When we imagine a chef, sous chef or even a line cook in a fancy restaurant kitchen, the picture that comes to mind is one of skilled hands wielding a large, sharp knife at speeds greater than a mere mortal would ever dare. While that may be a common scene in movies, the truth is that restaurant kitchens also use food choppers and food processors for a considerable amount of food prep—otherwise it would be difficult to produce the quality, consistency and sheer volume that a restaurant requires.

But even if you don’t serve battalions, a food chopper or food processor can come in handy in any home kitchen. But which? Or both? That depends largely on what you’re making and how many you’re serving. In general, a food chopper is a smaller, less complex and more affordable tool that’s great for chopping and mixing. A food processor is a larger, more versatile appliance that can do more and, yes, tends to cost a bit more.

Food choppers get the simple jobs done

Food choppers are relatively simple tools—in fact, some food choppers on the market are still manual rather than electric. In addition to chopping and mixing, Proctor Silex electric food choppers can also purée, whip and emulsify. They generally have a 5 cup capacity and take up less space on the counter than a food processor. Convenient for chopping veggies or nuts, a food chopper can also make vegetable or fruit purées, baby food, and thicker sauces. If you cook in small batches and don’t do much baking, a food chopper may be all you need.

Food processors offer more power and precision

Food processors are larger, more versatile appliances—they can do everything a food chopper can do and then some. Their capacity is generally larger, and they offer more control over speed and more precision when it comes to texture. Unlike food choppers, food processors can slice, shred and dice, which makes them ideal for preparing large batches of different types of vegetables (in different sizes and shapes). Food processors can handle many of the jobs often assigned to blenders, like preparing sauces, soups and dressings. But food processors also perform tasks that food choppers just can’t, like making nut butters and shredding large pieces of cheese. And food processors are great for preparing dough, making them a baker’s best friend.

With some traditional food processors, cleaning can be a bit of a challenge. But the Proctor Silex 9 cup food processor with Quick Clean™ technology completely changes the game. Just leave the blade in the bowl, add water, insert the patent-pending agitator disc with dish soap, lock on the lid and press the clean button. When the cycle completes, a quick rinse under water finishes the job. The best thing about this thoughtful innovation: it lets you focus on making something delicious and leaves most of the cleanup to the machine.

So what’s the verdict?

If you’re a vegetarian or vegan, avid baker, frequent hostess or the family’s cook, a food processor can really be a big help in the kitchen. (And if you aspire to any of these roles, a food processor will help you get there.) There’s also a good argument for having both appliances on hand—a food chopper is compact enough to park on the kitchen counter indefinitely, and it’s a useful tool for everyday tasks. When a little more power, precision and capacity are required, just pull out the food processor for a two-pronged approach to food prep.