Food processors

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deweydecimal

Enthusiast Member
Hello all,

I lurk on here because I am in awe about the cooking skills on here and I pick up a lot of knowledge by just reading what other people cook. Amazing! .I am definitely not is this class. LOL I hope I can impose on the knowledge of the group by asking about food processors. I have never had one (I know, I know.. but its time). I cook for just myself but I want one. The only time I cook for more than one is the holidays for my extended family. So how big of a food processor do I get and what brand? Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Deweydecimal (Halyna).

 
Welcome, Halyna. I have used a Cuisinart for years. I actually have two - one is about 8 cups

and the other is the mini prep. I actually find myself using the mini one more often than the other. Although the larger one comes in handy for some things - pastry dough, chopping large amounts, slicing semi-frozen beef for teriyaki, grating cheese. If you just want to use one for simple chopping, you may want to try the mini prep. They are pretty inexpensive - i think about $30.

 
I mostly cook for myself too but entertain frequently and like to cook for the freezer so

I use my Cuisinart frequently. It is 27 years old and going strong. I use it for chopping veggies for soup, making pie crust, making pizza dough, grating cheese, frenching fresh green beans etc. Spare parts are still available which I love. I've been told, like most other things, the new ones are not as good as the old ones but go for it.

 
Re: I mostly cook for myself too but entertain frequently and like to cook for the freezer so

Seems like its Cuisinart. Thanks. I saw one on the Black Friday ads but was hesitating. This will be my treat to myself. smileys/smile.gif

Thanks again.

Halyna

 
I have a well loved Sunbeam FP that is older than most of the Eat/at posters...

and I don't know what I would do without it, for large batches of whatever.

I had craved a smaller version, but did not have one until my blender bit the dust and I went on a search for a replacement. I ended up with a Cuisinart Blender/FP that is a 1/2 size version of my Sunbeam FP. It is ideal for smaller jobs, or for those who cook for 1 or 2.
It is not a quiet machine, but I can live with short bursts of loud noise.

So glad you decided to join in the discussion. Don't be a stranger!

 
It is true the old ones were made by Robot Coupe and almost indestructible

Mine finally died and I got a new Cuisinart and was truly surprised at the difference in quality. I use it sometimes but mostly use my commercial Robot Coupe. For a first-time FP buyer I would still recommend a Cuisinart. Get a larger one- you can always use small amounts in a large one but if you get one too small you cannot make larger quantities....

 
I sold some of the very first Cuisinarts, available in the US, back in the 70's. I've owned one

ever since. Despite all the "improvements" I still prefer the basic model, (no buttons, no controls. Turn the lid to turn the machine on and off.)

 
I'm with you Steve, "on and off" no fancies". I am not so fond of my small cuisinart though and

rarely use it. Maybe I don't do it right but it doesn't seem to chop evenly. Some parts of the onion are mush and some big pieces. Am I doing something wrong?

 
Welcome Halyna, I'm with Judy

since it's only me these days too, beside mostly holiday cooking, I might look at the Cuisinart FP/blender combo - I've used it at a friend's house and really liked it. Since my Cuisinart doesn't fit on the counter I pretty much bring it out mostly for pie crusts. Of course it depends on what you plan to use it for, but I've been happy with my old style Cuisinart, except for what a pain it is to clean (curse you feeding tube!) and how the bowl got cloudy. I did get the largest size at the time (14 cup) and have used it at times to capacity.

 
Silly me, I really thought I could live without my Cuisinart Processor...

I was so WRONG! For our Thanksgiving dinner I first realized that the KA grinder doesn't like nuts. It wasn't fun when the attachment sprang off of the machine because it wasn't properly attached. The nuts I ground first (pecans) had gummed up the works so badly that the fresh cranberries I was grinding second were crammed into the grinder and when the thing came apart it exploded like a pressure cooker! Then there was the curry. I always used to grind the rendang paste in the Cuisinart work bowl - lemon grass, galangal (a green ginger variety) garlic and onion). My Vita-mix was obedient, but took longer than the Cuisinart to reduce the toasted coconut to a paste. I guess I'll be looking for a deal! I had my last one, 14 cup, for about 10 years and will be looking at the same capacity basic machines. I agree with Steve that the fewer bells and whistles the better.

 
I'm single too and have a full-sized Cuisinart. Even if you don't think so now, it's

necessary. The capacity holds enough for a loaf of bread, pizza, shredded cabbage, pureeing soup, and a million other uses.

And I'd welcome you to participate more. I was in the same spot when I started on the Swap. These folks helped make me a better cook. Truly.

 
I like my Kitchen Aid 11-cup because it also has a small bowl for little jobs.

This might work well for you since you cook for one person a lot.

I think Cook's Illustrated rated it very highly as well.

Michael

 
I do pulse, still I like the big one better. I tried switching between "chop"

and "grind" and that works pretty well.

 
I have a Braun that I like, but I am not a heavy user of it. The only thing I don't like about it

is that the top of the blade fitting in open, so little bits of food can drop down into the blade housing and it makes it more challenging to clean.

 
I've never liked the FP for chopping onions--they're so fast to chop by hand

and you can control the size. The same with carrots, celery, parsley--just not worth doing in the machine unless you need them pureed.

But for nuts and mushrooms and other things that bounce arund while you try to chop them I'm so glad to have the processor.

 
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