Most people would love to have large, spacious kitchens with plenty of counter space and places for storage. The truth, however, is that many kitchens simply weren't designed to meet the needs of today's home cook. Residential kitchens are often relatively small in comparison to the typical "dream kitchen". One of the biggest complaints is that they often lack storage space, and there is little counter space for working. With all the small appliances currently on the market, it seems like there is never enough room for them all. For most people, it is necessary to carefully choose small appliances that will fit in the kitchen and can be stored easily. For this reason, it is often beneficial to choose appliances that can serve multiple purposes.

One of the most popular multipurpose small kitchen appliances is the food processor. Food processors can be used to perform several tasks. Even the most basic models can typically slice, chop, and mix foods with ease. Some of the more advanced models can also perform tasks such as kneading heavy dough or slicing specialized foods such as french fries. The machines are typically rather compact in size, which makes them very easy to store, and they take up very little space on the counter. Many even come with retractable cords to make storage even easier. Today's food processors are also easy to disassemble and clean. They can be found with bowls with varying capacities. This makes them ideal for preparing any volume of food. For the basic home user, a 9 cup food processor is an excellent choice because it is generally not too big or too small.

While it is possible to find separate appliances for nearly any kitchen task imaginable, a multipurpose appliance is typically the most beneficial for the majority of home chefs. Not only are they easier to use, they also make the most efficient use of the limited counter and storage space in the kitchen. When compared to the cost of buying each appliance individually, multipurpose appliances such as food processors also tend to be much more economical and affordable as well.