Breville Kitchen Wizz 8 Plus

A few weeks ago I mentioned on the blog that I had purchased a shiny new food processor – the Breville Kitchen Wizz 8 Plus. At the time, I was very impressed with my purchase. But how do I feel now…?

 

Satisfied… Very Satisfied

Breville can count me as a satisfied customer. So far, the Kitchen Wizz 8 Plus has handled everything I’ve thrown at it with ease.

I have used the adjustable slicer, the reversible shredding disc and the quad blade several times now, and on each occasion they have performed well.

Quad Blade

The quad blade design is one that I particularly like. The blades are sharp and strong, and the four of them work well together to chop evenly. I used the quad blade attachment to made a breadcrumb stuffing for a roast chicken, and in no time at all I had a beautifully consistent, evenly chopped mixture. It was a thing of beauty!

Shredding Disc

The shredding disc has also been well-used in the past few weeks. Amongst other things, I have used it to shred ingredients for a coleslaw, and to finely grate several kilograms worth of vegetable for a most excellent bolognese.

Adjustable Slicer

The adjustable slicer performed reasonably well when used to slice sweet potato and beetroot. I did notice that there was a little variation in the thickness of the slices, but nothing too outrageous.

The Gimmicks – Breville Kitchen Wizz 8 Plus

You will pleased to know that I gave the potato peeler accessory a go. You will also probably not be surprised to learn that I didn’t really follow the instructions, and I used potatoes that were far larger than the recommended size. In retrospect, the first warning signs came when my four potatoes weighed in at over 1.3kg…

A further warning that I was in trouble came when only three of my potatoes fit in the processor to begin with. But, like a true Australian bloke, I went ahead anyway…

I’d have to chalk this one up as a win to Breville. Even though my incompetent use of the device stopped it from showing its full potential, I can now see the theory behind it. Some parts of my potatoes were most definitely peeled, and I can see how smaller potatoes, with room to bounce around, could work. I’m actually keen to give it a second go now, but I’ll make sure that I do a better job of picking my potatoes for the next test! (maybe I should take the handy guide-template with me).

I have not used the dough blade, and probably never will. There are just some things that seem like more effort than they are worth, and home-made dough is one of them (I’m happy to change my mind, if someone can provide a compelling reason to do so).

The other component that I have not yet used is the blender. This is no big surprise, I have never really used a blender as part of my cooking before. Maybe one day I’ll get around to giving it a go, but it does at the moment leave me wondering whether it would have been more sensible to buy the Breville Kitchen Wizz 8, without the blender attachment.

Maintenance – Breville Kitchen Wizz 8 Plus

The manual states that attachments can be washed in the dishwasher, which is a plus. To be honest, I tend to hand-wash the components straight after I have used them. In the past I have found that to be the best way to keep such pieces of equipment in tip-top condition.

It’s quick and easy to do. A quick wipe with warm, soapy water followed by a rinse of clean water removes all of the food scraps easily. I don’t find that food gets stuck in any crevices, which is a sweet relief after some of the other equipment that I have used.

Value

I think that the Breville Kitchen Wizz 8 is a good example of value. In designing it, Breville appear to have focussed on the elements that make a food processor good and reliable, and ignored the rest. There are no fancy touch buttons or LCD displays, in fact there is just a simple knob with three settings. Plastic has been used in places, to further reduce the cost, but not in a way that I felt ever compromised the functionality or longevity of the device.

As for the blender attachment that gives the Breville Kitchen Wizz 8 its ‘Plus’ name? Time will tell. It may be that I should have saved the extra dollars and purchased the cheaper version. Then again, if I ever do need a blender, I’m going to be pretty happy to have one at hand.

Final Thoughts

It is pretty clear to me now that a purpose-built food processor is a far better investment than a cheapie attachment to a stick-mixer. Yes, you do have to pay a bit more money, but the extra dollars are worth it. As for spending more again on a premium food processor? My advice is to forget about it. The Breville Kitchen Wizz 8 Plus seems more than up to the task of dad-to-day food processing. After using it for the past few weeks, I can’t imagine that there is anything that I want to be able to do with it, that it won’t handle.

There are some gimmicky attachments that are interesting to have, but they should not be the primary reason for purchasing this model. That decision should be based on the performance of the food processor’s core features. With the Breville Kitchen Wizz 8 Plus, these core features perform very well. Based on those alone I’m happy to recommend this product to anyone who is looking for a capable food processor.

Finally, take some time to consider whether the blender attachment is right for you. If you never blend, or if you are looking for advanced blending features, then it probably isn’t worth the money. If you have limited space in your kitchen and need a simple blender for occasional use, then it is a handy extra to have.