Your favorite food processor?

[Catrin]

I need to replace my 3-cup Cuisinart food processor and am looking for something larger, say 6-9 cups, hopefully with two bowls for smaller and larger amounts. I am researching away - just curious if anyone has a favorite. My budget is modest but there is a wide range of prices out there. Hamilton Beach has a model with two bowls, but the reviews are so mixed that I am passing on it.

[Roadtrip]

I've got the Kitchen Aid (KFP750ER) 12-cup food processor that I like very much and does come with smaller bowl and a bunch of other blades and grating attachments.

I got on clearance with a bunch of other open stock items, but the one hiding under the table where all the others were displayed was in it original box.

I walked up to the register with the box, squawked when it rang up at full price, got it at the clearance price after showing them several others in box under the table and marked clearance price... Then got home and realized it also had a mail in rebate. Total score!!!

Not sure what your budget is, but shop around... Only issue I've had is working with dry or really wet mixes with a really full bowl, the bowl/lid isn't completely sealed and tends to have a small bit of leaking when you one the lid.

[Catrin]

Thanks Roadtrip. It is replacing a Cuisinart - which I used to really like but I've had problems with my last couple Cuisinart appliances that just stopped working after a couple of years. Considering the cost they really should last more than 1-2 years...and I don't over-load them.

I just saw a Susan B. Koeman Pink Food Processor...really? Who thought of kitchen appliances as a fundraiser? I am not complaining about it but it was a surprise. Don't know that I could face a pastel pink food processor every time I walk into the kitchen...

[Becky]

I have a Kitchen Aid that I really like, but I'm not sure of the model number. It came with 2 bowls, 2 blades, and the slicing and shredding discs. It replaced a Cuisinart that I hated for two reasons: there were too many cracks and crevices that were totally impossible to clean (gross!), and it used a 2-step interlock which made scraping down or adding ingredients a nuisance. The safety interlock on my Kitchen Aid is just 1 step: turning the lid until it clicks.

I recommend giving some thought to these things, whatever brand or model you end up with. I'd have saved myself some money if I had the first time around...

[Catrin]

Thanks Becky, those are good points points to consider. I agree the Cuisinart locking method is a PITA and, indeed, it took me quite some time when I first got the thing to learn how to lock/unlock it as it took a lot of force and the shredding disks never have worked properly. I've read a lot of good reviews about Kitchen Aid...I want to get something that is versatile enough for my purposes. I don't need a 16 cup monster, but I like the 2-bowl approach. I've also read that some sizes (from all brands) are difficult to get replacement parts for so that is also a consideration. I also want dishwashable, something else I couldn't do with my Cuisinart...

[GLC1968]

I have a Cuisinart one - it's pretty big, maybe 9 cup? I'm not sure. It's too big for some things because there are just two of us, so I tend to do a lot of stuff by hand. For tiny amounts, I use my Magic Bullet. I will say that even though I've had issues with other Cuisinart stuff (like coffee makers, grrr!), this sucker still works like new and it's 10 years old. I've never had one ounce of trouble with it. In fact, it's the reason I was willing to recently splurge on the Cuisinart Multi-cooker. (fingers crossed!)

It came with a dough blade, a regular blade, a slicing disk and a shredding disk (that I use ALL the time). And all of the blades are still ridiculously sharp.

Of course, now that I've said nice things about it, it's probably going to up and quit on me!

[Catrin]

...Now, if only I could find a blender that wouldn't break on me after only a year. I may just have to suck it up and buy a stupid Vitamix. I'm pretty sure I've spent enough on cheaper blenders over the past 10 years to buy two Vitamixes!

I only seem to use mine for protein shakes. I've considered replacing it with an immersion blender, but not until the blender breaks. I've worn the lettering off of the 'high' & 'low' buttons

[withm]

My Cuisinart food processor is probably close to 30 yrs old. I love it, but wish it were a tad bigger. Mixing a bread dough with up to 6 cups of flour is taxing - but it works. If I were to replace it, I'd buy whatever Cuisinart offers in the next larger size. I probably use it 3-4x/month.

On the other hand, the life span of my Cuisinart blenders, and coffee makers has been abysmal at best, with both dying for no reason at all after just a couple of years, and the blender doesn't get used but a couple times/month mostly in the summer.

