KitchenAid KFC0516OB Food Chopper Review

The letters OB in KFC0516OB are a color code, not a different machine. This is the Onyx Black version of the 5-Cup food chopper, and the model number is otherwise identical across colors.

The box holds four items: the 5-cup work bowl with a handle and pour spout, the lid with a drizzle basin, the stainless steel multipurpose blade and the whisk accessory. There is no slicing or shredding disc, no feed tube, no dough blade and no storage lid.

The controls are a speed toggle on the base and a run button on the lid handle that you hold down to run. The chopper stands 10 inches high, 7 inches wide and about 6 inches deep, and it weighs around 3 lb, so it fits under a cabinet and can stay on the counter. The cord wraps under the base and the accessories store inside the bowl. The bowl, lid and blade are dishwasher-safe on the top rack, and the warranty runs one year.

Chopping and pureeing are the core jobs. The blade takes fresh fruit and vegetables, herbs such as parsley, chives and garlic, and cooked fruit and vegetables for baby food or as a base for soups and sauces. Coarse or fine results come from pulsing rather than from one long run.

The drizzle basin lets you add liquid in a thin stream through the lid while the blade runs. That is what makes mayonnaise, dressings, sauces and other condiments possible in a chopper, because the oil goes in slowly enough to emulsify instead of splitting.

The whisk accessory handles cream, egg whites and emulsions within the batch limits below. Raw meat cut into 1-inch pieces is another job it takes on, up to the weight cap in the manual.

Buyers on Amazon most often praise the performance, the size that keeps it on the countertop, the ease of cleaning and the versatility for kitchen tasks. The design details earn their place too: the pour spout on the bowl, the drizzle basin, the in-bowl storage for the accessories and the cord wrap under the base.

There is no slicing, shredding or dicing, because the chopper has no discs and no feed tube. If those are the jobs you need done, this is the wrong appliance.

There is no kneading, since no dough blade is included. The manual says not to process coffee beans or hard spices such as nutmeg, as they can damage the unit, and ice is out too. No storage lid comes in the box, and the blade and whisk are never used together.

In short, it chops, purees, emulsifies and whips. It does not replace a full-size food processor.

The lid is the main complaint among buyers on Amazon, who report trouble getting it on and seated. Reviews at other retailers mention that the chopper must be fully assembled with the container on the base before adding food.

One specialist review notes the run button is hold-to-run, so you keep a hand on it for the whole job. That gives good pulse control but tires the hand on longer runs. Pulsing needs a quick up-and-down press, and the manual says not to hold the button down continuously. Reviews at other retailers mention a switch that does not release cleanly, which makes pulsing unreliable.

Cleaning is easy overall, but food can get between the parts and around the center post, and moisture lingers in hard-to-dry spots. Buyers on Amazon report the processing bowl cracking, a known risk to weigh rather than a certainty. The chopper is also a loud small appliance, so expect noise while it runs.

These are the trade-offs of a compact chopper, not deal-breakers for the right buyer.

The same 5-cup chopper is also sold as KFC0516CU in Contour Silver, and the color of the finish is the only thing that changes. The bowl, blade, whisk, speeds and capacity carry over unchanged, and the model number simply follows the colorway. Pick whichever finish you prefer, since neither version offers more or less than the other.