Hamilton Beach Big Mouth Duo Plus 12-Cup Food Processor (70580) review

Two bowl sizes, with a full-size tool path

The Hamilton Beach Big Mouth Duo Plus 70580 is a current U.S. countertop processor offered with a 12-cup main bowl and a smaller 4-cup bowl. The bowls nest for storage. The current product page lists a 500-watt motor, two speeds plus pulse, a Big Mouth feed chute, cord storage, BPA-free food zones and a one-year warranty. Hamilton Beach’s dimensions graphic gives an assembled body measuring 14.7 inches high, 7.5 inches wide and 10 inches deep; allow extra room to use the chute and lift off the lid.

The 70580 is a middle ground for someone who wants more than a small chopper but does not need the highest-capacity bowl. It is not the later Stack & Snap Duo 70585: the 70580’s booklet describes aligning the bowl and turning it clockwise to lock, then locking the lid in the same way.

The 12-cup label is not a universal recipe limit

The 12-cup rating is not permission to fill the bowl to its rim for every job. Its linked manual gives a separate processing chart: for example, it advises 2 to 3 cups of cut fruit or vegetables with the chopping/mixing blade, up to 2 pounds of one-inch meat cubes, 5 ounces of cubed Parmesan or Romano, 8 ounces of cubed Cheddar, Jack or Mozzarella, or a full bowl of crackers. For slicing and shredding with the disc, do not pass the bowl’s MAX line. These are separate task limits, not a combined load or a promise that all 12 cups can be chopped at once.

The additional 4-cup bowl is valuable when you regularly switch between family-size prep and a smaller batch of aromatics, sauce, or dip. The manufacturer’s page describes it as a mini bowl for quick tasks and shows both bowls together. The booklet labels a small bowl and a chopping/mixing blade, but its parts diagram does not itemize a second blade by bowl role; the current page’s package specification, by contrast, says two S-blades. I would not infer a precise bowl-to-blade assignment from the drawings alone. If you are replacing a missing blade or bowl, use the exact 70580 compatibility listing rather than buying a generic part by appearance.

Everyday chopping and slicing, but not dough or dry grinding

The manual-supported work covers chopping, mincing, mixing and pureeing with the chopping/mixing blade, plus slicing or shredding with the reversible disc. The disc is expressly for the large bowl only. For more even chopping, the manual recommends similarly sized pieces—about one inch—and pulsing on and off. For smaller or thinner foods at the disc, use the small pusher; for larger pieces, the large and small pushers work together. The safety interlock requires the large pusher to be engaged before the machine runs, and the manual says to keep hands and utensils out of the chute.

Do not buy the 70580 for yeast-dough kneading: its directly linked Use & Care guide explicitly says not to knead dough with this processor. It also says not to crush ice, grind grain, coffee beans or spices, or slice frozen meat. Potatoes are fine to slice, but the manual cautions that pureeing or mashing starchy vegetables can quickly turn gummy. These limits matter more than the 500-watt headline; the booklet notes that the maximum rating is based on the chopping/mixing blade and that the slicing/shredding disc may draw less power. If a dedicated dough blade and a documented flour ceiling matter, compare the 70585 instead; its separate manual provides a dough plan that the 70580 lacks.

Cleaning and storage are practical, with a few conditions

The removable components are dishwasher-safe on the top rack only. Hamilton Beach warns against the SANI cycle because its temperature can damage the parts. The base, control panel and cord are wiped with a damp cloth; they must not be immersed. This is an easy-to-understand routine, but it still means carefully handling a sharp blade and disc and letting washed pieces return to room temperature before reassembly. The rear cord-storage area and nesting bowls help keep the package together between uses. At 14.7 inches high, the body is shorter than the 16-inch 70585, but measure the whole space needed to lift the lid, fit the pusher and remove the bowl before deciding that it will live under a cabinet.

Who should choose it—and who should keep looking

Choose the 70580 when a 12-cup main bowl, a second 4-cup bowl, a standard reversible slice/shred disc and simple LO/HI/pulse control cover your real prep. Its widest appeal is a kitchen that wants two useful batch sizes in one corded appliance and can store a roughly 14.7-by-7.5-by-10-inch body. The main bowl handles the disc tasks, while the second bowl is there for small batches; neither nominal capacity replaces the task chart.

Skip it if you need a dough blade, a dicing grid, a dedicated French-fry disc, adjustable slice thickness, a continuous-feed attachment, or a separate Grind setting. Those are not in the exact listed package, and the booklet actively rules out several tempting jobs such as dough, ice crushing and dry grinding. A buyer who wants to knead should compare the Hamilton Beach 70585 and its documented four-cup flour limit; a buyer who mostly prepares small amounts may prefer a more compact single-bowl unit. The choice turns on the particular tools and bowl setup, not the name “Duo” or the motor wattage by itself.

Sources: Hamilton Beach 70580 product listing and its directly linked Use & Care guide (840202306). The manufacturer does not disclose whether its product imagery is photography, composite or rendering.