I spent about 6 hours researching a good processor. This is my first ever, and I never thought I needed one. I have used this about every other day for the past two weeks that I’ve had it. It’s the one appliance besides my coffee machines that I have on my precious kitchen counter real estate! One reason I even decided a good processor was worth looking into was to save me some wear and tear on my hands/wrists from all the chopping I do (stay at home mom here, and I do lots of cooking from scratch).
As a first time food processor owner (with a high quality blender), I am glad I purchased a) a Cuisinart b) a 14 cup one (I have a husband and a 2 and 4 year old, so our meals Aren’t huge). I’m working more to batch cook and prep ahead of time, so this guy is my partner-in-crime.
The things I most commonly have been making from this processor is hummus, sliced veggies, grated carrots (found a delicious shredded carrot salad with raisins and mayo/yogurt and pineapple) and shredded cheese. I plan on making some borscht, coleslaw, kale salad and dressing, and experimenting more with chopping herbs.
Oh how I love shredding a big block of cheddar in 20 seconds flat (no sore hand afterwards)! Follow the manual’s instructions and freeze the cheddar to make it easier in your machine. Also, mozzarella is not recommended to shred on it for those pizza-making lovers). I made some chicken soup the other night and loved the time I saved with slicing the carrots and celery. I already feel the time I’m saving and the efficiency of this machine.
Glad I sized up too, because that large block of cheese fills up the entire container! Also, coleslaw would easily do that with a half head of cabbage.
For those curious, homemade hummus is a game changer. I’m not interested in eating hummus from the store, but always can’t get enough from Greek/middle eastern restaurants. Yeah, there is a difference (side note: you also have to put it the time to shell your chickpeas; which can be made easier with a little baking soda).
For those who wonder about the aesthetics of this, it looks great on my counter BUT, the plastic isn’t dark like shown on These Amazon photos. I would say it’s just a hint darker than the clear plastic shown on the white models (I personally like the actual look better, and it’s just dark enough to probably make a beet stain stand out a bit less).
This long review is giving you my experience so far with this beast machine, and I’m glad I went for it! I was nervous about the 14 cup models since going down the rabbit hole of Amazon reviews left me focusing on the negative ones, which doesn’t always give you a clear perspective on things. Many folks misuse these or doesn’t bother reading the manual. But this investment piece is something I plan on having around until my boys are grown up, so I’m hopefully saving myself a little bit of future tendinitis this way ;) in that respect, I am easy on the machine, hand wash it, and insert/snap on the pieces with care and love.
For all you first time food processor owners-to-be, I say go for it! Go for the 14 cup! If anything disastrous happens, I’ll have it added to this review.
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