Food Processor Recommendations?

E

elsie3

Cathlete
Hi!

After spending hours chopping tomatoes and other veggies to use our garden fare--which is coming on like crazy right now--I really want a food processor. I'm looking for something big enough to do the job, but not so large and cumbersome (and hard to clean) that I won't use it. Most of the time, I'd rather do things by hand than have to wash all the cooking implements. Basically, I want a real work-horse that will chop well and last a long time. I've been rather disenchanted with Cuisinart durability as of late, and reviews are so mixed on all the food processors I've looked at.

Thanks for your suggestions,
 
I have a new Kitchenaid, which got good reviews from America's Test Kitchen, and I love it. The cool thing about it is that it has a mini bowl insert that you can use for smaller jobs too. I got mine at KitchenCollection - they sell refurbished Kitchenaids that carry the same warranty as brand new ones, so I got a refurbished one, and I am extremely happy with it. HTH!:D
 
http://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-KF...1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1252695996&sr=8-1


I bought that one several months ago, and I love it! It's just big enough, and it really chops/purees well. It's pretty quiet, too. I have not used the slicer and other attachments that come with it, but I have used the smaller blade and bowl and they work well. It is so awesome when I have a recipe with lots of stuff to chop up. Saves so much time, and it has a big feed opening chute with built in measuring cup that is really convenient. When I'm done I just rinse it and throw all of the parts in the dishwasher. It only has "on" and "pulse" but I've never found a need for any other speed settings. Oh and the buttons aren't raised so there's no trying to clean any gunk you spill off. You can basically just wipe it down.

I did a lot of research and found this one to be more consistent with good reviews (although it has some bad ones, too).
 
Ditto on the KitchenAid (I think it's 10cups) and it's awesome. I also bought their blender, which is also outstanding. And talk about quiet. I have processed stuff while on the phone, and the person on the phone could barely hear the processor running and I could clearly hear the person on the phone. I've had mine for over a year (probably coming up on two) and have ZERO complaints. LOVE IT!!!! Get the KitchenAid (mine is shiny chrome!)
 
I have a Cuisineart that I like, but it seems that newer ones might not be as well built (from reviews I've seen).

I saw the 10 cup/mini cup Kitchenade on QVC, and it looks really good (I really like the option of using it as a mini processor as well, instead of having to have two different machines).

For those of you with the Kitchenade, how long have you had it, and how much do you use it?
 
I just got a KitchenAid from QVC a couple of weeks ago and love it. I've used it about 6 times already, so I suspect I'll average about 2 to 3 times a week.

Two of my favorite dishes are Scrambled Tofu and Veggie Quesadillas (minus the cheese). I grate and julienne all kinds of veggies and throw them in, and then I make extra for the dog's food.

It's pretty handy for zucchini bread too. I used to grate the zucchini by hand, and my in-law's monster zucchinis made that task kinda painful. Now my new toy makes it fun. I don't know why I waited so long to buy one.
 
(OH! I soooooooooo LOVE talking kitchen gadgets!)

Here's a link to the one I have and LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!
http://www.hamiltonbeach.com/food-choppers-blenderchef-12-speed-blender-white.html
It comes with a blender AND food chopper. It uses/has the 'wave action' which does exactly as they say it does...it pulls everything down into the blades. This means no more ice cream chunks in my kids' breakfast milkshakes, or chunks of veggies/beans in my pureed soups (Earlier tonight, I just made a Maui Black Bean soup that is a pureed soup and it is wonderfully pureed with just a few pulses in the food chopper.)

I WILL say that the food chopper IS smaller than most food processors, but I don't mind doing more than 1 batch. I do have a larger (normal size, maybe) food processor, but it sits in the box in my basement for storage until I need it at Christmas time to make kiffle dough (oh, yummy, lol). I've made a TON of things with this HB gadget....salsa, soups, shakes, protein pancake dough, chopped nuts, chopped chocolate, etc.

I bought mine at Kohl's at a really good price and with a coupon.

Hope this helps some. (sorry to ramble, I TOLD you I love talking about kitchen gadgets)

Gayle
 
I must have gotten mine around May this year. I probably use it between 3 and 7 times a week. I bought it at first to make the energy bars and pancakes from the Thrive Diet book, and it does really well with mixing that stuff up to a good consistency. Now I use it to chop pretty much everything. : )
 
Thank you so much everyone--this is so helpful. Except now I want the KitchenAid and the HamiltonBeach.:eek:

Ramble all you want, Gayle, I appreciate the info. I make a lot of smoothies. And what is kiffle dough? If it's any type of bread, then I'd love it! On second thought, maybe I'm better off not knowing--LOL.;)

Thanks, and keep the reviews coming.
 
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