Hamilton Beach 70730 10-Cup Food Processor with Bowl Scraper Review

The jobs this machine handles best are the everyday prep jobs that fill a bowl fast: onions, vegetables, hummus, dips, soups and baby-food purees with the S-blade, and cheese or cabbage with the disc.

Chopping and pureeing

The stainless S-blade chops and purees, and buyers on Amazon most often praise how quickly the machine gets food ready, with one buyer noting it makes short work of almond butter and another pointing to finely chopped vegetables for baking. Pureeing cooked fruit and vegetables is one of its strengths, which is why it suits baby food and soups.

Slicing and shredding

The reversible stainless disc slices on one side and shreds on the other. Shredding hard cheese and cabbage for slaw is a job one buyer praises, and reviews at other retailers single out cheese grating as the fastest task the machine does.

The bowl scraper

The scraper is a set of arms built into the lid that you rock side to side with the lid still on, so ingredients stuck to the bowl wall come back into the blade without stopping the machine, unlocking the lid or scraping by hand. On purees, dips and soft doughs this saves the repeated stop-scrape-relock cycle. It is a real convenience, not a gimmick, as long as you know its two limits below.

Ease of use and cleaning

A single dial gives low, high, pulse and off, so there is nothing to program. The parts come apart for cleaning and the removable ones are dishwasher safe, and buyers on Amazon often mention how easy the machine is to take apart and wash.

Footprint and storage

The base is compact at 10 inches wide, 8.5 inches deep and 16 inches tall, and the parts nest inside the bowl for storage, which matters in a small kitchen. Suction feet hold the base steady during heavy chopping and shredding.

The limits below are design facts of this model, and knowing them before the first use prevents most of the frustration buyers report.

The scraper's reach

The scraper arms stop short of the bottom of the bowl, so thick mixtures and doughs still need a spatula at the end. Reviews at other retailers note the arms stop about an inch above the base, and the feed chute blocks a full turn, which is why the scraper comes as several arms rather than one continuous paddle.

The scraper only works with the chopping blade

The scraper cannot be used with the slicing/shredding disc. One specialist review confirms this limit.

One disc, one thickness

A single reversible disc means one slice thickness and one shred size, with no thin or thick option and no second disc in the box.

Capacity versus batch size

The 10-cup bowl invites big batches, but the chopping blade is rated for about 2 to 3 cups of cubed fruit or vegetables, 0.7 lb of meat, 5 oz of Parmesan, 8 oz of semi-hard cheese, or up to 10 cups of crackers. Loads above those amounts process unevenly, so a big bowl does not mean a big batch.

No dough blade and no kneading

There is no dough blade, and the manual states the machine is not for kneading dough. Softer mixtures such as cookie dough are within its range; bread dough is not.

Noise

It is a loud machine. Reviews at other retailers measured it among the loudest processors they checked, so plan around it if the kitchen opens onto living space.

Cleaning details

The blade shaft in the base is not removable, so food can collect around it, and the lid has crevices that trap water. Hand-washing the lid and bowl keeps both in better shape than repeated dishwasher cycles.

Lid and bowl locking

The bowl must lock first, then the lid, or the motor will not run. Owners on forums report the lid can be stiff to lock and unlock; do not store the machine locked, and keep the locking tabs clean.

These figures tell you what the machine is built to do.

The 450 watts is a continuous motor rating, so do not read it against machines that advertise peak wattage: it is a modest, steady motor matched to the batch sizes above. The 6.2 lb weight and the compact base mean one person can lift it in and out of a cabinet, and the 1-year limited warranty is the backstop if something fails early.

The owner's manual lists jobs this machine is not built for, and reading that list before the first use is the most useful five minutes a buyer can spend.

• Do not grind grain, coffee or spices.
• Do not slice frozen meat.
• Do not knead dough.
• Do not crush ice.
• Do not puree starchy vegetables such as potatoes, which turn gummy.

The motor has overload protection: if the machine stops, unplug it and let it cool about 15 minutes, and otherwise rest it a few minutes between long runs. Never fill above the MAX line, and do not process hot liquids, which can escape. For soft cheese such as mozzarella, freeze it about 30 minutes before shredding so it grates cleanly instead of smearing.

Buyer feedback on Amazon is strongly positive on performance, value, ease of use, ease of cleaning, power, functionality and speed, and the large majority of ratings are four or five stars. Chopping, pureeing, grating cheese and shredding cabbage come up as the jobs buyers are happiest with.

Durability is where opinion splits. Buyers on Amazon are divided on how long the machine lasts, with a minority reporting failure within a couple of years. Reviews at other retailers mention the same pattern: a large satisfied majority alongside a minority reporting failure within a couple of years. The 1-year limited warranty covers failures in the first year.

When the machine will not start, the usual cause is the interlock rather than a dead motor: the bowl must be locked, then the lid locked, before anything runs. Check both before assuming a fault.