Customer Reviews

Cuisinart DLC-8SAL 11-Cup Pro Custom 11 Food Processor, Almond

5 star:		(65)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

My 1987 DLC-7 is my 3rd Cuisinart. It has had daily use and is worn and has a small problem. I ordered the DLC-8s only to find it cannot compare to my old machine even in it's state of advanced age and I am returning it. For example the cord is short and light weight. The bowl is actually smaller...11 cups is really an exaggeration. The motor is 5.2 amps compared with the 6 amps of the DLC-7 and the DLC-8S is lighter. The deciding flaw however is the poorly designed switching arms on the feed tube. They are flimsy and an accident begging to happen. I am going to have my old machine repaired and look at the Kitchen Aid processors. Very sad to lose an outstanding product.

Cuisinart is practically synonymous with food processor. When the French were manufacturing them years ago, you couldn't touch another blender, processor or kitchen appliance that would do more. But the manufacturer changed, and so did the Cuisinart.

My cuisinart bowl cracked at the base. To their credit, they did replace the bowls. Now the knives, the most critical part of the food processor, are no longer the same.

In addition, if you do heavy breads (we like to do rye) you will find that the stem can overheat and the bowl can stick on it for a bit (until you figure out how to get it off, not easy, let me tell you.) I once even had the plastic dough blade stick onto the stem.

The bowl isn't so easy to clean, either. I give it three stars because it still slices and dices with the greatest skill, but overall, I would not buy one again. Sad....

Times have changed and so has the parent company that sells and services your food processor. The quality of materials and workmanship have gone downhill too!

My experience with the corporate machine was horrible. Days of long waits to talk to a customer service rep...never paid off. Each time I called I was eventually forwarded to a recorded message that explained that they were too busy and that I needed to leave my name and phone number. I never did get a call-back. Finally, after several attempts, I was able to get past the initial phone queue and actually talked to a live person who took the information about the condition of all the clear plastic parts on the processor. They were all severely cracked and were not far from flying apart. It seems they knew of the problem and offered to replace the parts on warranty. All I had to do was give them a credit card number to charge the shipping to. AND, nothing would happen UNTIL I sent the old pieces back...again at MY expense.

I sent the parts back promptly, but they didn't ship for another two weeks. And, here is the highlight of the episode... The lid they sent was the wrong one. Another round of phone calls yielded a person that said that Cuisinart had not processed the replacement yet...a full two weeks after they were notified. I still have not received the lid and the processor is useless without it.

BEWARE! This company tries to sell their products in the top-end of the price range, but their corporate customer service system is as bad as it gets...at any price. You can do yourself a favor and shop for another brand. I'm looking at KitchenAid. Shucks, it can't be any worse...and MAY be a much better experience over the long run.

This food processor is made in China. For the same amount of money you can buy an 11 cup Kitchen Aid. It runs smoother, has the slicing blades and a mini bowl. The blades are Sabatier and are excellent. We tried both machines and returned the Cuisinart.

We headed out not long ago to buy a food processor and I would have *sworn* that the Cuisinart would be my choice - it's practically synonymous with "food processor"! A quick look at the new KitchenAid model changed my mind, though.

We were told that Cuisinart isn't being made the way it used to be - lesser quality blades, for example. The old blade-maker now provides KitchenAid with their blade, incidentally. Comparing the two models side by side, it's quickly apparent that the Cuisinart isn't nearly as well-made and it's much harder to clean than the Kitchenaid which is basically a single, sealed, "wipe clean" surface.

I hated to turn my back on a legendary product, but we've never looked back. Compare before you buy, especially at the identical price.

I've used my Cuisinart fairly hard - I make mustard (from mustard seed) on a small scale for sale at a farmer's market. I've had it for six or seven years now, so mine may not be identical to this model. But the number and the specs are.

You can swamp the machine in too much liquid - I can process up to about four cups of fairly liquid stuff, but no more or I have an overflow to deal with.

A dishwasher does a good job of cleaning the bowl and knife, and the knife has held its edge well. The bowl has a certain number of scratches after heavy use.

I've hardly ever used the plastic blade - even for dough, I use the steel blade. I have a few shredding/slicing disks, which have seen a reasonable amount of use for large scale salads, turkey stuffing, and sauerkraut. (sp?)

It doesn't dice. There's no technique by which true dice can be made in a food processor. You could use the processor to slice or even julienne and finish by hand, but it's too fussy.

I've had my Cuisinart for about 2 or 3 years now, and it does its job really well, as far as chopping and slicing and kneading goes. My complaint with it is that a very narrow and flismy plastic piece on the feed tube mechanism is NECESSARY for it work (I assume as a safety feature). Well, about a year into it, mine broke off (did I mention it's flimsy). I have "made do" with kinda wedging it in place each time I want to use the machine, but then I have to stand there and hold it the whole time it's running. I'm thinking if I ever lose this critical piece, that I will probably buy a Kitchen Aid.

I have had the same problem as the two other people who wrote less than satisfactory reviews with Cuisinart processors. I have had a 7-cup for years, and the "flimsy" plastic sleeve that fits into the back to allow the unit to turn on keeps breaking. Each time I have to order a replacement top from a kitchen products replacement parts store. It's about $35 each time. Am getting tired of doing that and am doing research into buying a new machine. After reading these reviews, will probably go with Kitchenaid. Thanks for the reviews.

I spent a LOT of time reviewing various food processors before selecting this one. Kitchen Aid has a model that was recommended by many but I personally didn't like the design. Not that it is a big deal for most people, but my personal preference leaned towards the click push down buttons on this model vs the soft buttons on the Kitchen Aid. In addition, I didn't care to have the small bowl option inside the larger bowl. To me it seems like more possible clean up because the small bowl fits inside the larger one. I'm not sure that it causes you to have to clean the larger bowl, but that's the way it appears and I didn't care to try it.

This food processor has been in my kitchen for nearly two years now. I use if for several different things including salsa and pesto. Even though the liquid limit is relatively low (which seems to be the case with all processors) I am able to process a full batch with one 28 oz can of tomatoes, then add a second can. If the batch is transferred quickly to a container there is little to no problem with the liquid overflowing. If it sits for a bit, that much liquid is a problem.

When I buy cheese I buy in blocks and shred with this processor. Recently I needed to slice beef for beef jerky and I thought I would use my slicer/shredder attachment for my Bosch mixer. However, the food chute for the larger Bosch bowl was not as big as the chute on this Cuisinart. The Cuisinart worked great to slice beef quickly in just the right size for jerky.

The attachments are easy to use and adding liquid during processing is easy to do. The fact that the chute is toward the back bothered me at first but ultimately it really didn't become a big deal. I would consider this a great basic processor for any home. To me, that makes it a great buy and a great possible gift to newlyweds or for those with a new home.

I have enjoyed the use of the food processor. One of the features that sold me on this appliance, was is that it is easy to put together. Some food processors are difficult to assemble. This is clearly not. There is only one way to place the bowl, and the remaining attachments. I like to no nonsense buttons of 'on' and 'off'. I like the fact that it is heavy, and it isn't apt to go sliding around on your counter.

The dough attachment is perfect for making wonderful bread without needing, by using fast acting yeast you can have home made bread in about 90 minutes. Pie dough is a snap as well. I have used mine for the standard chopping, slicing, and even mixing up cookie dough.

If you want something that is simple to use, and does a fantastic job, I would certainly keep this one in mind.