<p>My sister-in-law would like a food processor. My brother asked for my help. I’m turning to all of you.</p>
<p>What are your experiences with Food Processors? Full-size preferred, unless you have a better option. Thanks for your ideas!</p>
<p>I have a Cuisinart DL7 Super Pro that is still going strong, having seen heavy use since 1983. Yes, that’s 1983. I have replaced every part of the bowl assembly, sometimes twice, over the years, but the motor is still going strong.</p>
<p>In my experience the knockoffs are not worth buying. Get one that is full size and has a motor strong enough to make bread. Don’t get a weaker motor. Don’t pick something with less capacity and a weaker motor because it is cheaper: it won’t hold up.</p>
<p>My experience with my W having a full size food processor is that it’s a big bulky thing with lots of parts that’s a bit of a pain to clean and get out and put away so after a while it tends to not be used that much in favor of just using a knife or something.</p>
<p>The smaller ones might be worth looking at assuming they’re less of a pain to use, clean, and put away but it depends on what you really want to do with it.</p>
<p>Another vote for Cuisinart. I have a DLC plus. Had it since 1986. Still going strong.</p>
<p>We had a full-size Cuisinart model for about 20 years. When it bit the dust, we replaced it with a full-size KitchenAid, based in part on Consumer Reports and Amazon ratings. I like the KitchenAid model MUCH better, primarily because it is much much much easier to clean. Another factor is KitchenAid’s customer service. If there’s any problem with the machine during the warranty period (1 or 2 years, can’t remember which) they replace it and restart the warranty period. The replacement is sent by overnight shipping. You unpack the new unit, put the old unit in the box, attach a pre-addressed label, call the shipper to pick it up, and you’re done. Amazing service.</p>
<p>If you don’t have counter space to keep it out, it’s not worth it. It’s also not worth it for one small job. If you just need to mince some garlic, don’t bother. If you are mincing garlic and then chopping onions and celery and carrots to saute for a soup, following which you’re going to be slicing a bunch of veggies for salad, and then grating some cheese, and then pureeing the soup, well, the food processor is a wonder. Over the years I’ve gotten into the habit of mapping out what food prep steps I’m going to do in what order to minimize having to wash out the processor bowl. Done properly, it’s an immense time-saver.</p>
<p>Kitchen Aide. Kitchen Aide. Kitchen Aide. Not even close. The Kitchen Aide is the old battleship Robot Coupe and the thing is a tank. I still have a Robot Coupe from the 1970s that works fine, but the blades are shot and the cost of buying replacement blades was almost as much as buying a new food processor. The Kitchen Aide is fantastic. Even more heavy duty.</p>
<p>I also still have my old Robot Coupe, ca. 1981. The latching mechanism was getting a little touchy last summer so I started to do some research. From what I read the new Cuisinarts don’t compare to the older models. What model is your KitchenAid, interesteddad?</p>
<p>I have the new Cuisinart Elite 16 cup which I like very much. I can’t compare with the older models, and they aren’t available anyway, so comparison isn’t much help to the poster.
