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The Food Processor Topic

Stone

By Stone
in Kitchen Consumer

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fifi

fifi

Posted
Posted

I started to get one of those. But it doesn't help you use the grater/slicer/shredder blades so that was when I decided to give up on the Cuisinart.

Linda LaRose aka "fifi"

"Having spent most of my life searching for truth in the excitement of science, I am now in search of the perfectly seared foie gras without any sweet glop." Linda LaRose

bloviatrix

bloviatrix

Posted
Posted

When I bought my Cuisinart (I have the 11 cup), 8 years ago, it came with two covers. I have never had luck with the flat cover. Everything seems to spray out when I use it.

They changed the top several years ago as part of the re-design. At the time, they also changed the front panel to push buttons, which makes cleaning the base easier. This new top looks much easier to clean -- there are fewer pieces.

"Some people see a sheet of seaweed and want to be wrapped in it. I want to see it around a piece of fish."-- William Grimes

"People are bastard-coated bastards, with bastard filling." - Dr. Cox on Scrubs

ronnie_suburban

ronnie_suburban

Posted
Posted
I started to get one of those. But it doesn't help you use the grater/slicer/shredder blades so that was when I decided to give up on the Cuisinart.

No, that's true. Those blades (which you mentioned) operate at the top of the cuisinart (on the post) and are designed to be used only with the feed tube. For certain tasks like general chopping, making emulsions, etc. the flat lid does allow for convenient use and clean up.

=R=

"Hey, hey, careful man! There's a beverage here!" --The Dude, The Big Lebowski

LTHForum.com -- The definitive Chicago-based culinary chat site

ronnie_suburban 'at' yahoo.com

bloviatrix

bloviatrix

Posted
Posted

Ronnie, you inspired me. I had some herbs that needed to be finished, so I thought I would make an herb mayo. Dug out the flat top cuisinart cover. It was like a revelation. Especially when it came to cleaning up. It's such a bitch to clean out the feed tube of the other cover, especially when you're using oil. This was a snap.

Bless your soul!!

"Some people see a sheet of seaweed and want to be wrapped in it. I want to see it around a piece of fish."-- William Grimes

"People are bastard-coated bastards, with bastard filling." - Dr. Cox on Scrubs

ronnie_suburban

ronnie_suburban

Posted
Posted
Ronnie, you inspired me.  I had some herbs that needed to be finished, so I thought I would make an herb mayo.  Dug out the flat top cuisinart cover.  It was like a revelation.  Especially when it came to cleaning up.  It's such a bitch to clean out the feed tube of the other cover, especially when you're using oil.  This was a snap.

Bless your soul!!

Bloviatrix,

:smile: My pleasure...I was contemplating making some chipotle mayo over this past weekend...and now, you have inspired me to get off my lazy butt and do so. :smile:

=R=

"Hey, hey, careful man! There's a beverage here!" --The Dude, The Big Lebowski

LTHForum.com -- The definitive Chicago-based culinary chat site

ronnie_suburban 'at' yahoo.com

  • 1 month later...
megaira

megaira

Posted
Posted
So if y'all had the choice between this KitchenAid or this Cuisinart, what would you choose?

Neither?

The KA looks overpriced - smaller feed tube as well (I hate having to cut something up to put it through the food processor. My brain says: why not just finish cutting the stupid thing up and not use the FP at all?). The one nifty perk, IMO, is the minibowl. But, having not used it, I tend to wonder if that is conveniant, or a pain in the butt. The cuisinart mini prep is about 30$, so with the rebate, technically you're getting the minibowl attachment for free & if it works as well and isn't a hassle, then that's not too shabby. The one thing I like about the KA FP's is that they seem to have a better variety of attachments...juicer, beaters, etc. KA is all about attachments, it seems.

speaking of: the Cuisinart mini prep I like, but, I've replaced one already due to the unpleasant burning metal smell it blasts out at you...oh, and smoke...and the new one does the same thing regarding smell (no smoke so far), so I'm somewhat resigned to it now. Anyone else have the same problem or do I just keep getting freak lemon Food Processors? The holes in the top of the lid for adding oil are quite small, as well. The minibowl on the KA might indeed be an improvement - one less appliance on the counter, at any rate.

