Customer Reviews

Cuisinart DLC-2009CHB Prep 9 9-Cup Food Processor, Brushed Stainless

5 star:		(194)
4 star:		(47)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

I avoided food processors in the past because the food chute was always too small, the motor wasn't up to the job, and they were a pain to clean. My fiancé bought me this food processor as a Christmas present. I'm pleased to say that we're both impressed by its appearance, thoughtful design, and performance.

The brushed stainless finish is attractive and easy to wipe clean. The handle-in-front work bowl design is accessible to me (right-handed) and him (left-handed) equally. The machine doesn't take up a huge amount of counter space, and sits securely without "walking" or shimmying even when processing heavy foods.

The work bowl has a HUGE opening that greatly reduces pre-prep knife time. However, you are not stuck using the big opening all the time. The pusher has a smaller round "sub-pusher" in it that provides a smaller opening for holding long vegetables upright or for adding liquids while in motion. The lid is secure but can be removed and replaced easily. Everything fits stably and securely on the motor base. Work bowl, lid, and pusher work together to make sure you are not exposed to sharp edges or flying food (so long as you don't stick your hand down the pusher opening). At 9 cups, the work bowl is the perfect size (7 cups is just barely too small for good processing, I've found).

The first thing I made with the processor was a turkey salad with leftovers from Christmas dinner. Big chunks of onion, celery, and green pepper chopped evenly in a few pulses using the S blade. Big chunks of cooked turkey chopped evenly and smoothly without pureeing. The included spatula got all the food out of the work bowl quickly without making a mess. I made homemade mayonnaise (successful my first time ever with homemade mayo) according to the recipe in the documentation, and threw in some herbs to mince while it was processing. I sliced a cucumber with the slicing disk and was startled how quickly it went through.

My fiancé walked in and said, "Wow, are you already done with that? I didn't even hear you." (The machine is quieter than my blender.) While I plated the salad, he washed the parts quickly with a soapy sponge and was surprised how easy it was.

It's important to know that this machine will take the same blades and attachments as the 7-cup version (the Prep 7, DLC-2007N). It doesn't say that on Amazon's or Cuisinart's site or anywhere in the documentation, but it does mention in a hard-to-notice place on the side of the box that it uses 7-cup processor parts. The set includes a standard 4mm slicing disk and a medium shredding disk, but I've ordered the 2mm slicing and a fine grating disk and plan to order the egg whisk later.

EDIT: I received the two disk attachments, and they fit and work just like the disks that came in the box. This verifies that the attachments for the 7-cup model fit this 9-cup model too.

My first attempt at purchasing a food processor was to buy the $69.99 Oster. I did this because of the price. Predictably, it did not perform well and I had to return it. Perhaps Oster does better with blenders, I don't know. After doing further research, I was torn between KitchenAid and Cuisinart. There are hordes of loyal followers in each camp on this issue, and it was hard to choose based on reviews. I finally just went with Cuisinart, because it happened to be the model that my local store carried. In general, I'm happy with the product and would recommend it to other home cooks. I've only had this appliance a few months, and I don't use it every day. I probably use it once every couple weeks because it's only my husband and me so I don't cook for a crowd. I do love to prep a lot of food and then freeze it ahead because I'm a busy teacher, so the processor is a big help with that. If it were not so heavy and easier to clean, I'd probably use it more because this workhorse really gets the job done fast. Here are my observations based on what I've done with it so far:

It is excellent at:
Making breadcrumbs (both fresh and dried)
Mincing fresh herbs
Chopping/mincing raw and cooked meats (like whole chicken for chicken patties etc.)
Making salsa

Pretty Good/Could Be Better:
Shredding carrots, cheese (very quick and uniform, but some gets stuck between the lid and the shredding disc)
Grating a wedge of Parmesan (I put small chunks of it in the bowl with the chopping blade, as it shows in the DVD demonstration - and the result was coarser than I expected. In the end it melted fine in the dish I was making (lasagna), but it just felt like coarse sand to me when I was finished processing it, rather than soft powdery flakes like you get when you use the fine holes on the box grater. Still, it sure was a heckuvalot quicker than doing it by hand. I guess I'd do it again, as long as it was being added to a dish that would be cooked, like pasta. To make a pile of Parm to serve at the table or to add to breading, I would still use a handheld Microplane zester.)

