I have what is likely the same model....what's the cleaning drawback? I just put everything but the base intio the dishwasher.
Linda C

I have the 7 cup cusinart model too. Mine is about 7 years old and I love it!
Joann

After going without one since last December, I'd been researching food processors and asking for recommendations. I ended up with a 50/50 split between Cuisinart & KitchenAid.

I was just sitting on the info, waiting for something to tip the balance, when I came across an article in "Accent" magazine written by the owners of Stonewall Kitchen. They had been asked to list their kitchen gadget "must haves." They said that they had recently replaced their home food processor with a Viking and they were so impressed with it that they replaced all their cooking school processors with Vikings.

I checked them out on the King Arthur Flour website and found them on sale. The shipping charge was less than what it would have cost me to drive to Vermont (about 2 hrs. away)to pick it up. So I ordered it.

I've only had it for about 3 weeks, but I really like it so far. The one feature it has that I hadn't seen on others is a set of little wheels in the back that lets you roll it forward on the counter. The base is cast metal and quite heavy. I like that solid feel - doesn't jiggle even when I'm processing something hefty.

I think it only comes in the big 11 cup size, though. BTW, Stonewall Kitchen doesn't sell Vikings in their stores or on their website. I checked that out before buying just to make sure it wasn't a marketing ploy...

I think people have typically complained, about so many parts and pieces to clean, especially my husband.LOL Thanks for your replies. This is for my DGD who is just starting housekeeping and I think the 11 cup would be too big for her.
I also was curious about the KitchenAid mixer, food processer attachment, since we got the KA for her wedding shower. I don't know anyone that has one, but I think they are available. I personally like the stand-alone appliances, but it is another option.

so many parts and pieces to clean, especially my husband

Yeah I hate cleaning my husband's parts and pieces too

Regardless of what machine you choose, one trick I learned (from Sol?) is to cover the bowl with a piece of plastic wrap before putting on the lid if you are chopping veggies etc. - keeps the lid clean.

Doesn't work real well if you are adding stuff through the tube (lesson: don't talk on the phone and cook at the same time....)

jessyf, I don't think I ever heard that tip about covering the top of the bowl. The part I hate cleaning is the lid - stuff always gets stuck in the grooves around the rim. So simple, but I never thought to do it. Thanks for posting.

Well, the Viking is $300 and if you shop well you can buy a Cuisinart for $100, I got one for the church last year for $88.
Linda C

Mine's a KitchenAid and I just put all the pieces except the base into the dishwasher, not a problem at all except that it takes up a lot of space. I find that I do small jobs with a knife because I can just wash that and put it away without assembling, chopping, disassembling and putting the whole thing into the dishwasher. It can't be beaten for making hummus, though, or Jessica's lime chipotle marinade.

Annie

I have a 20 year old Professional 14 Cuisinart. Works great. The upper bits go in the dishwasher. If I rinse after using, they come clean without a problem. Big is good.

Linda has a good point - Costco's prices on Cuisinarts make it a better bang for your buck than the Viking (or KitchenAids) and would be a clincher for me if I had to decide today.

Annie's point about a good knife for small jobs should help you steer clear of buying as an extra the 'small bowl' add-ons that they sometimes provide. Mine sit wwaaaaaay back in the cupboard, unused and unloved.

Dishwasher, dishwasher, dishwasher.

My beloved KA food processor finally died recently and I found in my research that the KA and Cuisinart were rated pretty closely in reviews with the KA maybe a tiny bit ahead in veggie chopping. It wasn't enough to make up for the approx $100 difference between the KA and the price Costco had on the Cuisinart, so I have the Cuisinart now. It works great and, I agree, cleans up great in the dishwasher.

