Hamilton Beach 8-Cup Food Processor/Chopper with Bowl Scraper (70743) review

An eight-cup scraper processor whose published dimensions need checking

The Hamilton Beach 70743 is an eight-cup food processor/chopper with a pour-spout bowl, an S-shaped chopping/mixing blade, a reversible stainless-steel slicing/shredding disc, and a lid-mounted bowl scraper. Its product page lists two speeds plus pulse, a 450-watt motor, dishwasher-safe removable parts, BPA-free food-contact zones, and a one-year limited warranty. This is a useful combination for ordinary blade and disc prep, but the exact model number matters: the base 70743 should not be treated as interchangeable with the related 70743J when a tight counter or cabinet fit is essential.

Hamilton Beach also lists the exact 70743G code on a separate U.S. product page. That page repeats the 8-cup bowl, S blade, reversible slice/shred disc, bowl scraper, 450-watt motor and two-speeds-plus-pulse controls, and directly links the same Type FP33 Use & Care guide. Its model block names base models 70742/70743 and permits letter suffixes, so the G code is a documented suffix configuration of this operating package, not a larger-capacity alternative. The exact 70743G page also links a dimension graphic that labels that G-code configuration 15.2 inches high, 10.3 inches wide, and 8.3 inches deep. Use those measurements only when the exact suffix is 70743G; they do not settle the conflicting body measurements on the unsuffixed 70743 page.

Do not buy by the dimension graphic alone

The U.S. 70743 page publishes body dimensions of 14.8 inches high by 10.5 inches wide by 9.5 inches deep. That same exact page also links a dimensions graphic labeled 15.2 inches high by 10.3 inches wide by 8.3 inches deep. Those are materially different envelopes, and the page does not reconcile them. The 70743J page uses the latter measurements, but that does not prove they apply to the unsuffixed 70743. Treat the base model's height, width, and depth as unverified until the exact unit or its retailer listing is checked. Do not rely on a 14.8-inch cabinet limit, and do not assume the 70743J's narrower, shallower body is a substitute. A product photo cannot settle this size conflict. Leave room above any processor for its pusher and lid, and for lifting the bowl off the base.

The scraper is a blade-work convenience, not a third operating mode

The scraper handle lets you sweep food from the bowl wall without removing the lid and reaching in with a spatula. The model-applicable Use & Care booklet explains that it is turned by hand, with the motor either running or off. It also draws an important boundary: the scraper cannot be used with the reversible slicing/shredding disc. The package includes both tools, but they are not used together. Choose the scraper for sticky chopping or mixing, then stop and change the assembly when you want to slice or shred. If your essential workflow requires a scraper to move food while the disc is installed, this package does not meet that need. The page wording about the feed chute is also inconsistent: descriptive copy calls it large, while the specification table labels it Standard and gives no opening width. If a particular opening width is essential, this documentation does not provide it; do not rely on the conflicting adjective.

Eight cups is a bowl label, not a batch promise

The manual's blade chart gives separate limits rather than one general fill amount: 2–3 cups of fruit or vegetables cut into roughly one-inch cubes, 0.7 pound of meat in one-inch cubes, 5 ounces of Parmesan or Romano, and 8 ounces of Cheddar, Jack, or mozzarella. Its separate 10-cup cracker example can fill the bowl, lid, and chute; that special example should not be carried over to other ingredients. For disc work, the instruction is to stay at or below the bowl's MAX line; the booklet does not give a universal weight or slice thickness. A shopper who regularly processes larger produce batches should compare the chart's specific limits with their own recipes rather than treating the eight-cup rating as a guarantee.

What this package does—and does not—cover

The S blade handles the manual's chopping and mixing jobs; the reversible disc supplies slicing and shredding. The manual says not to knead dough, crush ice, grind grain, coffee, or spices, or slice frozen meat. It also cautions that mashing or pureeing starchy vegetables such as potatoes can turn them gummy. The page says the chute is large and mentions a whole block of cheese, but it gives no opening measurement; use the supplied food pusher and never push food by hand. No separate dough blade, grid dicer, French-fry disc, second work bowl, whisk, or spiralizer appears in the listed package. A motor rating is not an independent performance test, and the manual's chart—not a broad marketing claim—sets useful boundaries for the work bowl.

Cleaning and operating details that affect everyday use

The directly linked Type FP33 booklet identifies the base 70743 and specifies 120 volts, 60 hertz, and 450 watts. It describes the bowl and lid locking before the motor can run, directs the operator to unplug before changing attachments, and warns to keep hands out of the chute and handle the blade and disc carefully. Removable pieces belong on the dishwasher's top rack; the manual says not to use the SANI cycle. Wipe the motor base and cord rather than immersing them. No fixed maximum motor-on interval is stated, but after extended continuous operation the booklet recommends a rest of about four minutes.

Who should keep the 70743 on the shortlist?

This is a reasonable candidate if an eight-cup bowl, a reversible slice/shred disc, and a manually swept scraper cover the jobs you actually do—and if your batches fit the manual's food-specific chart. It is not the choice for a required ten-cup minimum, dough kneading, dry grinding, ice crushing, or simultaneous scraper-and-disc work. Its exact page does not establish a current price or stock status, so a purchase search should retain the model code 70743. If a retailer offers the 70743J instead, check that exact configuration and its own fit measurements rather than assuming it is the same-size version.