Kenwood FP580 2-Speed Food Processor, White

After seeing this bargain food processor on the website I trawled round a few shops to do some comparisons and it definitely came out ahead. I've used it a few times now and it's brilliant, the price is fantastic. One of the best things is it's size, because the base fits both the processor and the blender it only takes up a small amount of room in my tiny kitchen. The one slight downfall is that all the fittings can't fit in the processor for storage so you still have some cupboard space to find, however this is a small price to pay for the amount of fittings you get.

The Kenwood FP580 2 Speed Food Processor is a well designed multi-purpose kitchen utensil, built around the core functionality of a food processor. The main body of the unit is a solid plastic base which allows for a number of different blades and attachments to be added to it, in order for it to perform different everyday cooking functions. The power cord can also be pushed back into a small purposefully left space within the main body of the unit, making storage and safety of the appliance a little easier.

Utilising a simple 'clip-on, clip-off' design for the different attachments, more often than not incorporating the cylinder detachable drive shaft, the unit can be quickly and easily changed from one functionality to another.

The key functions of the unit are as follows:

Food processor
Liquidiser
Twin Beater Geared Whisker
Slicer / Shredder
Dough Kneader
Citrus Press
Mill (for herbs, nuts & coffee beans etc)

The food processor is a sturdy and durable unit, with a very simple to use functionality. The food processor offers two different speeds as well as a pulse option for quick blasts of the blades. As an added safety feature, the processor will not operate if the bowl and/or lid are not correctly fitted. This is a particularly good feature if the unit is to be used by children (even when supervised). The bowl for the processor allows for a 1.5 Litre working capacity which is about average for a household food processor.

The liquidiser works in the same way as the food processor, but makes the contents into a paste or liquid. The liquidiser jug can also hold up to a 1.5 Litre capacity. The entire bottom `blade unit' section of the liquidiser part can be easily unscrewed and removed for easy cleaning. This is a definite bonus feature as cleaning such appliances without easy access to the undersides of the blades can be a frustrating and time consuming chore.

The twin beater geared whisk is a simple attachment to use. The two whisks are clipped into a small drive head which is fitted onto the unit's drive shaft and then placed inside the main food processor bowl attachment. The whisks can be used for light mixtures only (such as egg whites, cream, evaporated milk etc). Heavier mixtures such as fat and flour will damage it. As such, and being only constructed from plastic, these attachments only allow for a limited amount of use and are certainly no replacement for a proper electric (or indeed hand-cranked) whisk.

The slicing and shredding discs are again used in the main food processing bowl. They can be quickly fitted into the unit to use for shredding or slicing cheese, carrots, potatoes, cabbage, cucumber, onions etc. The fine (Julienne style) chipper disc can be used to cut potatoes to make French fries, as well as finely cutting carrots, swedes, courgettes etc for use in salads, garnishes, casseroles or stir fries. Cleaning these blades after use is a little more annoying, but a quick soak in warm soapy water first makes the process easier (similar to cleaning a cheese-grater). What should be noted is that when using these blades, a small 2-3mm slither of the food will always be left unprocessed. This is because a small gap of this size is required between the blades and the lid of the bowl (where the food is pushed down from).

The electric citrus press is I fear a little on the unnecessary side. Handy if the user needs to get a lot of juice from an orange or a lemon etc, but for general use it's an added function that would involve more cleaning than would otherwise be required.

The mill on the other hand is a great little addition. It's an incredibly simple little attachment that fits over the liquidiser's blade unit and allows for herbs, nuts or coffee beans (but not spices) to be ground up. The little mill pot then has a sprinkler lid which can be screwed on top if required.

Also included is a very handy storage box for the slicing and shredding discs (although the blades don't fit all that securely in the box). A plastic spatula is also included, as is a 64 page 'Creative Food Processor Cooking' cookbook specially put together by chef Becky Johnson.

All in all, the Kenwood multi-purpose food processor unit is an incredibly handy and diverse piece of equipment for a number of everyday cooking tasks. The strong and sturdy hard plastic exterior to the unit as well as the overall good quality of all of the attachments makes the product a long-lasting and reliable appliance.

One small gripe with the appliance is the way in which the detachable blades are not properly secured within the bowl unit. This is not a problem whilst the processor is in use, but when attempting to remove the food contents from the bowl section, unless the central blade section is fished out (not a huge hardship), then it will fall out and potentially damage the sharpness of the blades. Thus far this has not happened to us, but we can see that the potential for this is there - so certainly something to be aware of. Storage of all of the numerous parts may also be a small issue for those will smaller kitchens or lacking in storage space.

I am a huge fan of food processors and this Kenwood did nothing to diminish my enjoyment of them. It makes life so much easier, doing chopping, slicing, whipping, juicing, etc, within seconds. It's quite compact too so it doesn't take up too much counter space.

It's only downfall is a basic design flaw. When you remove the processor from the base to take out the food inside, first of all it requires pressure to get it out - something not easy esp since its all so delicate. Secondly when you remove the bowl, the plastic beam in the center which rotates the blade stays in - and usually falls out (which means you can break it easily if you drop it one too many times). If you can get over htese two annoyances then it's a fabulous processor.