Personally, I like the Insinkerator brand best but I believe with the Waste King brand the black rubber strainer thingie is removable and might make loading easier. (You still don't want to shove peelings from 5 pounds of patotoes in a disposer at one time.)

Do get one that has ALL stainless steel innards, not just SS grinding components.

A batchfeed would certainly meet your need - you fill it up and turn it on - but you can do the same thing with your continuous feed as well - they make a stopper that lets water run through so you can also fill it up and turn it on - that's what I do - with the stopper off you can also use your sprayer to flush things in the sink into the disposal.

I wouldn't have anything but a batch feed -- primarily for safety issues. It won't run unless the cover is on and you are in control. Ditto what Weissman said. I use my spray to move things into the disposal and then put the cover on and run it for a few seconds. You don't have to wait till it is full; I rarely do because I am not fond of garbage in the sink - even if it is in the disposal. I've always had ISE disposals and plan to buy another this time 'round.

We picked batch feed after always having continuous feed, and love the batch. Ours is the Insinkerator Evolution Cover Control.

Your comments are, as always, so helpful. Nothing like the voice of experience. Now at least I know I don't want a WK. I have a removable flange now and...eeeeeuuw. I want the faucet sprayer to put the stuff down in the GD without my having to hook a finger around the cruddy flange. I do put the flange in the DW, which I don't suppose is a good idea.

On the Insinkerator brand disposers, that rubber flange (some call it a rubber mouth) is NOT removable. More people than not complain about the "who or what" is sticking to its underside. If you are squeamish about the waste that's laying IN your sink bowl, you won't want to check out the UNDER SIDE of that flange. However, it should be kept clean...lots of bacteria thrives under there. eHowto.com has several suggestions on how to keep your disposer clean and odor free.

Orange and potato peelings and egg shells are not going to flush into the disposer by themselves (unless you have a removable flange); even with a strong stream of water, assistance of some sort is still needed. You'll have to use your fingers or some tool to get "stuff" past the flange. Of course, if you are thinking "green", you'll be composting most kitchen waste for use in your garden anyway.

Well, I live and I learn. My Insinkerator Evolution Compacta model DOES have a REMOVABLE rubber flange, rubber mouth. It comes out for cleaning. What WAS I thinking. Strike most of my post above.

The cover control (batch) model doesn't have any such flange. Just a nice big open space to throw in your garbage. No gunk.

That big opening (no rubber flange) does sound pretty convenient for easier disposal "feeding". Are chances increased for losing and grinding up silverware or other small things than with a flange that's always in place?

No, because with the flange, I could never see what went into the disposal before I turned it on. With the batch, it's easy to see. If you are worried about stuff falling into the disposal, you can set the stopper in the opening to block items.

If you choose one of the higher hp continuous-feed disposals, you'll also get a much larger grind chamber. A 1-hp Insinkerator has a grind chamber that is more than twice as large as a 1/3-hp model, allowing you to push more into the disposal at any one time. The higher hp models also have better sound insulation, so they're quieter in operation.

In addition, with Insinkerator you get an all stainless steel grind chamber and stainless grind components in the 1-hp model, which are much more durable than the plastic or ordinary steel parts in the lower hp models.

I have the 1-hp Insinkerator and find that it's so powerful that it will pull most food scraps into the grind chamber on its own, as long as the water is running and the scraps make it as far as the drain opening. It also grinds scraps into smaller particles which allows them to more readily flow through drain lines.

While the batch feed models enjoy the advantages mentioned above, if you want to consider one of those, you'll need to plan for one, or ensure that your plumbing is set up to be compatible. The batch feed models have a much deeper throat and usually extend below the sink basin further than the continuous feed models. That being the case, you need to be sure that your drain line exits the under-sink wall at a point that will be lower than the bottom of the grind chamber. If it's not, you'll have water constantly standing in the bottom of the disposer which will shorten the life of the machine, and could result in food debris remaining in the disposer after it stops running. If left there for a number of hours or days, that could lead to unpleasant odors -- or worse.

Even more great comments! Jamesk, that reply took some time and was extremely helpful. And teedup, I compost yard waste but not much kitchen waste--except coffee grounds, which go into the lawn and garden to encourage the earthworms. Kitchen waste attracts wildlife (read: roof rats) here in the city and is a consideration with a small yard. I'm a gardener, but not ambitious enough to deal with proper composting (turning, feeding, watering as opposed to just tossing stuff into a pile or plastic garbage can to cook). THANKS, all!