need a new food processor...

[heabrook]

We currently have a black&decker food processor but I can't use it unless my husband is home to help because I absolutely cannot get the bowl off and on, and often times I cannot get the top off and on either. Also, it overheats and warms the food almost immediately.

We were looking at a Cuisinart for $199 that we like, and I was able to easily put it together and take it a part. But there were things that I didn't like about it too.

Does anyone have a food processor that they really like?

I would rather make an investment in something that we like and that will last, rather than having one break and replacing it etc...

[Brianna]

I have a Cuisinart and it's okay, but I'm not overly impressed. In fact, my grandma has a Hamilton Beach and it works better than mine and costs less. I don't know, maybe I just picked the wrong model of Cuisinart.

[janicejourney]

I love my kitchenaid! It is super nice. Very sturdy, sharp, and gets things real smooth.

[shakti17]

i like my black n decker - actually, i LOVE it! it was only $40. works like a charm! and i did used to have trouble with some others, getting it on and off, etc.

[Kris]

I also have what I thought was a heavy-duty Cuisinart. It looks great -- stainless steel, sleek-looking, feels weighty -- but I'm underwhelmed with its performance. It just doesn't seem to be as powerful as it should be for its price and heft. I've heard people say good things about Kitchen Aid food processors. In fact, I think Shivanada started a thread about this a few months ago. You might want to use the banana to search for it, as it was quite informative.

[juliebove]

I have the Hamilton Beach Big Mouth. I do have trouble sometimes getting the top on. It's really finicky and if you don't do it perfectly it won't work. I do like the fact that it will slice or shred whole vegetables provided they are not too large. I tend to buy huge onions. These I have to cut in half. I don't know how long it will last though. I had ordered one and when it arrived, the top was powdered plastic. I have a feeling all it will take is for me to accidentally drop the top on the floor and it will be gone. However it serves my purposes right now.

[EastCoastie]

I had a General Motors cheapie from W-M. Although the GE wasn't nearly as cute as my 3+ times more expensive K-A, it was great. The K-A is beautiful and quieter but does not have nearly the power of the GE. I am actually considering returning to W-M to get another K-A because I gave mine away prior to really testing out the K-A.

[harp]

i have a vita mix and i'd say it works very well. its pretty expensive tho, 350-400 new. i can't honestly say if its worth it or not but if it works for 10 years like they say it will its probably worth it. it makes a creamy consistensy and it is pretty easy to clean. i like that it chops up the whole veggie or fruit even the pulp which many say is the most nutritous part, still i'll bet you can get a really good processor and spend a lot less.

raw food dude

[ChaiLife]

I got to use one of these at a raw food presentation and even the instructor was very impressed with it (it didn't belong to her).

kitchen aid FP (http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=106016&RN=435)

It was the stainless colored one. I really was impressed with how well it moved the contents around and was very easy to use. I plan on getting one of these as soon as my ancient Cuirsenart dies. The FP I have is o-l-d and is hanging in there. I think my husband's parents got it when they got married or something.


Anyway, after using the Kitchen Aid, I would say I liked it better. Plus it looks pretty chic too. :p

[rawpriestess]

I have a Vita Mix, it's 10 years old, works great


I have a Cuisinart food processor, 11 cup, and I love it, it works beautifully

I also have a baby Oster food processor, it's about 20 years old and I used it for the first 3 years I was raw, worked fine, I just had to make baby batches.

I've tried several others at raw food gatherings, and I much prefere my Cuisinart, although I have not tried the Hamilton Beach yet.

[exurb]

My recommendation is to get your hands on one of the older Cuisinarts (you will have to find that second hand). From when they were made in France not just a brand and made in China.

I too have the 11 cup, I would say mine gets heavy use (close to daily use). I really like it in general but it has broken many times, so I am not impressed. :mad: :mad: :mad: I have to have two food processors for when the other is being fixed or I am awaiting parts. :mad: Then the warranty is only good for a year, so here in Canada that's a few hundred bucks for a flippin' year of the new 11 cup. My old inherited one from France has worked amazingly well for years and years!

The worst thing Cuisinart makes IMO and please don't waste your money are the mini choppers. Good luck getting more than a month out of them, and they are so pathetic in terms of the strength of their motors and abilities to process food. :mad: It's really too bad, because I'd love to have something small for small projects.

Conair is now the same company, I had a conair curling iron that broke the first time I used it, I have a graveyard of other new cuisinart and conair appliances from recent years that have not stood up to wear, and have been a "joke" in terms of the chintzyness of the manufacturing quality. The 11 cup is still reasonably good compared to some of the absolute crap they now put on the market, but to me the holy grail is the old ones which I believe to be more durable.

So many companies these days have just become brand marketing companies, and in many cases the quality of the merchandise has fallen. The Cuisinart brand in my eyes now is synonymous with junk that will fall apart forthwith, not what it used to be.