I don’t find the clean-up a problem really. You have to wash a bowl and a blade, but that’s it.</p>
<p>We have two Cuisinarts - one that dates back to our wedding 26 years ago and the other, smaller one, about a year old which we got when I had a gift certificate which had to be used as the store was going out of business. The smaller one has been used exactly once. Perhaps it is what I am used to - but I just like having the big bowl. Clean up has never been an issue - I take it apart in 5 seconds, rinse it off and throw it in the dishwasher… Total cleanup time 10 seconds…</p>
<p>In the past year I looked at less expensive models from Black & Decker and Hamilton Beach. Consolation is right. Spending less less money on a knock-off will likely leave you with regrets, sooner rather than later. Either the motor is not powerful enough or the lack of adequate sound-proofing makes the noise from some cheap brands earsplitting.</p>
<p>I got a cheaper Black & Decker a while back and have been pretty satisfied with my usage of it so far (I think it’s this one: [Amazon.com:</a> Black & Decker FP2500 PowerPro Wide-Mouth 10-Cup Food Processor, White: Kitchen & Dining](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-FP2500-Wide-Mouth-Processor/dp/B002FWXY86/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1292015177&sr=8-5]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-FP2500-Wide-Mouth-Processor/dp/B002FWXY86/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1292015177&sr=8-5) ). I’ve got a fairly tiny kitchen, so I can’t keep it out on the counter, which is one of the reasons I got a cheaper one instead of a nicer Kitchen Aid. It’s pretty simple to put together and take apart, though it doesn’t do a fantastic job with softer cheeses (a good chunk will always get stuck on top of the grating blade).</p>
<p>I also own a small food processor, but have only used it a handful of times. The blades don’t seem to cut as well as my full sized one, so pretty much all its useful for is making salsa.</p>
<p>I think it’s the new Cuisinart’s that have plastic gearing instead of metal, so they essentially have a ticking time bomb that will break after X many uses.</p>
<p>thanks for the ideas. I have to say I LOVE my Kitchen Aid Stand mixer. I looked at their website and they have one with a wide mouth, a 12 cup work bowl and a 4 cup bowl.</p>
<p>[KitchenAid®:</a> Welcome to KitchenAid.com](<a href=“Kitchen Appliances to Bring Culinary Inspiration to Life | KitchenAid”>Kitchen Appliances to Bring Culinary Inspiration to Life | KitchenAid)</p>
<p>I like the idea of the wide mouth (less mess) and the option to use a smaller bowl. What do you think??</p>
<p>Another 25 year old Cuisinart here. Replaced the bowl once. Which was expensive. But the parts guy said they don’t make them like they used to so to keep it and just get the part. He was right. I love it.</p>
<p>I also have a Cuisinart that I got in 1984-ish and I got a new Cuisinart this year. I bought it because all three of the bowl parts were going to need to be replaced at over $100 after I paid shipping so I thought why not spring for a new one. The old one is way better, better quality, better build, chops better. The new one is ok (I got the one that has 3 bowls stacked and I only ever use the big one) and I’d probably be happy if I didn’t have the old one. I made a lot of pesto this summer and there’s little bits of basil and oil that are up in the lid past the gasket that are impossible to clean out. Anyway, my point is that new Cuisinarts are nothing like the old ones so don’t buy based on the recommendation of people that have an old one. I still have my old one and might end up investing in a new bowl because the motor and the blades are still in great shape. I will say that I like the dial-a-size on the new Cuisinart blades. I made homemade potato chips with the 1 mm slicer and they were awesome. Also the new mixing blade seems to sit up a little higher so there’s stuff under it that doesn’t get mixed in with the other ingredients.</p>
<p>Thanks for the warning about the newer Cuisinarts. I am in need of a new feed tube, and was wondering whether it would make sense to get a new machine, given that the one I have is almost 27 years old. But I guess I’ll just be getting the feed tube! :)</p>
<p>What do you think my SIL would say if she opened up a gift on Christmas morning and it was at 25 year old Cuisinart?? LOL!! Too funny…</p>
<p>Thanks for sharing your experiences!</p>
<p>I bought a friend a 50s Waring blender that looked like a rocket ship when she moved into her mid-century ranch. She was delighted. :)</p>
<p>Don’t get a food processor. Instead, get a really good knife and a nice wood cutting board. And a Blendtec blender.</p>
<p>I also had a Cuisinart DLC-7 from the early 80’s that I tried to keep going. It was a real workhorse that I used make a daily loaf of bread for many years in addition to all the myriad slicing and chopping tasks that it does so well.</p>
<p>I bought a new one three years ago – a Custom 14, same size bowl. Yes, the base is less tank-like but easier to carry around if it doesn’t live on your kitchen counter, and having new, sharp blades makes a huge difference in performance. The death knell for Old Faithful was not that the motor died, but the bowls and sleeves did repeatedly, and the replacements I ordered were old stock and brittle. It doesn’t make sense to buy those expensive parts and see them fail within a year or two.</p>
<p>My original Cuisinart served me well, and I’ve had no problems with the new one. Yes, they are a bit expensive – but so is a personal sous chef.</p>
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<p>I second this^^.</p>