What are you going to use it for? If you are doing soups, then a hand/stick blender is the best. You can blend in the same pot you cook in too, so less washing up. For cutting and chopping mine has an attachment that i've hardly ever used since I find a knife is easier.
I want it to make falafels, hummus, moutabal and other recipes that require a processor and not a blender. I have the hand held but it only works well with wet ingredients. Processors are great with dry ingredients. Any ideas?
I can second that. I use a simple stick blender with removable blade (just throw in the dishwasher). I use it for everything, pancake mix, pesto sauce, fruit smoothies, milkshakes, muffin dough.
In America, where I had my restaurant, I used robo coupes, but here, just for personal use, I bought a Bosch 800W and it's been doing yeoman's work. It's been 3 years so I can't really remember, but I don't think it was too expensive.
Do not buy the cheaper ones that have plastic containers. I bought a small one, the Migros Star brand, and regret it every time I use it. It doesn't chop, but only makes mush and the plastic has changed in a short time which makes the cover is nearly impossible to take on and off.
I would now happily spend 2 or 3 times as much instead wasting my money and time with the cheap one. Not to mention the issue of recyling this one and buying another. I try to be careful about how much garbage we create, and I get really annoyed when things are so badly made.
The link is for french but I'm fairly certain conforama has a german option too if you prefer.
For us, it's probably too small but I bought it before we were really rocked and have literally used it every day without a problem for 1.5 years. Anyhow, we actually have a new one that is 'pro' and good but I still find myself reaching for the good ol' philips every time. Now, I will say that it doesn't compare with the cuisinart that I had in the states but it certainly does the job.
Any recommendations for something at a "decent" price that is strong enough to grind nuts to a paste without blowing up?
I was toying around with the idea of making homemade nut butter without the added sugar found in the store-bought stuff, but not sure if it's worth the investment...
Personally, I wouldn't recommend trying to make your own nut butter. It will be MUCH easier and cheaper to buy sugar-free organic nut butters from your local bio/natural market. I think I saw you're in Zürich so there should be tons of those types of places there.
One thing I WOULD recommend making at home rather than buying at your local bio/natural market is nut 'milk' or rice 'milk' if you're interested in that sort of thing. Yum. It's awesome for smoothies and, at least here in Vaud, they charge a bijillion francs for it.
I'd suggest "any woman" that knows how to use a knife. In addition to chopping, slicing, grating and making shakes, she can sweep the floor and wash the windows whilst my meal is being prepared. Most models are trained to be multitasking these days and operate from either 110 or 230VAC. Maintenance can be fairly high if they require top ups of bling though.
I have a hand-held Braun Stabmixer (changeable 'blades') for soups, frosting and cake batter and an Aldi blender (with milling accessory) for pesto, curry pastes, smoothies, dried green tea leaves and nuts. The blender cost CHF30 with a 2- or 3-year guarantee.