Not Good:
Slicing green onion by the bunch (it pulled them under the lid rather than slicing)

Cleanup and Handling
It's a little finicky to wash by hand, because there are nooks and crannies for stuff to get stuck in. So far with a little effort and some strong jets of water to shoot into the cracks, I've been able to get it clean. It MUST air-dry, because there's no way to get a towel into the handle, where some water collects. If I had a dishwasher I think cleanup would be a breeze. So far I've only used it when I had a big job to do, because otherwise it's just quicker to pull out the old cutting board and knife or the box grater. They're easier to haul out and quicker to clean. Speaking of which, this processor weighs about 12 pounds empty, and in the summer the rubber feet tend to "suction" themselves onto whatever surface they're sitting on. Not so easy to lift this baby down from on top of the fridge, I discovered - and I'm 5'9!. ' I would recommend storing this at countertop level or lower, and then lifting with your knees to save your back and shoulders.

Final Comments:
I am happy with my purchase and would buy another Cuisinart if this one ever dies. I wish it shredded things without pulling them sideways under the lid, but that's my only complaint - and actually, it's only a small amount that gets pulled under. In the end, I'd much rather use this processor to shred several pounds of cheese than to use the box grater. I would recommend this size to a family of 4 and up - unless you're like me, and you like to chop a bunch of stuff at once and then freeze or can it. Good product, decent price for what you get overall.

We chose this model because we don't want to move really heavy appliances around on the countertop, but the mini-choppers are too small for our recipes. The 2007 weighs about 13 pounds and uses the same wattage motor and most of the same disks as the 11-cup model in this line, although it lacks the extra slow-speed control button for dough processing, and it uses the old-style plastic dough blade. (In this size, it's probably a pie-crust dough maker, not a bread dough maker, anyway.) It's the biggest motor we found on a food processor this size.

Good stuff:

Easy wipe-clean base--no crevices to catch food. Hurray!

Stable and relatively quiet during use.

Easy top-rack dishwasher clean-up (power-saver no-heat drying)

Easy to add small (or liquid) ingredients during processing. Small inner pusher piece is removable, giving access to a small feed tube. There's also a drip hole for liquids in the bottom of the small pusher piece.

Not so good stuff:

Very fiddly mechanism for locking down the workbowl before processing.

The large outer pusher piece, that goes into the main feed tube, has a metal rod that pushes down another rod on the lid, that pushes down another rod on the bowl, that finally pushes a control on the base.

If you have to remove the large pusher to add more big stuff to the bowl, the mechanism stops. Probably just as well, since a child's hand could easily fit through the large main feed tube.

I do wonder how sturdy the locking mechanism will be in the long run, but so far, so good.

I'm a Kitchenaid kind of girl, so when my husband surprised me with the Cuisinart Food Processor, I was faced with quite the quandry. I began to research both the Cuisinart 2011 and the Kitchenaid 760. The reviews pointed slightly towards the Kitchenaid so I figured I'd swap mine for it. I visited a local store to compare them in person and was so disappointed to realize that the Cuisinart fits together more securely and smoothly. In denial I stared at the blades for quite some time. Finally I had to admit to myself that the Cuisinart ones were heavier. They felt better and looked more solid. Oh how I tried to convince myself that the Kitchenaid was better. But I just didn't like how the top on the Kitchenaid snapped into place. It's not as smooth. The KA comes with more tools. Surely I'd end up with the Kitchenaid.

