Food Processor recommendations
Comments (21)
11 years agolast modified: 11 years agoRelated Discussions
Food processor - what to look for?
Comments (26)I have had a food process for 35 years or more. So, I have used it from the time I had babies to the present time when my nest consists of my husband, his 85 year old mother, and me. When I was cooking big meals, the time saved chopping onions, celery, etc. was far more than the time spent washing the food processor, bowl, lid, and blades. (Yes, you can put all those things in the dishwasher, but boy do they ever fill up the top of the dishwasher fast.) Now, not so much. I can get out a paring knife or chef's knife and chop my one onion, one stalk of celery, and wash that knife in very little more time than it takes to put the processor together, much less wash and dry it all. That being said, when I am doing big cooking, like at the holidays, I am very glad to still have a food processor. On those days, when I am chopping pounds of onions and whole stalks of celery, pounds of nuts, etc., it's more than worth having. I have let the blender go by the wayside over the years. The food processor does everything it can do and more. I do like my little immersion blender from time to time. I do not use my FP for making bread. I have a Zoji bread machine for that, and I will never want to be without that. I make pie crust by hand with a steel pastry cutter. It makes a bit bigger mess, but the quality of the crust is far better than any I was ever able to make in the FP. I have a Victorio Food Mill, so I don't use my Food Processor in canning, except if I am making relishes with onions and garlic. I probably don't even need to use it then, but I don't want the allium smells in the Victorio's parts. I confess that I have grown lazy and buy most cheese already shredded now. But when I was cooking for a crowd, I used my FP shredder blade a lot. It saves money and time without a doubt. I have had Cuisinart, KitchenAid, and an inexpensive one that came from WalMart years ago. You know what? They have all performed basically the same, though the inexpensive one was louder. The Cuisinart and Kitchen Aid lasted longer, but probably not enough to justify the extra expense. Nevertheless, I have a KitchenAid right now and I really do like it. I would hate to be without, but the day may come when I need the counter space more. Our needs do change as time passes....See Morehow often do you use your food processor?
Comments (17)Phrog: >>> is that the December issue of CI? Because their website shows November as the current one, and they review mixers there. CI does 6 issues so current issue is Nov-Dec . But, my mistake; you are correct that the current issue is about stand mixers. The CI web site says the FP review/update was from Jan 2013. (Can't find my print copy -- might have lent it out -- so I haven't been able to verify the edition.) Here is what the update said about the Breville if you do not have on-line access to the CI site: "Recommended "$399.99 "Breville Sous Chef Food Processor, 16-Cup "f this super-fast and powerful deluxe machine were not so pricey, it would be our favorite. It perfectly pureed broccoli soup with nary a leak, kneaded batch after batch of springy pizza dough, ground nuts into powder, and minced fresh parsley into crisply cut confetti. Its pulse button is responsive and effective, and its adjustable slicing blade works well, though you have to set the width under the blade before you start to process. It comes with a 16-cup bowl and a 2.5-cup mini bowl, five blades, a built-in timer, and a count-up display, which was very helpful. We liked the multiple feed tubes (though as with the Cuisinart, a safety function limits the length of some foods). Blades are displayed in a well-designed storage box thatâÂÂs clearly labeled to eliminate the usual guesswork. Its large, smooth shapes donâÂÂt trap food and are easy to wash and wipe dry between tasks. We also appreciate the overheat function: If stressed, the motor shuts off and counts down, indicating when itâÂÂs ready to start again (though it wasnâÂÂt easy to stress this motor). Our only quibbles: ItâÂÂs too easy to overchop food into mush when you want dice, and we sure wish it wasnâÂÂt quite so expensive." Pie âÂÂâÂÂâ Chop âÂÂâÂÂý Mayo âÂÂâÂÂâ Grind âÂÂâÂÂý Pizza âÂÂâÂÂâ EaseofUse âÂÂâÂÂâ Grate/Slice âÂÂâÂÂý This post was edited by JWVideo on Sat, Nov 2, 13 at 0:03...See MoreFood Processor
Comments (11)I also have a Cuisinart, and a small 1 or 2 cup one. Easy to get out the smaller one, but since I have a very small kitchen the only place I can keep the Cuisinart is in a lower cabinet. It's heavy and a pain to get out, but I do use it for often for baking, scones in particular. From other forums I've read, the important thing is to make sure what you get has a large enough capacity for the tasks you'll be using it for, i.e. do you make bread or anything else where you would use multiple cups of dry ingredients? They can be a great time saver. Oh yes, I can also attest to the sharpness of the blades!...See MoreCuisinart Food Processors
Comments (13)My Cuisinart is part of the same generation. I think I got it in 1978. It's still working fine, never had a problem other than the lid and top of the bowl must be worn down a little because sometimes it is hard to remove the top of the lid. If I remember to put a drop of water or olive oil on the edge of the bowl I don't have any difficulty. I've thought about a new one because mine is only a 10 cup bowl. But I have slicing and shredding disks that I use a lot and I'm sure they would not fit a larger new model. I don't know anyone who has a new Cuisinart, guess I would be reading reviews on Amazon if I was shopping for a new one. I'm glad to hear that Linda's experience with a new one at her church is good. Lee...See More
11 years agolast modified: 11 years ago
11 years agolast modified: 11 years ago
11 years agolast modified: 11 years ago
11 years agolast modified: 11 years agoI haven't posted for a long time here- but I just had to comment re my disappointment of the Kitchenaide food processor.
