Life is short, get the food processor.
Think of how much your family would have to spend to purchase these delicacies . . . and they wouldn't be nearly as tasty as yours, so use that money (times-how-many-years) and buy one. You've slaved more than enough if your grater is 40 years old!!!
(After 6 hand surgeries, my shiny Cuisinart is worth every penny :)

I recommend it.....and if you order expedited shipping you can have it Thursday.
And think of the latkes!!!
Linda C

Here is a link that might be useful: DLC 10

I put off getting a food processor until I used one regularly at work, then I wondered why I hadn't got one yet.
"...there are so many tempting recipes that I see and would like to try, but I reject because they require using an FP."
So you haven't got on as perfectly well as you might think :-)

Oh my... yes I think it IS medically necessary to get one and the one Linda linked is great.

Hope they are as tasty as they look - they look fantastic!

Alexa

There are many uses for a food processor, beyond just grating.

You can grind your own hamburger, good to know in light of the stuff mentioned in the food supply chain safety thread. Slice onions and other veggies. Make emulsions. Chop and shred. Knead dough. They are very versatile tools. You need one.

I am not sure how much the food processor would cost that you are thinking of buying but the box shredder I bought few years ago was $ 35.00 (microplane) and worth every cent. It is not made in China, it works very well and has nice slicer side that I actually use the most while making salads.

Far a small family, a FP may be a yes or no.

It is not that convenient or practical to use a FP for a small amount of food.

A good hand shredder is worth considering.

dcarch

I live alone....I have a 7 cup Cuisinart....I use it all the time. I mostly use it for slicing onions, celery and carrots for soups, kneading bread dough, and most of the time it all goes into the dishwasher. It may not be practical but it sure is convenient and saves a lot of time.....and my knuckles!
Linda C

Beautiful Kugels, by the way! I've never made one, but looking at yours, I think I might want to try. And, I have my nice "new" FP that DH found at an estate sale.

If you're worried about price, you might look at estate sales, thrift stores, or see if a used one is available on line. Now, DH goes to estate sales frequently, and we rarely see good FP's available, or any other really good appliances like that, but if you go early, you might luck out. However, all that being said, Mother's day is around the corner. Maybe you should print out that link Linda provided and tape several copies around the house for your family to see. Would they get the hint?

Sally

I fought getting a FP saying that I had all the attachments for my KA mixer that would do anything a FP could do. I also had a box grater. Then a friend bought me a FP as a gift knowing that I would like it once I had one. That was over 30 years ago. I adjusted immediately and found it was worth it's weight in gold.

I learned a lesson that I have benefited from ever since with other new things when they come out.

Get a FP, you won't be sorry. Get good one and you'll even be happier.

Nancy

Just do it!!!
I resisted too...........until I found a used one on craigslist for $15. Done!
There's just two of us, but I use it all the time.
During canning season, it really earns its keep!
"Chopped" hot peppers, NO problem!
Onions....a few seconds and done!
Minced garlic or herbs! Easy.

Shredded cheese, 5 seconds.
Grated veggies, poof! You can grate a pound of carrots in nothing flat.

Work smarter.........not harder!!!!

Deanna

I've been reading all your excellent comments to my DH, and I think you've convinced us! He especially agreed with Nancy's comment "Get a good one and you'll even be happier."

A *good* hand grater might be all I really need, but then the price differential is smaller. And an FP is so much more versatile; I didn't realize it could be used for so many different tasks. Also, I've been thinking for a while about baking bread again. I haven't done it since before the kids were born (and the older one is turning 35 next week!). I used to enjoy kneading the dough by hand ... but I'm not such an Earth Mother wannabe nowadays, and I have different goals now (i.e., the food, not the image).

I have a small electric food chopper, but it can't handle large volumes, and, of course, it can't do anything but chop and puree.

My biggest hesitation, aside from the cost, is that I do cook in fairly small quantities. Would I really use the FP to chop one onion or mince one clove of garlic? But Linda makes a good point about convenience, and the dishwasher would make cleanup very easy. Also, an FP would have a permanent home on the kitchen counter and would be right there when I needed it.

The biggest draw for me is that it would overcome the frequent frustration of finding a promising recipe and then giving up on it because I couldn't handle all the food prep manually. There are so many dishes I'd like to try!

Thanks, everybody, for all the good "selling points."

p.s. Thanks, Linda, for the link, too. That Cuisinart sounds like a good choice, but I'll have to check out the competition, too.

Sue

If you cook, even if you live alone, get a Cuisinart FP. You can buy a refurbished one if you want to. My KA mixer is refurbished and I have never been able to tell the difference.

I admit that sometimes I enjoy slicing by hand, but never grating. And sometimes even if I enjoy slicing by hand, there just isn't time to do that and make the recipe I wanted.

Even if you only trot it out once every week or two, just think how many times you will use it over a four or five year period. I've had my latest one for about ten years or more. I would like to have a new one with those double bowls, and without all of the safety features that drive me nuts about mine, but it is still working perfectly so I will continue to use it.

Your kugels are lovely BTW.

Beverly

Sue, you may not use it to chop one onion or grate one clove of garlic, but once you start using it you'll love it for entire recipes. And for one clove of garlic, you need my Ultimate Garlic Mincer! The price is definitely right, not to mention it's easy to clean. It has replaced all my former garlic tools.

Here is a link that might be useful: Garlic Rocker/Mincer

I don't use it for one clove of garlic....but I do for one onion!

Easiest bread ever...
3 3/4 cups bread flour in the Cuisinart...add
1 1/2 tsps salt
2 Tblsps sugar
4 tsps ( 2 packages) yeast....no matter what kind
Pulse to mix and with the motor running slowly add 1 can of beer,
After the beer has been added continue mixing for 30 seconds....turn out into a covered bowl, let rise, punch down, shape into 2 loaves...let rise and bake 425 for about 30 minutes.
Ta Dah! Bread!...GOOD bread!
Linda C

Alexa, Sally, and Beverly, thanks for the kind words! I hope the kugels taste as good as they look. Claire, that garlic rocker is kinda cute (hmmm, do I need one of those, too?).

Linda, beer as a bread ingredient? Who knew? DH and I are not beer drinkers, but when our adult children were visiting here last, they wanted to do a "taste test" of two different brands of beer (Yuengling lager and National Bohemian), and we are stuck with the leftover cans and bottles. Now I'll be able to use them up. So, thanks for the recipe!

p.s. Here's the loser, Natty Boh, along with a bottle of wine and our kitty, Sassy. (Which of these things is not like the others ... ?)

Sue

You know, I have decent knife skills and good knives and I still LOVE my Cuisinart. Try using the shredding disk at Chaunnukah as well for latkes -- just the right texture. Still have my grandmother's old gehachte-messer (chopper), but no, not for the fish or kugel for Pesach. Hate the box grater -- basically use either the Cuisinart or a microplane for everything that used to hit the box grater, except, sometimes, cheese.

You can get an extra bowl, blade, and disk or two for Passover purposes.

There are only two of us here and I use mine all the time...I couldn't live without it when the cabbage is ready and I'm making sauerkraut. I also have a small electric chopper that I use as well for small jobs......It's a serious mistake not to buy one.......What I found out is any appliance hidden in the pantry out of site rarely gets used but put it in a good spot on the counter or where you can get to it and you will use it all the time.