magimix or any other high quality home machine.
lol do not buy a Robocoupe for your home kitchen. They make the Magimix line for a reason. Get one of those. They’re still beasts and actually designed for home use
Avoid like the plague. Especially these type of devices.
Vitamix blender and a cuisinart or Magimix food processor is the way to go if you’re serious about BIFL.
Pick whichever one you use least frequently and store that in the cabinet to save counter space.
DevilsInkpot