It's a shame that it costs more to repair small appliances than to replace them. My toaster oven has a precarious switch interlock with the oven door that it can be quite tricky to get it to work. At 15 yrs old, I've probably gotten my money's worth, but I sure wish it weren't such a PIA to get it to toast! I can always toast on the broil setting but then I'd have to watch it so I could flip the bread over to toast the other side.

[GLC1968]

It's a shame that it costs more to repair small appliances than to replace them. My toaster oven has a precarious switch interlock with the oven door that it can be quite tricky to get it to work. At 15 yrs old, I've probably gotten my money's worth, but I sure wish it weren't such a PIA to get it to toast! I can always toast on the broil setting but then I'd have to watch it so I could flip the bread over to toast the other side.

Ain't that the truth?

We had a toaster oven that we basically melted. I forget what we did, but it was a miracle we didn't burn the house down. By rare coincidence, we were at good will the next day for something else when we noticed the same exact toaster oven on their shelves. It was missing some stuff, but we bought it anyway and between the two of them, we were able to put together a fully working toaster oven that we still use to this day (3 years later)! The 'parts' oven went to the dump so I'm sure it's in a land-fill somewhere but at least we were able to get one of them working properly without having to buy a new one.

Lately, we've been in a place where we can afford to really shop around and buy high quality stuff. We have a vacuum that is almost all metal, sucks like a champ and should work for 20 years (even with the heavy shed of our animals!). We recently did the same for our mattress. And for our canner and our dehydrator. Clearly, I need to do the same with a blender purchase! I get so tired of having to replace stuff because it dies entirely too early in it's lifecycle!

[OakLeaf]

I had a magnetron replaced on a microwave last year. Sure it cost the same as buying a whole new unit, but the whole rest of the unit didn't go into the landfill, and the labor charge stayed in my local economy.

I'm bumming about my mattresses, actually. One of them is pretty old and I've hated it for the last 15 years and I'm not sorry to have to replace it. The other, though - while it's 10 calendar years old it's only had about four years' worth of sleeping on it, and it is way too new to be so completely sacked out. I've been sleeping with a pillow under my butt, because otherwise the hole in my mattress was giving me back trouble. And I do flip it regularly. Grrrrrr.

[Skippyak]

My 11 cup Cuisinart is about 18 yrs old and I would not part with it, I think it is better than any of the other processors I have used. You can get them for about 100 in Costco when they are on sale so inexpensive too. I have the collar/safety lock bit fixed up by DH as this is the part that always fails. I did buy a replacement but the construction is poor, he has it reinforced with some kind of metal and I don't put that part in the DW. I have an expensive magimix with 3 bowls and you know, I never use the small bowls. I also have a vitamix blender and that is totally awesome for blending but not for some jobs. I have one of everything in my kitchen but the Cuisinart is a solid little worker that never gets put in a cupboard.

[malkin]

My Cuisinart food processor is probably close to 30 yrs old.

Mine is new compared to yours; I got it in 1985!
Still going strong after a stem replacement (busted it trying to grate parmesan rinds).

For bread I like the KA mixer better anyway. Or the bread maker.

[Catrin]

Having such a problem making my mind up - it is between a KitchenAid 9-cup FB with a second bowl, and a Cuisinart 12-cup with a second bowl. Trying to decide which will give me the most value for the long-term but I understand the Cuisinart has a button that one must depress to disconnect the bowl. I have to wonder if my hand strength issues might be a problem - and I HATE paying return shipping fees...That might be the decider for me, the cost for both isn't that high - or that different. I am tired of reading reviews - these are slightly older models so I probably won't find any local stores, but I will check tonight to see.

[GLC1968]

I am tired of reading reviews - these are slightly older models so I probably won't find any local stores, but I will check tonight to see.

That was going to be my suggestion - to try to find them locally to at least see how they operate in person.

[Catrin]

I have the Kitchen Aid. It comes with the big and small bowls, and a ton of attachments. I hadn't used it too much until recently. The only thing I don't like about it is that it's heavy!
It works great. I had a Cuisinart that sucked.

Is this the 9 cup with the small extra bowl? I will probably order it in the morning. ...