What the best food processors have    • Consistent performance.
All food processors can chop, slice, shred and purée foods, but
they don't all perform equally well. It's easy to be seduced by
features like multiple speeds and fancy attachments (juicers,
egg beaters, French fry cutters and the like), but they're not a
substitute for performance. It's much easier to buy extra blades
later to do specific jobs than it is to replace a machine that
can't handle the basics.   • A wide feed tube. The narrower the
feed tube is, the more pre-chopping you'll have to do to ensure
food will fit into the machine.   • Solid construction. Look for
sturdy bowls and blades that are securely seated in their
plastic housing. A heavier base contributes to stability. Some
problems aren't obvious on visual inspection, so make sure the
machine you choose receives good ratings from users for long-
term durability as well.   • Easy assembly. Watch out for
persnickety machines that won't start unless every piece is
aligned. Ideally, the