I have had a food process for 35 years or more. So, I have used it from the time I had babies to the present time when my nest consists of my husband, his 85 year old mother, and me. When I was cooking big meals, the time saved chopping onions, celery, etc. was far more than the time spent washing the food processor, bowl, lid, and blades. (Yes, you can put all those things in the dishwasher, but boy do they ever fill up the top of the dishwasher fast.) Now, not so much. I can get out a paring knife or chef's knife and chop my one onion, one stalk of celery, and wash that knife in very little more time than it takes to put the processor together, much less wash and dry it all. That being said, when I am doing big cooking, like at the holidays, I am very glad to still have a food processor. On those days, when I am chopping pounds of onions and whole stalks of celery, pounds of nuts, etc., it's more than worth having. I have let the blender go by the wayside over the years. The food processor does everything it can do and more. I do like my little immersion blender from time to time. I do not use my FP for making bread. I have a Zoji bread machine for that, and I will never want to be without that. I make pie crust by hand with a steel pastry cutter. It makes a bit bigger mess, but the quality of the crust is far better than any I was ever able to make in the FP. I have a Victorio Food Mill, so I don't use my Food Processor in canning, except if I am making relishes with onions and garlic. I probably don't even need to use it then, but I don't want the allium smells in the Victorio's parts. I confess that I have grown lazy and buy most cheese already shredded now. But when I was cooking for a crowd, I used my FP shredder blade a lot. It saves money and time without a doubt. I have had Cuisinart, KitchenAid, and an inexpensive one that came from WalMart years ago. You know what? They have all performed basically the same, though the inexpensive one was louder. The Cuisinart and Kitchen Aid lasted longer, but probably not enough to justify the extra expense. Nevertheless, I have a KitchenAid right now and I really do like it. I would hate to be without, but the day may come when I need the counter space more. Our needs do change as time passes.

I have both, a basic model Cuisinart made in Japan and a Robot Coupe made in France. Both vintage. Both machines are heavy duty and should be able to handle any duties required in the home. Interestingly the parts from the Cuisinart fit and work on the Robot Coupe but not vise-versa. I suggest that all parts and blades be washed by hand. Do not place these parts in the dishwasher. The heat of the dishwasher drying mode will weaken the plastic of the parts. Also be careful when twisting the lid on and off the bowl to prevent the locking/power engagement pin from breaking. Most importantly DON'T DROP IT! If you have a machine with a malfunctioning locking/power engagement pin you could manually depress the button using a pen or knitting needle. Be careful though as you no longer have the safety measures of the power engagement pin to protect you. The question about 3D printing your own bowl....This is not a viable solution for many reasons including: the plastic used has to be food safe. The bowl needs to be strong enough to handle the torque and stress of day to day use. And the plastic needs to be able to handle heat especially if you use the machine to puree hot items. Finding parts for these machines is difficult. Take good care of them and you should be enjoying your smoothies etc. For many many years. Happy cooking!

FOAS, I always admire your passion in the precision of mathematical exactitude, However, I do not feel that topics in food discussions necessarily lend themselves to constricted legal lawyerly approaches. I realized and did state and did apologize to the OP that I was not directly addressing her question, because I had a point to make that's related to the topic. I also feel that the issue of a FP for a single person was missed by many posters. That possibly will cause the OP to make the wrong choice. I am very puzzled that even for a family of four you have not that much use for a FP, and you feel it is wrong for me to suggest to the OP that there may be other options? After all, I never said not to get one, I am puzzled that you feel it is wrong to suggest to others to study options. I have not said a FP has no application for some single person who has physical limitations, or food preferences suitable for having a FP, such as for olychick, I have not said a FP cannot perform well chopping, slicing, shredding, mixing, ------ There is another whole aspect about the art of food preparation not using machinery, as in Japanese cooking, and the pleasure of tactile relationship with your food. but that is a little more off topic for this thread. "---The resurgence of handmade food is ultimately about a movement toward a more intimate connection with what we eat and where it comes from, what Paula Wolfert calls "the essential taste" of food. ---- "Without taste, smell,and feel, nobody can cook well." dcarch

Sounds like a good plan. Food processors are pricey, and it's a good idea to try one out for a minimal amount of money before investing in one. You may find you wouldn't use it enough to make it worth it. I love my food processor, but I don't bother with it for small jobs. I can dice up a single onion and a couple of carrots fast with my knife and cutting board, with less to wash up. However, for large meals and putting extra food up, the food processor saves a lot of time. I want to put some apple slices in the freezer for future pies, so my food processor gets used for things like that, or if I'm making a huge pot of sauce and need several onions chopped. It also wonderful for grating cheeses, so I'll usually grate a lot of cheese at once and then store it in the fridge so it's handy. I'd be interested in hearing how you like a mandolin. And good luck with your food processor search. If you can find one of the old original Cuisinart's in good shape, you'd have yourself a good food processor. Newer isn't always better. I found an old Hobart built dishwasher in wonderful shape and got rid of my new one. Nothing cleans dishes as well as the older KitchenAids. I can handle the noise. In 45 minutes I have spotless dishes with no crud on them.