Oster Total Prep 10 Cup Food Processor review

The Oster Total Prep 10 Cup Food Processor is an economically priced machine with a generous 10-cup capacity. Costing less than $60, this food processor isn’t short on functionality, and it features multiple accessories and power modes to give you control over your food preparation needs. Its 500-watt motor was never underpowered in any of our tests, and the ability to store all of the attachments in the bowl makes for a space-saving design. This machine could be a great addition to many kitchens looking for an economical yet versatile food processor. 

It’s a loud operator, and the attachments are somewhat limited. However, as you will read in our Oster Total Prep 10 Cup Food Processor review, it still deserves to make the list as one of the best food processors. 

Oster Total Prep 10 Cup Food Processor review: Price and availability

The Oster Total Prep 10 Cup Food Processor is available on Amazon for $54.35. It’s available in a black finish and is backed by a one-year warranty.

Oster Total Prep 10 Cup Food Processor review: Design

The Oster Total Prep 10 Cup Food Processor is designed to give you maximum versatility while taking up minimum space; it measures just 10.7 x 9.5 x 15.5 inches. It includes a dough blade, an S-shaped blade, and a reversible slicing and grating disc. All of those attachments fit neatly within the bowl for space-saving storage. 

The machine weighs just 7.7 pounds, so it’s easy to move and store when not in use. The four button controls are large and easy to use, and the bowl fits onto the base easily and doesn’t require much strength to lock in. 

This food processor also features a five-inch-wide feed chute that eliminates the need for most pre-cutting. Its continuous feed design keeps you working efficiently, too.

While the fact that most of the machine is plastic helps to reduce its weight, this machine lacked the quality feel that many other food processors offer. The buttons shift slightly when you press them in, and the whole machine feels just a little bit flimsy.

This machine does have one significant design issue. When we grated cheese, some of it was forced up into the plastic column that runs along the side of the feed chute in the lid. The column is hollow, presumably to keep the lid lightweight, and appears to be mostly closed off from the lid, but cheese did somehow make its way into that column. There doesn’t appear to be any way to open that column up, and repeated soakings and washings have been unable to remove that cheese.

In terms of design functionality, the machine is somewhat basic. There’s no way to adjust the slicing or grating thickness, though the inclusion of a dough blade is a perk.

Oster Total Prep 10 Cup Food Processor review: Performance

This food processor performed well in most of our tests. It easily chopped an onion in eight seconds, and the pieces were chopped consistently and finely. 

It also easily handled slicing a potato in eight seconds. The slices were consistent and fine, and the large feed chute made inserting the potato easy. The process of slicing a carrot didn’t go as well. Pieces of the carrot were pushed into the blade sideways, resulting in inconsistent slice thicknesses and lengths. 

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The machine did very well when we mixed cookie dough. It easily mixed butter and the sugars together, and when we added the flour, the motor seemed strong and quickly combined the dough. The resulting dough was smooth, even, and light.

When we pureed hummus, we had to repeatedly stop to scrape the bowl sides and the bottom. This was likely because the bowl has a higher capacity. Ultimately, the hummus was smooth and fine, and the puree had a light and airy feel to it.

Our final test was to grate ⅓ pound of cheddar cheese. During this test, some of the cheese became jammed at the top, wedging itself between the blade, the bottom of the feed chute, and the side of the lid. It was during this process that bits of cheese managed to get wedged up into the column that runs alongside the feed chute in the lid. We’ve been unable to remove those pieces. The process of grating cheese took 10 seconds, and the rest of the cheese was consistently grated.

This machine reached 93.4 dBA, making it one of the loudest machines that we tested. The loudest machine, the Hamilton Beach Bowl Scraper 10 Cup, reached 93.9 dBA. By comparison, the quietest model, the Cuisinart 14 Cup Custom Food Processor, reached just 65.2 dBA.

Oster Total Prep 10 Cup Food Processor review: Ease of use and cleaning

With just a few attachments, this food processor was simple to use. The attachments fit onto the spindle intuitively, and they’re equally easy to remove for cleaning. 

The machine’s buttons are clearly labeled, and the different modes provided plenty of control over the function and power that we wanted. The motor never felt underpowered, and while the buttons got slick if we had wet hands, their larger size meant we could still operate them. 

This food processor is relatively easy to clean. Its base was easy to wipe over and wiping it down didn’t leave behind any streaks. The attachments are dishwasher-safe. 

As noted above, we had trouble with cheese getting jammed up into the column running alongside the feed chute. There doesn’t seem to be a way to clean this column, and the design would benefit from a removable cap or base, or an enhancement to fully seal off this column.

After cleaning the attachments, we appreciated that they fit neatly into the bowl. Finding the right alignment takes a little practice, but with the accessories appropriately positioned, you can put the lid back on and keep all of those components dust-free.

Oster Total Prep 10 Cup Food Processor review: Verdict

The Oster Total Prep 10 Cup Food Processor costs less than $55 and offers several advantages. It never lacked power and includes a dough blade, which many of the more economical models omit. The ability to store all of the accessories in the bowl is also a perk, especially for anyone looking for a machine that will save space in the kitchen. While it lacks the versatility and power of our top pick, the Magimix Food Processor 14 Cup, it costs nearly $300 less and takes up significantly less space. 

The machine has some downsides, though. It has a design flaw that affects the ability to completely clean it. Plus, its plastic design feels slightly flimsy, but does offer the benefit of making the machine a lightweight option. It did perform well with most of our tests, but, at 93.4 dBA, it was one of the loudest models that we tested.

If you’re looking for a quieter food processor, consider the Cuisinart 14 Cup Custom Food Processor, which reached just 65.2 dBA.