I went home and joined the online Kitchenaid Conversation Forum. Who does this? It's a group of people who post back and forth about their devotion to Kitchenaid. I begged Kitchenaid Rita to help me back on the righteous path.

Then I started using my Cuisianrt to test it out. I tried not to love it. I just couldn't help myself. It's so convenient to use. I started to think that the extra KA bowls might start to get on my nerves--always taking them in and out. I've made all kinds of things in my food processor. I made pizza dough. I can't believe I've been kneading by hand all these years. I made sweet potato chips; I made hummus and salsa... the list grows each day.

I actually use it all the time. And, it would be very much like me not to use it if it were at all hard to assemble or clean.

OK, there you have it. A perfectionist's testamonial and admission of betrayal. I do love my new Cuisinart 2011, and I feel guilty for ever having doubted it. And just last night my new TOB-165 Cuisinart Toaster Oven arrived. Review on that soon...

After thirty years with my old Cuisinart food processor I decided it was time for an upgrade. I have used my new one to shred, slice and chop, which it does with speed and efficienc. The 9-cup bowl is bigger than what I was used to, but I love having that capacity - one can cook for just two, as I usually do, or for a group with ease.

My old cuisinart had seen better days and I decided to purchase this new one. The price was very reasonable and it looked attractive. It arrived promptly, and the machine works like a charm. It seems to me that this motor is more powerful than the one in my old machine...though it just may have been its age. The processor takes up little counter space and is easy to use--the new bowl snaps on more securely than I recall the one in my old model doing.

I have prepped meals for a growing family and their activities for many years burning out several low-end food processors. I finally received the Cuisinart Prep-9 for Christmas. Wow! You really do not know what you are missing until you use this one. The blades are infinitely sharper, motor quieter & stronger, and storage easier. I love, love, love the feed chute with the extra-wide mouth and cylinder inner tube for celery, etc. The 9-cup is just right for my current use.
I keep the protective plastic sheet that came on the slicing blade for storage so I don't have a careless mishap forgetting how much sharper the new blades are. All of the attachments and owner's manual fit in a Glad 13-cup square container, convenient, safe and cheaper than purchasing the Cuisinart blade storage container.

This is a real professional piece of equipment. The motor is really powerful, attachments high quality and this will be infinitely better than any food processor that you have ever owned. Be sure to buy this model. There are model numbers that are almost exactly this number and priced the same too. Don't fall for it. This is the unit to buy, even the other Cuisinart Processors are no competition to this model.

We've had this processor in the house for just about a month. The item paid for itself the first time I used it, due to being a huge time-saver for my normally busy schedule (it enables me to try new recipes I normally wouldn't have time to mess with). I've used it to chop & puree for several soups (Mulligatawny, White Bean, Gazpacho, etc.). The shredding disk shredded a whole block of Manchego for Balsamic Portabello/Onion/Cheese Omeletes in about a second. It shredded potatoes just as fast for a crust to a Carmelized Onion/Fennel Pie (of which I used the slicing blade for the onions & fennel). I find the slicing blade to be a lifesaver for items I want to keep "on-hand" for salads, sautees, etc. (like onions/bell peppers). This is my first food processor, and I wondered about the learning curve--to which I found none. It is really easy to put together, as well as take apart & clean. I'm also amazed at how quiet this thing operates. We had cheap mini-chopper for chopping onions, and while the noise never bothered me, compared to this processor, it was obnoxious. I'm sure I could actually run this thing next to sleeping humans without waking them! Thank you Cuisinart--I'm impressed!

This food processor does it all, and it does it fast. Clean up is ultra-easy, as all the parts are dishwasher safe. Missed 5 stars because the safety mechanism seems awkward when working with it, and the bowl doesn't seem to hold as much as the box claims. A new feature is the bread blade and bread button. I have tried this and it does a pretty good job of kneading. I have not had to contact customer service, which seems to be a common complaint with other users.