Customer Reviews

Cuisinart DFP-7BC 7-Cup Food Processor

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I use my Cuisinart primarily for chopping veggies or making my own ground beef. I can use more flavorful cuts than the leftover bits usually made into ground beef and control the texture to my preference.

The Cuisinart 7 Cup performs great for my needs. It's both powerful and very quiet. Cheap proccessors with side mounted, belt driven motors are usually so noisy that you don't want to bother with them.

Others may disagree, but I find Cuisinart's safety interlocks only a minor hassle. The small center feed tube isn't interlocked and is useful for adding ingredients while processing.

I looked at other food processors in stores before I bought the Cuisinart, and found I prefer the ergonomic feel and control of the old-fashioned Cuisinart paddle switch. Whether it be the new Cuisinarts or KitchenAids, I don't like to have to search around for the little sealed-dome lumps on modern control panels. The first time you use the Cuisinart up-for-on / down-for-pulse lever switch, it's so easy and intuitive, you don't have to look to use it ever again. I've never regretted my choice - I love the paddle!

When your fingers are wet or messy, you can press the lever down to pulse with a knuckle much more easily than trying to find the right tiny plastic bump on a typical control panel.

If you actually like membrane switches, the KitchenAid food processors are good choices, too, but the Cuisinart classic paddle / lever switch is the trump card for me.

There are two reviews on this site as well as some on others claiming that the safety features on this model are a problem and/or that the feeder pusher can't be removed without removing the entire top. My conclusion is that these people must not have read the instructions, which I feel are clear as to how to remove the dual-pusher (which is the notable feature of this model vs. the DLC-5). I'm having no problems at all and think this is a great product. The large dual-pusher feeding tube is a very useful feature.

I always check Consumer Reports before I buy anything and they gave this machine it's top rating. After using it for a while, I have to agree. It performs very well and the wide opening lets me chop large pieces of vegtables without having to chop them up thin in order to get them into the chute. I can't recommend this processor highly enough.

We had one of these babies in my apartment at college and we used it for everything. Put any good food into the cuisinart and it comes out even better than before. Imagine, chipped roast beef sandwiches, fruit smoothies, home made salsa, hummis, just about anything. If the Cuisinart could withstand college apartment use, it can withstand anything!! Wow, Cuisinart is the God of the kitchen!!

I'm cooking for two, in a New York kitchen. I still recall my Grandmother's house in Iowa, where the kitchen was somewhat larger than my current living room, but that was a long time ago, and now my counter space is roughly the size of my cutting board. For me, the 7 cup food processor is pretty much optimal in terms of both footprint and capacity. Also, I routinely use it for slicing. chopping and shredding. A food processor is the right device for these tasks. While it may be used for kneading bread dough, it's not a replacement for a stand mixer, and a blender is the right tool for pureeing. For these uses, the food processor is a compromise.

The Cuisinart DFP is pretty much the same as the original food processor introduced in the 1970s. It has one speed, and a single three position switch: on, off and pulse. It comes with a blade for chopping, a device for making bread, and blades for slicing and shredding. There is a dual feeling tube. The outer tube is quite wide, and has a safety feature that requires it to be locked in place before the machine will work. A narrower tube, which is not locked, and is intended for narrower items such as carrots, or for adding liquids or continuous feed items such as garlic.

Used for chopping and slicing, the machine is excellent. It can whiz through a head of cabbage or a fennel bulb for slaws, and breezes through potatoes. I still find it surprising how quickly it can race through a job that would take up to half an hour with a knife and about 20 minutes with a mandolin. The safety interlock is a trivial annoyance, and cleaning is easy. The size is just about right for two people, although for occasional jobs, such as slicing potatoes for Portuguese codfish and potatoes (lots of potatoes) it may be necessary to empty the food bowl and then fill it again.

For those who have the counter space, and the budget, Kitchen Aide makes an excellent 11 cup machine that comes with a mini bowl for smaller jobs, but when space is a real factor and small jobs are the norm, this Cuisinart may be the optimal choice.

The new "Safety Features" on the DFP-7BC model make it awkward to use. The motor works well once you get the items into the processor. The problem is that the "pusher" part doesn't come all the way out of the "feed tube". You have to take the lid completely off any time you want to add more food. I was disappointed at the poor design of this product. This is not what I expected from Cuisanart. I took it back and got the DLC5BC which still holds 7 cups but doesn't have the dorky inconvenience features.

I was not prepared for how quiet this appliance is! Naturally, depending on what is being processed, there will be some sound, but not from the motor. Solidly made, stable on the countertop, does not bounce around like some lighter weight machines.

Be sure to read the instruction manual thoroughly so you will know how to use it properly, and also what it can and cannot & should not be used for.

The description says it is a "7-cup" food processor. However, do not attempt to put 7 cups of liquid in it. The maximum liquid capacity is not more than 2 cups. There is a fill line right on the bowl indicating the maximum. You can expect liquid to leak out the bottom if liquid exceeds this line.

My husband and I have had this appliance for a little over a year, and for the amount that we use it (occassionally), the size is just right. We mostly use it to chop/grate and the end results are good. I've never used it for dough prep, so I can't comment on that.

The one bad thing, though, are the safety features. Only when you have all the parts perfectly aligned will the machine run, which would be fine except that the set up is not intuitive. We fumble around making sure the bowl is lined up correctly--because it fits at many angles, not just one--and getting the cover on is a similar annoyance. The proverbial straw, however, is that you have to use the pusher before the processor will operate. Clearly the safety features think they're smarter than we are, and maybe they are, but they frustrate us every time.

My dad has expressed an interest in a food processor and I'm thinking of getting him one for Christmas, but I will probably get him a KitchenAid because of the safety features of the Cuisinart. If I had it to do over again, I'd get something else.

I have been using this machine for about two years now with no problems. I can agree that you do have to put everything together just right so that it will run, but this was designed on purpose to keep users safe. I've mostly used it to make baby food, and we are now on our second child with the food processor still going strong! I would highly recommend this item to anyone looking for a durable and stylish food processor.

We have used our DFP-7BC for a little over a year. The comments about the safety feature are spot on. In addition, the plastic locking tab on the lid carriage breaks very easily. We have been thru 2 of them now and it is expensive to replace. We have tried to contact the company to get some relief, but so far have not gotten it. If we do I will udpate this review, but otherwise I would stay far away from this POS and find a professional model designed by a company that actually understands the home kitchen.