# Picking a Food Processor - I'd love your opinions!



## erikao (Nov 18, 2013)

Hello!

I've decided we need a better food processor.  I have an almost 20 year old Cuisinart Little Pro Plus that I've just started using again.  

Here is why I need a new one:

1) My husband and I make all types of soups, chili, etc… I'm forever cutting away because I like to make big batches to freeze. The frequency of which we are chopping made me pull out the Little Pro.  

2) My husband has been dealing with a nerve disorder that affects his hands.  He could be totally fine for days, or his hands can be painful and he has difficulty gripping things.  He likes to cook too and I'm worried about him cutting himself since his dexterity isn't the same as it used to be.

3) The Little Pro is too small for the quantities we are chopping.  

4) I find the Little Pro doesn't chop evenly enough and although I've become a little better at pulsing, it chops either too much or too little.  I think it's because the blade is on the bottom.

Features I want:

1) Good chopping, for your average, onion, carrot, celery, red peppers, etc…  I wonder if having the chopping blade at the bottom of the Little Pro and on other Food Processors make it difficult to have an even consistency.  

2) I'd love some good slicing capability with the ability to adjust thickness. 

3)  Not sure?  What are features I might like that I'm' not sure I should be looking for?

What I'm looking at:

1)  I've been looking at Williams Sonoma and of course I like the Cuisinart Pro Line Dicing!  At $600 I'm wondering if it's overkill for my needs.

2) The Breville Sous Chef - but that has the blade on the bottom.  It's 16 cup.

3) The Magimix Robot-Coupe - 16 cup.  That must also have the blade on the bottom.

4) Any of the other Cuisinarts I would look at too.

Ok, so here is what I'm concerned about

1) I tend to always want to go for the best - which isn't a bad thing, except I have to pay for it. I'll be clear and say I do it, but money is always a consideration since it isn't growing out of my ears, I just don't like to buy junk.  But is it necessary to get the top of the line for this? 

2) I have a Vitamix blender, so I'm really not looking for that kind of pureeing, definitely more chopping and slicing.

3) So I make big batches of soup - perhaps in an 8 quart pot.  Do I really need a 16 cup food processor or should I be getting something smaller?

I really didn't mean to make this a novel…  So if you have read it to this point… THANK YOU!  I would so appreciate any feedback and thoughts you have.  I don't have endless counter space, but I think this is a necessity for us.  I'll get the top on if need be, but would also be happy with a smaller one if that makes more sense.  

THANKS!

Erika


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

Vegetable chopping, I can't recommend a food processor for. It doesn't do a good even job as you note. This is still a task to be done manually.

Costco has a pretty good deal on an 11 cup Cuisinart that includes a variable slicing disk that works pretty well. I have it and have no complaints.

There are people who swear by

http://www.pamperedchef.com/our_products/catalog/product.jsp?productId=240&categoryCode=CE

and similar products. I don't have one so I have no opinion.

These have a zig-zag blade system that cycles over a bit with each plunge of the blade. This gives you more control over size and a little more evenness, but still doesn't compare to the speed and uniformity of hand cut vegies. It's limited in capacity, but where there's a dexterity issue, it might be a solution. You do have to do some pre-sizing of vegies so it fits.

I don't know that Pampered Chef is a better brand for this, but it seems to be popular.






I think this system is limited for things like potatoes where you want a cube in the soup. Should be OK for onions, celery, carrots where final shape is less of a concern.


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