I had a large Cuisinart from the 80's with all the attachments. It served me well throughout many years. Since I dehydrate fruits & veggies (sweet potatoes are my fav) all summer long, I decided to get the new model of Kitchenaide only because I could adjust the slicing blade to thinner than my cuis's slicing blade, and could also adjust the thickness of the slices without having to take the top off etc. I gave my Cuis to a good friend and have used the Kitchen aide for a while now- here are my comments...
1) I wish I had kept my old cuis... yes it walked around the counter a bit and the plastic on the bowl and feed tube, discolored over the years, so I replaced it, and the feed tube wasn't the easiest to get clean.... but the blade stayed incredibly sharp given it's age and what I ground and chopped with it over the years. The chop (fine/coarse or in between) was always evenly chopped, especially when using the pulse button;
2) I guess the two things that bug me the most about the KA are that the push buttons (which are flat against the case) are VERY hard to press, so I have a tendency to leave it running on a speed instead of pulsing nicely and gently, to get the perfect size chop. Yes I'm 67 years old and my fingers don't do anything like they used to, but really.....
3) As for chopping...lets say a few carrots, onions, celery (pre chopped into large pieces)- either the blade is just not sharp enough, or it's positioned in a funny way in the bowl and on the spindle- but I NEVER get the nice even chop I used to get with my cuis. Maybe the blade is too close to the bottom, or too far away, or doesn't get close enough to the bowl sides, or is just not shaped right....
4) the machine itself is a brute of a size- with a wider, deeper footprint and with the big bowl and feed tube, it no longer fits in the same cupboard that the cuis fit into height wise;
5) The handle (on the bowl that that locks the bowl in) is on the side. I didn't think that would make a difference from the cuis which locks in the front.... but it does. While standing in the front (where the buttons are) after dropping the bowl in the slots, it's hard to gauge where the slots are since I'm not right in front of the handle. After the bowl does slip into the slots then i have to push (from the side) the handle to the lock position- awkward and not so easy to do- often I end up lifting the bowl slightly as I try to lock it at the side, and the bowl then slips out of the slots and then I'm pushing down and back and forward to get the bowl to fit and lock.
Unlocking the bowl- I have to pull the handle (from the side) toward me to unlock which oft times pulls & spins the whole machine toward the left if I don't try to hold the bowl down as I spin it towards me to unlock.
6, 7 & 8) The top... it's so much heavier and bulky than the cuis.
The main part of the top without any of the inserts is easily twice as heavy as the cuis'. Putting it on and off and on and off (like when you need to use the spatula lot) is a workout for your forearm. If you try to do so without taking the inserts out first, you'll be moving and lifting 1 pound, 11 and 1/2 ozs each time.
Speaking of inserts- the top has (built into it) the 'half moon opening' that has a max fill line (lets say of carrots laying down to shred), of about 2/3 the height of the half moon to the shredder disc. An overly complicated design of a 1st insert fits into the half moon. Although it doesn't have those '2 lost cavities' that would fill up and not drain of the cuis, the KA's 1st insert has about 30 little surfaces separated by tiny ribs that all need to be cleaned better than a mostly smooth unbroken piece of plastic like the cuis- hard to describe the number and shape of all the varied angles and crevices on this inset.At the back of this first insert is a 4" plastic rod that fits through a hole in a black plastic piece built into the cover. As far as I can tell it is the thing that stops you from running the machine without the 1st insert in at least 1/3 of the way. That plastic rod seems like very cheap plastic to me and I'm waiting for it to break off, rendering the whole machine useless until the whole 1st insert is replaced (because the rod is glued or 'welded' just at the top of it, into the plastic of the first insert).
The 2nd insert goes into a 2"x3" hole in the first insert. You can use the machine without the 2nd insert by covering the hole in the first with a towel etc., but not for very thin liquids. The 2nd insert is molded into 2 sections- one side is a 1 and 5/8" cylinder (open on both ends)- good for pouring liquid into or adding herbs while machine is running etc. Unfortunately, the OTHER side of that insert is about the same size (slightly different shape) as the tube, but it is open on the top and completely closed on the bottom. This means anything you want to pour or drop into the tube (like oil etc) will, I guarantee, end up to some degree in that 2"x4" cavity- leaving you with a cavity that is impossible to clean out (like the 2 on both sides of the cuis's insert). Why in heaven's name would you make it that like that????
The 3rd insert (yes...... it goes- top cover; 1st half moon insert; 2nd insert with open tube and also closed at one end cylinder; and- lastly the 3rd insert which fits in the 2nd, is a tube with an open top and a tiny whole in the bottom. It's meant to enable extremely slow pouring (thin stream) into the bowl. But it's very hard to clean and to be honest, I think I can pour anything slow enough through inserts 1 & 2.
I could go on about the stupid cover and it's inserts but it's making me too upset to do so.GOOD THINGS-
1) the blade is on a central shaft that when you push it onto the machine's shaft locks on, When you want to pour or scrap stuff out of the bowl , you can turn the bowl upside down and the blade stays in the bowl.
2) It does liquids ok.
3) The whole machine is so heavy it doesn't walk on the counter.
4) Slicing works ok, but given the amount of time to setup and clean when done- I've gone back to a good, handheld mandoline with depth (thickness) adjustments.
5) It comes with a small bowl as wellBottom Line- poor design in almost every function, too bulky, poor mincing/chopping capabilities, way too hard to clean the top and all it's inserts, bad buttons (pulsing button has terrible response time off/on).
Hope this helps. Rebecca
Here is a link that might be useful: 13 cup KA processor at Amazon
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GaryFx