KitchenAid KFP1318 13-Cup Food Processor Review

The KFP1318 earns its place on the counter with the everyday jobs a food processor is bought for, and it handles them in volume.

• Chopping and pureeing. The multipurpose stainless blade takes onions, herbs, nuts, hummus and pesto, and the 13-cup bowl holds a family-size batch in one go.
• Slicing. The ExactSlice disc adjusts from thick to thin through six settings with a knob on the lid, so you change thickness without opening the bowl. Potatoes, cucumbers and carrots go through quickly.
• Shredding. The reversible disc gives you a fine or a medium grate for cheese and vegetables, and it fills the bowl evenly.
• The 3-in-1 feed tube. Three nested pushers (large, medium and small) match different ingredient sizes, and the small pusher has a drizzle hole for adding oil in a thin stream to dressings and mayonnaise.
• Everyday usability. The Snap and Go bowl drops on with a twist-free click and is held by a magnet, the lid is hinged and latched, and rubber feet keep the base planted. The in-bowl storage caddy holds every blade and disc, so nothing ends up lost in a drawer.
• Cleaning. All removable parts are top-rack dishwasher safe, and a quick rinse with warm water and a drop of dish soap handles light jobs.
• Weight. At 9.7 lb it is light enough to lift in and out of a cupboard.

The limits are worth knowing before you commit, because several of them sit exactly where a 13-cup machine is expected to shine.

• The warranty is 1 year, which is short for an appliance in this class.
• Durability is a pattern in buyer feedback. A meaningful share of buyers report the lid or its latch breaking under normal use. The star spread shows a cluster of one-star ratings alongside a large majority of four and five stars, so treat this as a risk to weigh rather than a certainty.
• It does not dice. The six accessories are the work bowl, multipurpose blade, adjustable slicing disc, reversible shredding disc, dough blade and storage caddy. There is no dicing kit.
• Dough is a side job. The dough blade is included, but the manual caps dough at 384 g (13.5 oz), which is under a standard loaf.
• Meat capacity is modest. The manual caps beef at 0.5 lb (225 g), cubed to about 0.4 in (1 cm) before you add it.
• Small batches suffer. A 13-cup bowl is wide, so small quantities of hummus, pesto or cookie dough spread thin and need scraping.
• It is tall. At 17.44 in high it will not slide under most upper cabinets and takes a full cupboard shelf.
• The layout is right-handed. The handle and the lid hinge sit on the right.
• There is no whisk among the accessories.
• Run time is capped at 3 minutes continuously, then the machine needs to cool.

The 500 W motor is enough for chopping, slicing, shredding and pureeing, and the three controls keep the operation simple: Low for gentle work, High for the tough jobs, Pulse for control over texture. The 17.44 in height is the figure to check against your counter and cabinets before you buy, and the 9.7 lb weight is what makes it practical to store off the counter.

The owner's manual sets the batch limits, and they are worth reading before the first use:

• 13.5 oz (384 g) of dough with the dough blade
• 0.5 lb (225 g) of beef, cubed to about 0.4 in (1 cm)
• about 1.1 lb (500 g) of cheese, chocolate or nuts with the multipurpose blade
• 3 minutes maximum continuous run

The machine will not start unless the large pusher is inserted to the max-fill line, and it will not start if the bowl is loaded above the max-fill line. Both are safety interlocks, and knowing them saves a confusing first attempt.

The box holds the food processor base and six accessories, each with its own job.

• 13-cup work bowl for every job, with the Snap and Go fitting.
• Multipurpose blade for chopping, mixing and pureeing.
• Adjustable slicing disc for the six thickness settings.
• Reversible shredding disc for fine or medium grating.
• Dough blade for the 384 g dough limit.
• Storage caddy that sits inside the bowl and holds the blades and discs.

The dicing kit is not included with this model.

The bowl drops onto the base with a single click and no twisting, and a magnet holds it in place, so loading and unloading take a moment rather than a routine. The lid is hinged and latched: you lift it, fill the bowl or the feed tube, and close it without hunting for a lock ring.

The slicing knob sits on the lid, so you turn it to the thickness you want and keep going without opening anything. The nested pushers let you drop a whole cucumber down the wide chute or a single garlic clove down the narrow one, and the drizzle hole in the small pusher lets you add oil slowly while the blade runs.

When the work is done, the caddy inside the bowl takes every blade and disc, which keeps the set together between uses. Rubber feet hold the base steady on the counter, and the 36 in cord stores in the base.

Two practical notes. The handle and the lid hinge are on the right, which is awkward if you are left-handed. And at 17.44 in high, the machine needs a shelf of its own rather than a slot under a cabinet.

Every removable part is top-rack dishwasher safe, and the base wipes clean with a damp cloth. For a quick cleanup, add warm water and one or two drops of dish soap to the bowl and run it briefly, then rinse.

The multi-purpose blade is a multi-part assembly, so it takes a little care to get completely clean. The bowl is plastic, which means it can show water spots or staining over time; hand washing helps if that bothers you.

The KFP1318 is sold in three finishes, and the finish is the only thing that separates them. The Contour Silver version is model KFP1318CU, the White version is model KFP1318WH, and the Empire Red version is model KFP1318ER. The model number stays the same across all three, and the color code at the end of it changes with the finish. Pick the color that suits your kitchen.