Food+Processor

//**Marilyn**//

I was using a **7-cup Cuisinart** until a few weeks ago. After my first private “uncooking” class, I earned enough to purchase a **14-cup Cuisinart Power Prep**. This model looks different from the “regular” Cuisinart – it’s not as boxy. My 7-cup model will now be relegated for road trips.

I had done much research online to help me decide which food processor to purchase – basically it was between Kitchen Aid and Cuisinart, although I discovered that **Omega** has a food processor. (I have an Omega juicer and I have had no problems with it.) There was also a **Wolfgang Puck** food processor that had a nice feature – a drawer for the blades. The Kitchen Aid comes with a smaller bowl for small quantities, a feature that I thought I would want, but I have used my 14-cup Cuisinart for small quantities with no problem, and it’s one less thing to clean up and store.

I found Amazon to be a good resource for customer reviews. However, I couldn’t find sufficient reviews of the Omega or the Wolfgang Puck to make an decision on either of these two. Both the Kitchen Aid and Cuisinart got mostly positive reviews (overall ratings were between 4 and 5 stars). On the negative side, Kitchen Aid users had issues with using the grating and slicing blades, as well as the small bowl and some issues with cleanup. Unhappy Cuisinart users mostly cited poor customer service and the difficulty with aligning the lid properly due the safety features of the “regular” boxy model. This difficulty prevents the machine from operating.

I have had NO difficulty whatsoever with mine, but I am not sure if the safety mechanism is different on the power plus models. One feature I really like is that it has a very large chute, which I think is a very good feature if you will be using it to grate or slice. I can put in whole (medium sized) tomatoes. I actually tried it and the slices came out pretty good. I finally decided to get the model I bought because it has an all-metal base (cost a bit more), has a great warrantee (better than Kitchen Aid), and I like the way it looks (OK, so I’m a little shallow on this one).

Also, although the customer service was rated poorly, I am going to think positively and figure that I won’t need to contact them. In addition to my online research, I also went to a couple of stores to see the actual food processors and try opening and closing them. One model had the chute in the back rather than front, which I thought would be awkward when using on a counter. Oh, one last thing – if you plan to keep it on your counter, it is important to make sure that it will fit under your cabinets. Some food processors are taller than others, so check the height.


 * //Fireman Bobby//**

I have an 11 cup **cuisinart food processor**. This batch I made had so much quanity it took me 2 hours to prepare. In other words..... if I had larger equipment or a smaller recipe I'd save alot of time.