The cuisinart, IMO, I prefer the newer style ("power prep plus") - the heavy base helps keep it from going anywhere on the counter except with heavy dough, and I like the wipe off control buttons. The extra "dough" blade and setting doesn't do anything for me, since I just use the regular blade for doughs, but some might find that useful. I picked it up for the same price as the one you listed at BB&B using the 20% off coupon. I wish I'd picked up the 14c instead of the 11 however. If a dough recipe goes into the 4c. flour range, it has problems.

This one in the ad you posted looks like it still has the complicated lid and it doesn't appear to come with the extra flat lid people are raving about here -so if that's a feature you're looking for, you may want to double check first. I have seen it with the model Bed, Bath & Beyond is selling.

Cuisinart needs a better variety of attachments (the beaters & juicer you can get for the KA are a neat touch -but who knows how well they work) & the extra blades and attachments are an arm & a leg unless you shop for them on ebay.

Perhaps it's best to sit down and write out the pros/cons of each model and compare - quality wise I don't think you'd be doing any worse or better with one or the other, so it comes down to more of: what is best equipped to do the jobs you want it to do?

You may also want to, if there's one nearby, run over to BB&B or Linens & Things or something, buy one, try it out and see what you think, then return it. Sure, a little less than the "nice" thing to do, but you'll know that what you're getting is what you really like and want.

Whatever you do... do *not* buy the cuisinert blender/food processor combo. At best, the FP is anemic and good for only chopping onions, etc. The blender did me no favors, I gave up and returned mine and bought the KA blender after a while.

". . . if waters are still, then they can't run at all, deep or shallow."

tirgoddess

tirgoddess

Posted
Posted

I looked at both the Cusinart and the KA and decided on the KA. I love it. The reason I chose it is because it was explained to me that the early Cusinart had the Robocoup motor. KA bought robocoup and now has that motor in their machines, Cusinart does not. I was impressed with my mom's old Cusinart, which still runs to this day, so I went with the KA in the end.

bilrus

bilrus

Posted
Posted
The one nifty perk, IMO, is the minibowl.  But, having not used it, I tend to wonder if that is conveniant, or a pain in the butt.

I use the mini-bowl quite a bit, but I am cooking for just two. The big bowl takes up a lot of space in the dishwasher - most of the time I just hand wash the mini-bowl as soon as I am done with it.

Bill Russell

slkinsey

slkinsey

Posted
Posted
The one nifty perk, IMO, is the minibowl.  But, having not used it, I tend to wonder if that is conveniant, or a pain in the butt.

It is a significant perk in my experience. I tend to use the minibowl as often as I use the main bowl, if not more often. Nothing beats it in making a practically foolproof thick mayonnaise.

--

megaira

megaira

Posted
Posted

Hmmm, maybe I'll be pulling a switcheroo on my FP of choice in the near future then...

". . . if waters are still, then they can't run at all, deep or shallow."

marie-louise

marie-louise

Posted
Posted

I have one of the newer Cusinarts at my beach house. It's okay when all you need is the flat lid, but that multi-piece wide-mouthed top drives me nuts. Plus it has a lot of little pieces to break off, and a new lid is VERY expensive.

I have the highest-watt Kitchen Aid at home and I LOVE it. The mini-bowl is very handy-I use it for making mayo and for chopping a handful of garlic/giner/ whatever. There's a cool feature which they don't advertise: it runs with the lid on but without the pusher, which means that you can shove carrot after carrot through it without having to stop the machine to unlock the feed tube mechanism. Plus I like that touchpad-easier to clean.

SethG

SethG

Posted
Posted

This thread sent me to my Cuisinart to look at the model number, and now I see why I got confused. I have the Cuisinart DLC-5. It's a seven-cupper; its feeder is a simple one piece thing.

I use this machine constantly. It is extremely reliable. It has one big plastic button that I enjoy pushing. The pieces fit in the dishwasher with plenty of room to spare. I have never once thought the machine was difficult to clean.

