Hey san!

Not only would I replace a dead FP, I did replace mine last fall/winter. I got a lot of great recommendations from people here and ended up with a Cuisineart Custom Prep 11. I love it and if something were to go wrong, I would get another.

I bought it on ebay from a woman who had gotten it as a wedding present and had only used it a few times in the 2 yearsw she had it. It arrived in very nice condition and I got it for a fraction of what they run new. Including shipping, I paid under $100.

Once you decide on which type you want, I would certainly recommend shopping ebay for one.

Good luck!

Alexa

I love my V-slicer - or a mandolin - I have had one for years.
My Cuisinart - at least 26 years old, needed to be replaced due to a cracked bowl I could not replace just the bowl. Standing in line at a Home Depot a few yrs ago, they had a special on Cuisinart FP - looked like same model updated as my old, beloved - made baby food - saved for months to buy FP. So, I bought it. Not the same quality, now made by a different company - just not the FP of the past. Still has the small chute. I have used it maybe 2 times. I do use my V-slicer & find I use the Salad Shooter the most. I also have a Braun immerser with attachments that I use. yes, I like kitchen "stuff". Each one has its strenghts. And the Cuisinart FP - I think about donating......It is taking up valuable space, but I'm not sure I am ready to be w/out the FP, even though I have smaller more versatile appliances.
This doesn't help you much - sorry........

In a heartbeat!!
As for the size of the feed tube...I have a very old 7 cup cuisinart.....the feed tube will hold a small potato a 4 by 2 by 4 chunk of cheese or whatever...and I can feed carrots, and celery down the continuous feed tube.
Besides it makes 2 loaves of bread....4 cups of flour. And a boat load of pesto. And you should see what quick work it makes of fruits for jams and jelly.
I can't imagine being without it, and I havew all that you have but the mandolin....and like the cuisinart mainly because it won't work unless your hands are out of the way.
I would need a blood transfusion of I tried a mandolin.
Linda C

I know I couldn't be w/o mine! I don't use it nearly as much as I used to, but when the knife blade fitting cracked I looked for a good deal. I found one at Bloomie's for around $80 that they were closing out. I now regret not getting the larger one for just those certain moments, but it's fine anyway. I have the Braun stick blender too with attachments but it's not the same. A blender certainly isn't either. take a look around on Craig's list, Goodwill, eBay etc. You'll find another one. If you need coupons for Bed Bath & Beyond, just let me know. I've got loads!

san, as you know, Elery bought me a big Kitchen Aid food processor for my birthday a couple of months ago. Have I been convinced that it's worth the counter space? Not entirely.

I did use it to chop the onions and peppers for those 36 pints of salsa I canned, but no matter how I try, they are still a little too fine or a bit too big, it just doesn't do it the way I want them. It's passable, acceptable, but not exactly how I want it and so I'll go back to chopping it all by hand.

I don't use it for bread because I have a bread machine that I love and use several times a week. Studies have been done showing that neither stand mixers nor food processors knead bread as well as the bread machines which were designed to do just that. Of course, you and I both know that you aren't baking a bunch of bread, LOL.

I made pie crust but it got too hot and I had to put it in the freezer to chill before I could use it. Not much time savings there, although I suppose with a LOT more practice I might make it passable.

So, bread making, pastry and vegetable chopping? Not ideal for any of those, at least not for me. What does it do?

It makes spectacular and short work of a batch of hummus, which I love.

It's better for Jessica's lime chipotle marinade/glaze, the cilantro tends to gum up the stick blender and the regular blender doesn't make enough.

It made short work of the dough for the Cheddar Thumbprints with Habanero Jelly, because that dough needs to be frozen anyway, no matter how it's blended.

Finally, I've used it to shred cabbage for slaw and it works great, much faster than a hand grater. It makes a smooth liver pate.

Oh, and I ground up a bunch of dried hot chili peppers into bits, small enough to put into a shaker. It was so easy with the food processor.

So, bottom line, I think you need to decide what you really use it for and whether another appliance would do the same job. Then decide. I like mine and I appreciate the fact that Elery thought enough to get me one but I still wouldn't buy one myself if it broke.

Annie