How To Use A Cuisinart Food Processor
While food processors can perform many different tasks, I chose tests that represented the core functions of a food processor. Most people use these kitchen appliances to blend, chop, puree and shred. As for cleaning, The New Food Processor Bible’s Gilletz recommends putting water and a few drops of dish soap into the work bowl and running the machine. A bottle brush is handy for cleaning around the feed tube, inside the food pressers, and along the sharp blades. Never submerge the base of a food processor in water; only wipe it down with a damp cloth or sponge. In fact, of all the food processors, blenders, and immersion blenders we’ve tested for various guides, we found making mayo easiest in a mini food processor like the Food Chopper.
This cuisinart pots and pans set performed well in our food processor review tests. It isn’t pretty , but this $240 German food processor from Braun’s Tribute Collection had the best results by far when it came to blending and chopping. The hummus from the Braun food processor was the smoothest of any I made in my testing. When I used the Braun FP3020 as a food chopper to make Pico de Gallo, it came out uniform and finely chopped without leaving too much juice pooled in the bottom of the bowl.
Picking the best food processor for you means considering all the features you’ll need for your favorite recipes and common home chef kitchen tasks. There’s also a nice storage case included, so you don’t end up throwing all those blades cuisinart pots and pans set into your bowl when it’s not in use. It has a classic style and like any good KitchenAid appliance, it comes in multiple finishes. The silver model I tested has a suggested retail of $250, but it’s currently on sale at Walmart for $206.
The ones we test cost as little as $30—that’s about one-twentieth of the cost of a souped-up food processor. The size of the food processor is based on the size of the work bowl. I tested models ranging from 11- to 14-cup capacity, but you can get food processors that come with mini bowl and mini chopper options and as small as three cups. For a household with two or more people, I’d recommend at least an 8-cup model and if you have the storage space, spring for a large food processor, just in case. We weren’t impressed with the Magimix by Robot-Coupe 14-Cup Food Processor.
The whisk can whip cream or beat egg whites, just like a stand mixer. This also includes 2- and 4-millimeter slicing disks and 2- and 4-millimeter grating disks, as well as a citrus juicer. The juicer was the most exciting addition for our tester, who was able to juice half a grapefruit down to the rind in just a few seconds. Most food processors also come with attachments that can be used to knead bread and pizza dough, shred blocks of cheese, and slice vegetables in several thicknesses, making them true kitchen workhorses. We’ve rounded up the best food processors for kitchens of all sizes with price and frequency of use in mind, as well as disc sizes and special features.
Both cookbook authors we spoke with essentially said these add-ons were a waste of money, so we didn’t test any. The Breville Sous Chef 16 Pro is more powerful than the Cuisinart Custom 14, so it’s the machine you’ll want when you’re cooking for large groups or if you process food several times a week. Its 1,200-watt motor and smart design save you time in use and cleaning. In fact, despite the 16-cup Sous Chef’s many accessories, it was one of the easiest models to clean. That said, if you only use a food processor occasionally, the Breville’s high cost probably outweighs its benefits.
With the processors that came with a disk for grating, we also tried shredding both carrots and soft mozzarella cheese (which can turn to mush if the grater blades aren’t sharp). Finally, we cleaned the bowls, lids, disks, and food pressers of each model by hand—eight times. This test revealed more difficult-to-reach nooks and crannies than we’d expected to find in some machines. You’ll also get seven attachments to help make being a home chef easy.
If you don’t want to store the attachments in the bowl, it would be worthwhile to purchase a case for about $30. This is one of Cuisinart’s most basic models, but it consistently chops, slices, and kneads better than any other food processor we’ve found for under $200. The Cuisinart Custom 14-Cup Food Processor has turned my kitchen into a somewhat automated kitchen. Tedious tasks our parents and grandparents did to prepare food each day can now be done in seconds while you’re doing something else. As I’ve grown up and watched my mother and grandmother cook and bake in their kitchens, I’ve learned to appreciate how physical making dinner can be. Chopping vegetables requires good hand-eye coordination and quickness.