Thank you all, for taking the time to answer. I miss getting in here to post very often, but when time allows I at least try to read and keep up with everyone. I went to Costco this morning, and bought the Cuisinart. She will be thrilled.
Good catch on the cleaning of parts and pieces! LOL

I too researched food processors and it came down to the kitchen aid & cuisinart. I didn't like the mini inside the kitchen aid and then came across the 11 c cuisinart on sale for $179 with a rebate. When I explained to DH that if he bought me this he wouldn't have to help me shop fruits/veggies for canning he whipped out his credit card the fastest I've ever seen. I love mine for shredding cheese for mac & Cheese and especially for crumbs for pies & crisps...I make several batches and freeze the rest for when I'm in a hurry. I can't wait to try pie crusts.

karen, lots of people here make pie crust in the food processor. I don't. I've tried and tried, but I can't manage to get it mixed thoroughly without getting too warm and then I have to put it in the refrigerator for a longer period of time, once I had to put it in the freezer just so I could roll it within a couple of hours. so, when you trie that pie crust remember not to overwork it and get it too warm.

Pastry is one of the jobs I just don't think the food processor excels at. I also won't use it for chopping vegetables for salsa, it always is too fine, no matter what I do. And yes, I use the "pulse", but it doesn't matter.

Annie

Linens 'n Things is starting their liquidation sale this week, so you might get a good bargain soon on whatever kind you choose.

Annie--have you tried Rose Levy Baranbaum's method? It always works for me. Since you start with very cold flour and butter, the machine can't really get it too warm.

Here is a link that might be useful: Rose's Favorite Flaky & Tender Pie Crust

Review of popular models

Here is a link that might be useful: reviews

Annie, I initially bought the FP for salsas but haven't figured out how to us it for the tomatoes without making mush. So I continue to use my Pampered Chef chopper for them, but if I only chop small batches of the other vegetables (pulsing) they're chopped good enough for me.

ideefixe, isn't that a lot of trouble to go through for a pie crust?

I just canned buckets of salsa and I have to agree, the tomatoes go to mush in the FP. I did use it for the onions and the bell peppers, a few pulses did the trick. The tomatoes and cilantro were coarsely chopped by hand. The hot peppers I also chopped by hand to get them uniformly fine.

Doing the massive amount of onions this way was a blessing!

I haven't made a pie crust in ages but I imagine I'll keep doing it by hand.

I use the cuisinart for pie crust....I put the butter in frozen!! I always keep a pound of butter in the freezer for such things. I cut the stick lengthwise and then crosswise into cubes, zap the flour and salt, add the frozen butter and zap zap zap in bursts....but I add the vodka andw ater in a bowl, mixing with a fork. I have become a devotee of vodka pie crust.
And I do tomatoes for salsa...just put about 2 inches in the bottom of the bowl, and zap zap zap. Then for the psppers, I put them down the feed tube with the motor running...when I get so many in there that they are not sticking to the sides of the bowl and out of the way of the blade, I empty the bowl and start again.
Sometimes, for salsa, I will quickly cut a pepper into strips and use the 4 mm slicing blade...if i have dirtied the the thing for the tomatoes, I figure I might as well do it all in there.
Linda C

ideefix, I've used frozen butter, but never Wondra, if I get somewhere to buy Wondra (not at my little local grocery, LOL), I might try it again. The frozen butter just had to be processed longer to get the pie crust to stay together and then was still to warm to roll out.

LindaC, I like big HUNKS of tomatoes in my salsa, so I peel them, cut them in half, use my thumb to get out the seeds and goo and then cut into about 8 pieces. That's as small as I want them so the food processor is definitely out for that. I've done the onions and peppers in the FP, but they are not uniform, some are big and some are mush. I want them to all be kind of uniform.

Annie

I have a large KA that I bought mainly because it came in red to match my blender!

I have a large KA too purchased in the 80' it still works great and the clean up is easy in the dishwasher...Had to get a new bowl because DH was helping me and tried to put it on wrong and cracked it...called to company to order a new one and they sent it for FREE Yeah!!!!!!

Love my KA use it for shredding cheese, chopping onions (no tears) pie crust, pizza dough and I can go on and on..LOL

Linda