I have a Hamilton Beach Big Mouth. I love, love, love it for what you want to use it for. Hated my Cuisinart. It's so much less expensive then the Cuisinart. I can't remember but I think it was about $45.00. Now mixing doughs. etc I don't know because I don't use it for that, but you can do a whole head of cabbage in seconds.

Gee, Georgysmom, I really like my Cuisinart. Mine is a 7-cup which is considered small, but I got it on sale at Kohl's for $79.95 and if I need to make a larger batch of something, I just empty the bowl and start over. I like it for making cheese straws--dump in the ingredients and in a few seconds you have the dough made! Like georgysmom said, cole slaw takes just a few minutes to do the carrots, cabbage and whatever else you put in it. It's great for pesto and salsas--even for 21 you probably wouldn't need 7 cups.

Kitchenaid has one that people rave about, too.

Before I got the Cuisinart I had a cheapie I bought from a Betty Crocker catalog. It worked fine for a long time and then one day it just quit. I sure missed not having it.

Very nice of your mother to get you help in the kitchen! BTW, what did you have for Easter dinner?

Thanks for the responses so far. I've been doing some research and was also thinking about the kitchen aid. We've purchased several cuisinart items and haven't had much luck with them, two things in particular are the coffee makers. Tried two different ones and have replaced both. Yes, mom is being generous in purchasing this for me however I know she has plans for it as well. That's ok though, it's saving me money. I garden and this year I am really hoping to have a good year and be able to put some stuff up for the winter.
Easter dinner was ham, sweet potatoes, scalloped potatoes, mac and cheese, green bean and tomato salad, english cucumber salad, 2 tossed salads, carrot salad, fruit, jellos and for dessert from scratch carrot cake and easter lamb cake. I had to come back to work on Monday to get some rest.

I've used many-Cuisinart is definitely the best. You get what you pay for, and this machine is expensive but solidly made and will last forever.

it's all in the motor, esp if you shred anything...i don't use my cuiseneart as much as i did, when the kids were home...

have mom base it on number of people you cook for...are you memebers of costco, sams? or wait for that 20% off bbb coupon....

Man, two.25 you really could've used that food processor for all the carrots for that cake. Bet work seemed like a vacation!

Yes, after all that manual shredding your right. Its my husbands favorite cake though so I had to do it.

The thing I disliked about the Cuisinart was the fact you had to take it apart, empty it and then put it back together again before proceeding. Making cole slaw for a crowd, I had to empty it four times or more...a real pain. The Hamilton Beach, I can do a whole head of cabbage, onions and carrots all in one process. Not to mention, it's very easy to put together. You can slice a wide cucumber in it, a large onion without cutting it in half, a whole tomato, I love it!

I love my kitchenaid. There are only two of us at home, but I always buy the biggest I can buy because I cook for 10 or 12 during harvest and have the kids and grands over quite often. I would rather cook for 10 than 2.

I've had a Cuisinart but I like my Kitchenaid one better. The lid style is easier for my hands. Like any tool some are better for some than others.

Both brands are excellent. Just play around with them at the store and see what "fits" you best.

DS almost got the same KA that I have but ended up with a Cuisinart. Fit him better. DD liked the KA.

Me to, I grew up with 5 brothers so meals we're large. When I cook now I still cook with the mindset of cooking large.

I don't know which brand is the best but I have an 11 cup Kitchen Aid and I like it really well. It also has the mini processor thing you can use with it also.

Sue

I've owned my Braun for about 20 years. Still works like a charm, although I don't use it often. It has a whipper beater that I use to make whipped cream and pudding. I can chop french fries with one of the blades. It came with both a fruit juicer and a vegetable juicer. If it ever should break down, I'll buy another Braun.

yes, there are lot of food processors in the market this time if you are looking for processor with excellent performance then i would like to recommend you lumix food processor, safe for kids too.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lumix food processor