Unless you're cooking in a cafeteria, you won't need an eleven cup food processor (much less a fourteen-cupper) very often. If you cook for two to four (or even six) people most of the time, don't bother with those big models. You won't use them much. Get the DLC-5. It's a hall-of-famer.

"I don't mean to brag, I don't mean to boast;

but we like hot butter on our breakfast toast!"

bloviatrix

bloviatrix

Posted
Posted

Seth, I've got to disagree with you on that one. My mil has the 7 cup, and when I use it, I find it too small. Most of the time I have to do things in two batches. I have the 11 cup at home which I find perfect. (Admittedly I frequently entertain in large groups, but most of the time, I'm cooking for 2)

"Some people see a sheet of seaweed and want to be wrapped in it. I want to see it around a piece of fish."-- William Grimes

"People are bastard-coated bastards, with bastard filling." - Dr. Cox on Scrubs

megaira

megaira

Posted
Posted

I think it depends quite a bit on what you want to do with it. I use the cuisinart 11c. regularily to make pizza and bread dough. It starts to choke after I past the 4c. flour mark, 3c flour being about the ideal. 3c. flour seems to be the average for one loaf of sandwich bread or 2 thin 14" pizza crusts...

The bowl fills up pretty quickly when I'm shredding veggies, but then, I always end up with more veggies than I need...so as far as shredding cheeses, veggies, sauce/mayo making, etc. I can see the 7 cup being perfect. The only arguement I'd have would be in favor of the doughs...and granted, most people seem to prefer stand mixers for doughs instead.

Seth, do you use your 7 cup for dough? pie dough? If so, how does it do? do you find yourself halving anything or does it manage ok? I have a friend who is looking as well - and while he's also looking into a mixer and bread machine, I think he plans to use his FP for doughs as well. I told him to get an 11 cup... he hasn't bought it yet, so your input there would be much appreciated.

Has anyone made dough with their KA FP? How does it work out? Did you use the normal blade or a special dough blade?

The next question is the feed tube on the KA -it looks much narrower than the tube on the cuisinart, which is the only thing (other than the mini bowl question, which has now been answered) holding me back from going out and getting one. I suppose I could always take my own advice and do the BB&B test drive, then sell my cuisinart on ebay (or to someone here, if anyone is looking) if I decide to keep the KA...but just asking is easier. :rolleyes::biggrin:

". . . if waters are still, then they can't run at all, deep or shallow."

SethG

SethG

Posted
Posted

You know, it's true, I haven't made a lot of bread or pizza dough. I have made numerous pie crusts and I've never had to divide. And maybe I'm an overloader-- I do occasionally have overflow issues, which I regard as part of the fun of cooking.

But with the eleven or fourteen cup models, I'd worry that for many jobs the ingredients wouldn't fill enough of the bowl to get well mixed. If you get one of those biggies, you really need the small processor attachment too, I'd reckon. I think the seven bridges the gap pretty well.

"I don't mean to brag, I don't mean to boast;

but we like hot butter on our breakfast toast!"

megaira

megaira

Posted
Posted
But with the eleven or fourteen cup models, I'd worry that for many jobs the ingredients wouldn't fill enough of the bowl to get well mixed.  If you get one of those biggies, you really need the small processor attachment too, I'd reckon.  I think the seven bridges the gap pretty well.

I think you're right - my 11 c. seems to have a problem with purees - and I haven't done too many sauces. With the purees, I don't get a really nice smooth puree out of it because I dont' think there's enough liquid/pressure going to really get the small peices in there and ground up.

". . . if waters are still, then they can't run at all, deep or shallow."

marie-louise

marie-louise

Posted
Posted
For purees, I think a good blender beats a food processor almost every time.

I agree, you need both. And a food mill, and an immersion blender. And a potato ricer. Each one is the best for certain things.

Actually, I think you need one of everything in the catalog. :wink:

SethG

SethG

Posted
Posted

Don't forget a mandoline!

"I don't mean to brag, I don't mean to boast;

but we like hot butter on our breakfast toast!"

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