Washing Cuisinart Food Processor Work Bowls and Lids

[Porthos]

Several year ago my DW bought me a 14 cup Cuisinart food processor that I was very happy with - until - the pusher cracked apart. After some very frustrating searching on the web I found the replacement part. When it arrived it didn't fit. I did my "I give up" trick and never dealt with it after that since trying to find the right part (which wasn't right) to begin with had so difficult. Since then I have only been able to use the chopping blade but none of the slicer/shredder disks. l always ran the pieces through the dishwasher on the top rack using the heated drying cycle.

So Costco has a sweet deal right now on the 11 cup model and I just went and bought one. When I showed it to my DW in the store the other day she suggested that if I bought it I should probably hand-wash the bowl, lid and the like. What do my fellow eGulleters do about washing their food processor bits?

As a side note: when we bought the 14 cup machine at Williams Sonoma (on sale with an additional discount - the only way I spend money there) it came with a spare work bowl. Turns out they accidentally gave me the work bowl for the 11 cup model. I just used it for storage of the discs and extra bits. So because of that I do have a second work bowl for the new machine.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

All parts in the dishwasher with the drying cycle. Mine is from when Cuisinart was made in Japan, so not sure of the durability of current models.

[lindag]

I have the 14-cup Cuisinart and wash the bowl & parts in the d/w occasionally. However, I never use the heated dry-cycle. I find it unnecessary and it's just too hard on my dishes, etc. I do think that the heat produced by dishwashers is extra hard on the plastic FP parts, so I often hand-wash the bowl especially since the 14-cupper is so big and takes up so much room.

[weinoo]

Everything about the old (30+ years) Cuisinart I have is better made than the one I bought a few years ago. From the plug (which is a monster) to the base to the pusher - they just made that stuff almost for industrial use then,

That said, I have no qualms about putting all the parts from the new machine into the dishwasher. Using the proper soap and the proper amount of soap is probably the most important thing when using your dishwasher...it's less than you think, btw.

[JosephBrown23]

The Cuisinart model food processors all have dishwasher safe components, so there should be no problem caused by dishwashing the parts. I agree however, that the heat dry cycle is hard on all dishes, and would avoid it. However the heated dry cycle should be no harder on the Cuisinart components than other dishes in the dishwasher.

[weinoo]

This article may be of some interest regarding dishwashers and how to use them.

[rotuts]

I wash by hand and dry by hand.

its easy to get parts:

http://www.ereplacementparts.com/cuisinart-parts-c-147322.html

this isnt the place Ive used for extra blades, its in San Francisco but google didnt find it. even amazon has parts now.

[Porthos]

After reading your posts I have elected to pre-wash by hand (I do this for everything that goes into the dishwasher anyway) and then run through the dishwasher on the top rack with both the heated wash and heated dry turned off. Thank you all for your input.

As a point of reference I don't even have a dish drainer in my kitchen. I like my dishwasher.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I can't envision the bowl of a Cuisinart being able to fit in the top rack of a home dishwasher. Maybe it's just that I live in an apartment and have a cheap dishwasher?

[Shel_B]

I can't envision the bowl of a Cuisinart being able to fit in the top rack of a home dishwasher. Maybe it's just that I live in an apartment and have a cheap dishwasher?

Mine does... and it's not a the small size Cuisinart.

[Porthos]

We have the largest Whirlpool we could fit into our kitchen. I put the Oster Blender in the picture to help give perspective on size. I easily put my 14 qt SS mixing bowl on the lower rack and the 6 qt bowl from our KitchenAid easily fits on the top rack.

This is with the pieces on the top rack.

Slight edit for clarity.

Edited July 28, 2013 by Porthos (log)

[David Ross]

Well, I had a first-hand experience with this yesterday. I suppose it was only a matter of time until it happened. While making pea soup, I wondered why this green liquid was draining out of the bottom of the food processor. The culprit was a crack down the side of the bowl. I think I was tempting destiny from the start. The owner's manual said that hand-washing was the preferred method of cleaning. For convenience I've been putting it in the dishwasher, full cycle, including the blades. I think now that the plastic parts tend to expand and are susceptible to cracking in the dishwasher. I think an old-fashioned wash in the sink is best for me moving forward.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I have two bowls but I've never had a bowl crack. I think it is a true statement that they have never been washed by hand, not once. (I do pre-clean in the sink.)

My bowl height is 6 inches and the top rack clearance is just 7 inches. So, yes, I guess the bowls probably would fit but I don't think they would wash very well like that.

[lindag]

I've heard reports about many, many food processor bowls cracking. Therefore, I prefer to play it safe and wash by hand.

BTW, I recently discovered the 'dish drying mat'. http://www.amazon.com/Ritz-Polka-Reversible-Microfiber-Drying/dp/B007NJUFKG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375019847&sr=8-1&keywords=ritz+dish+mat

Works great next to the sink and d/w for hand washed items.

