Hamilton Beach Professional 70815 Food Processor Review

The numbers below change how you use the machine day to day. The rest are on the box.

The 3-inch chute is the practical headline: whole potatoes and whole zucchini go in without pre-cutting. The six-setting slicer is the feature most mid-range processors lack, and it saves you from swapping discs mid-recipe. At 18.28 inches high, the machine needs open counter space or a low shelf, not a slot under upper cabinets. Some retailers list it as a 3-speed machine because they count pulse as a third speed; the sheet says two speeds plus pulse.

The motor is the same in every job, so the difference comes from the attachment and the load.

Chopping and pureeing with the S-blade

Good for onions, herbs in quantity, hummus, sauces and soups. The sealed bowl and pour spout keep wet work tidy, and the S-blade handles normal batch sizes without fuss. The 450 W motor is adequate for soft-to-medium loads, not athletic: pulse in batches rather than filling the bowl with a stiff mixture. For a single onion or a small batch of pesto, a 12-cup bowl is more space than the job needs.

Slicing

The standout. The adjustable disc covers six thickness settings, roughly 1 mm to 6 mm, so thin cucumber slices and thick potato rounds come from the same disc without a swap. Use the low speed. The manual's tip for thin items like carrots: stand them upright, side by side, in the chute so they slice evenly instead of tumbling.

Shredding

Good for cheese, carrots, cabbage and zucchini, with coarse and fine on the reversible disc. Chill hard cheese at least 30 minutes before shredding, and freeze soft cheese about 30 minutes first. Two quirks come up: some food rides on top of the disc and needs a second pass, and the coarse side runs finer than some cooks expect. That is fine for coleslaw, less so for pizza-topping shreds.

Dough

Adequate, as a kneading aid. The plastic dough blade handles pizza dough, pie crust and small bread batches. It is not a stand-mixer replacement: keep batches modest and expect to finish stiff dough by hand.

Spiralizing

A real convenience that saves buying and storing a separate spiralizer. The spiral blade makes linguini-like noodles and the ribbon blade makes wide ribbons from zucchini, sweet potato, butternut squash, carrots, beets, cucumber, apple, cabbage and more.

For good results, run the low speed, feed one piece at a time and use light, steady pressure; pressing harder does not help. Peel first where practical, scoop seeds out of cucumbers and squash so they don't clog the blade, and pat the noodles dry or blanch them briefly so sauces don't go watery. Use them within 2 to 3 days, refrigerated.

The limits are real: about an inch of every vegetable is left unprocessed, seeds jam the blade, and short round items are awkward to feed. If noodles are your main use, a dedicated spiralizer still does the job better; as a second function on a processor, this one earns its place.

The bowl drops straight onto the base with no twisting, and a metal arm snaps over the lid. The machine won't run unless the arm is engaged, which is a safety feature, not a fault.

Reviews at other retailers mention that some owners find this quicker and easier than twist-lock, especially with wet hands, while others say the arm is stiff and worry it will crack the lid. It is a firm latch by design, so anyone with limited hand strength should try it in person if they can. One practical tip: seat the bowl fully before closing the arm. A partly seated bowl is the usual cause of a stiff latch.

At 18.28 inches high and 8 lb, the machine wants a permanent counter spot or a low cupboard. It will not slide under most upper cabinets.

Noise is normal for a 450 W full-size processor: noticeable but not remarkable. The bowl, lid, pusher and all blades and discs are dishwasher safe on the top rack. Rinse the S-blade promptly and hand-wash it if you want to keep the edge sharp, and wash everything before first use.

The included case holds all six attachments and stores flat, on its side, or under the base, and the S-blade stores inside the bowl. That answers the question every processor owner asks: where do the discs go?

These come from the machine's own documentation, and each one changes how you plan a recipe.

• Liquid capacity is lower than bowl capacity. The bowl holds 12 cups of dry ingredients, but liquids such as soups and marinades top out around 7 cups. The sealed bowl prevents drips; it doesn't raise that ceiling.
• The motor has thermal protection. After long continuous running it may stop and need roughly 15 minutes to cool. Rest it about 4 minutes between extended runs.
• Not for everything. The manual rules out grinding coffee or spices, crushing ice and slicing frozen meat.
• Starchy potatoes. Don't puree or mash them in the bowl; they go gummy.
• No mini bowl. Herbs, a single onion or pesto for two are awkward in a 12-cup bowl, and a small chopper is the better tool for those jobs.
• No whipping attachment, no dicing kit, no julienne or French-fry disc. If those are on your list, this machine doesn't have them.

Buyers on Amazon most often praise the performance, the build quality relative to cheaper processors, easy cleanup, the storage case, the adjustable slicer and the spiralizer. The large bowl divides opinion: great for batches, too big for a drawer. Value and durability draw mixed comments, including a small number of units that failed early, which is what the 5-year limited warranty is there for. Reviews at other retailers mention the same split on the locking arm, and owners on forums report food riding on top of the shredding disc.