[Porthos]

I have two bowls but I've never had a bowl crack. I think it is a true statement that they have never been washed by hand, not once. (I do pre-clean in the sink.)

My bowl height is 6 inches and the top rack clearance is just 7 inches. So, yes, I guess the bowls probably would fit but I don't think they would wash very well like that.

I have an 8" clearance and also there is a rotating spray nozzle on the top surface of the machine so the the top rack gets sprayed from both underneath and overhead.

[MelissaH]

In my dishwasherless days, I avoided using the Cuisinart because I hate to wash the darn thing by hand. The only other thing I find as awful, and as dangerous, to wash by hand is my mandoline. Now that I have a dishwasher, it goes in the top rack. I think by the time I get all the pieces in, it takes up half the top rack. It's SO worth it to me!

[Jaymes]

Sign me up with the "top rack of the dishwasher" crowd. It all fits just fine. Full cycle. I've been doing it for decades. No problems.

And, like Melissa, I think if I had to "wash the darn thing by hand," I'd dread that enough that I just wouldn't use it so often.

[rotuts]

it cracks, in any manor go to a web site that has replacements and get over it.

[Choumethemoney]

Have one of the old 11 cup Cuisinarts. The motor had a 30 year warranty. All of my cooking life, I simply put one of my sinks full of very hot soapy water. I put the pieces of the Cuisinart in there when I have finished using them and swish them around except the blade which I dip in, clean and rinse. The dishwasher uses detergent and an abrasive which scratches the items put in there. I have replaced by bowl once in 30 years. Fear ever having to replace because that quality will never be available again. Use old fathful everyday since 1986.

If you are using one of the new pads designed to drain dishes, be sure to dry throughly between uses. It will grow bacteria like a fool if you don't, just like a loofa or a sponge. BTW. I put my sponges, wet and rung out in the microwave for 3 minutes at the end of the day, or anytime they have done a nasty job.

Swish, rinse, drain. Very fast clean up.

[Shel_B]

Have one of the old 11 cup Cuisinarts. The motor had a 30 year warranty. All of my cooking life, I simply put one of my sinks full of very hot soapy water. I put the pieces of the Cuisinart in there when I have finished using them and swish them around except the blade which I dip in, clean and rinse. The dishwasher uses detergent and an abrasive which scratches the items put in there. I have replaced by bowl once in 30 years. Fear ever having to replace because that quality will never be available again. Use old fathful everyday since 1986.

If you are using one of the new pads designed to drain dishes, be sure to dry throughly between uses. It will grow bacteria like a fool if you don't, just like a loofa or a sponge. BTW. I put my sponges, wet and rung out in the microwave for 3 minutes at the end of the day, or anytime they have done a nasty job.

Swish, rinse, drain. Very fast clean up.

My Cuisinart is probably about the same age as yours, and like you, I doubt that the newer ones have comparable quality - in fact, I know they don't.

I've been microwaving sponges for a few years now, and they seem to last longer as well as remain cleaner. Whoever gave me the suggestion to do that deserves a big "atta boy!"

[rotuts]

I add a little bleach to the microwave brew.

[Shel_B]

I add a little bleach to the microwave brew.

Good idea! Thanks for the suggestion ...

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I tried putting my bowl in the top rack of the dishwasher and it came out OK. However I think I'll usually put it in the bottom section, as I have always done.

[lindag]

Speaking of the sponge-in-the-microwave: I've found that my sponges will develop and off odor, somewhat chemical-like.

I m/w them for 60-seconds and they smell neutral again. I wonder if the smell is due to my well water although the water smells and tastes very good. Any ideas?

[Smithy]

Speaking of the sponge-in-the-microwave: I've found that my sponges will develop and off odor, somewhat chemical-like.

I m/w them for 60-seconds and they smell neutral again. I wonder if the smell is due to my well water although the water smells and tastes very good. Any ideas?

The smell is probably coming from the bacteria colonizing your sponge. The microwave (and above-mentioned bleach) kill the colonizers. Your well water might affect which bugs are present and what smells are produced, but city water users have the same general issue of bacteria growing in porous damp warm media like sponges and (I hadn't thought of this before) dish mats.

Getting back to the original topic: I've avoided putting the blades of my food processors (including a new Cuisinart) in the dishwasher, but when I'm feeling lazy I've put the plastic bowl and lid in the dishwasher, so far with no ill effects. I don't use the dry cycle. However, I did learn the hard way - with a newish "Magic Chopper" or some such as well as my good old reliable Regal food processor - that the blades and their plastic housing didn't like being subjected to the rigors of the dishwasher. The plastic that housed the blade did some weird erosion or corrosion thing and cracked; meanwhile, I don't think I did those metal blades any good. That article link upthread to proper dishwasher use, including detergent amounts, was great. Thanks to weinoo for posting it!