# Food processor: KitchenAid or Cuisinart?



## mezzaluna (Aug 29, 2000)

I've been doing some research on food processors as my ancient Sunbeam is slowing down. With the holiday sales going on I thought now would be a good time to replace it. I have the Cook's Illustrated issue Nov/Dec 2004 that rates food processors and have searched on this board back a couple of years in the threads to see if anyone had a strong opinion either way, but found nothing I could use to help me make a decision. Please keep in mind I'm a home cook.

Cook's Illustrated recommends the KitchenAid Professional 670, the Cuisinart Pro Custom 11 and the Cuisinart Prep 11 plus. Each of these three had its strengths and weaknesses. But this information is two years old; there also may have been changes in each model in the past few years since this was published.

I'd like to hear from CT members who have an 11-cup KitchenAid or Cuisinart food processor with your opinions on your model. I'm particularly interested to hear from you if you've bought it in the last year or so. 

The things that I want to know about are:
1. Ease of cleaning
2. Performance with pie crusts/tart doughs
3. Performance with bread dough
4. Performance chopping relatively small amounts of herbs, garlic, etc.
5. Performance pureeing (for hummus and soups)
6. Anything else you think I should consider

Thanks in advance for your help!
Mezzaluna


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## panini (Jul 28, 2001)

I'm thinking you're ready for a Robot Coupe sp?
Have a few Cuisinarts around the bakery. Can't seem to kill them. Our uses are mostly nuts(which we have one for), breadcrumbs, tapanade, egg wash to be strained, etc


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## mezzaluna (Aug 29, 2000)

Pan, I don't use a food processor often enough to merit a professional model. :roll:


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## free rider (May 23, 2006)

I have been very happy with my Braun food processor. It has 14 variable speeds, pulse and a bunch of other neat features. It is not available in the US, but I had mine shipped rather cheaply from Canada. I can't remember completely the name of the place that I bought it from, but it began with a P and they have a website. The Braun food processor was FAR cheaper than the Cuisineart and others. I got far more in the Braun than I could in the others.


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## mezzaluna (Aug 29, 2000)

Thanks for the tip, FreeRider. I'll look into it.


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## mezzaluna (Aug 29, 2000)

I bought my food processor today: a 12-cup KitchenAid on sale, plus a 10% off coupon to lower the price to $179.99. I saw it on eBay for $10 less, but shipping would have been at least that much. And this way I don't have to wait! :bounce: 

I'll write a followup review on it later when I've had a chance to use it for different tasks.


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## greenawalt87 (Jul 26, 2004)

I bought a crusineart 14 cup last year with dough speed and I make bread and this year 800 cookies in mine its great


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## saraskitchen (Dec 28, 2006)

I am also looking for an 11 cup food processor and trying to decide between cuisinart and kitchenaid. I currently have one of those blender/food processor combos from cuisinart that I got as a gift a while back. They work ok, but the bowl on the food processor is ridiculously small, and the blender is hard to clean. 

I'm be interested to hear how you like your new kitchenaid.


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## home_cook (Jan 2, 2007)

I have my Kitchen Aid for 7 years and still think that this is the best food processor.


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## dagger (Feb 4, 2005)

I have a Wolf Gang puck Food Processor but really don't use it much. Some of it's features were, Direct drive motor, pull out draw that holds some attachments, 5 year warranty, adjustable slicer blade and the ability to use the slicing or shredder blades at the same time using the chopper or emulsifier disc. The bowl if a full 12 cups and has no whole in the middle so no chance of leaking. It has this nub that a stem attachment goes over that holes all the disc's and that is why you can use more than one attachment at a time.


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## oldschool1982 (Jun 27, 2006)

I'm with Pan on the R2D2 (Robot Coupe) but I had a Cuisinart for 10 years before I bought the Robot. 3 restaurants, 3 moves, a new work bowl and lid and a couple tumbles to the floor and I couldn't kill it. Finally gave it to my SiL and she's had it for almost 3 years now. She loves the thing too.


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## carole (Jun 10, 2007)

Hi, sorry to repeat my message but I just posted in this forum for the first time and am not sure it did get posted, plus I just saw your post and thought you might be able to help me with my decision since you bought the fp I'm considering:

Hi, I just found this forum a couple days ago. I know your message was back in February but I wondered if you had in fact purchased and tried out the KitchenAid with the wide feedtube and if you liked it? Also I am hoping some of you will help me make a decision on choosing a new food processor.

I always loved cooking and developing recipes and used to do some catering. In 1989 I became ill and although I still cook for myself and once in awhile develop recipes, standing up makes me dizzy and sick so it's minimal.

I had a Cuisinart (I think it was a Custom 11 or Pro 11 but I thought it had 14 cups) for many years but due to the illness had not used it in awhile, then in summer 2005 a tree was struck by lightening and fell inside my apartment right on the food processor (and the house caught on fire, etc). I am finally going to replace my food processor and will get it partially paid for by insurance but now I am at the deadline, last couple weeks to replace it and a few other things; other stuff I am just going to have to forget about. But I do want the food processor (once a foodie always a foodie I guess); I intend to finally replace the food processor in the next day or two.

That said, I had narrowed down what I wanted to either the Kitchen Aid with the wide feedtube, 2 extra bowls, accessory case, citrus press, leaning heavily to that one and 2nd choice another Cuisinart. The old Cuisinart was damaged but not completely crushed and is still usable I think although I have not tried it out. I always liked the Cuisinart very much except that it was a bit difficult (stiff) to put on the bowl and feedtube and there was no where to put the blades and I have too low income to buy extras like an accessory case. But the KitchenAid comes with the accessory case and extra bowls and other stuff so I'm heavily leaning towards that one, although I'm wondering if the rounded look is less "contemporary" than the Cuisinart, which leads me to my first question. Anyone with my taste like or do not like the rounded look or have ideas about it?

Here are my main questions and if anyone will jump in and help me with my decision (ASAP) I'd very much appreciate it.

First, choice of color and style. I live in an apartment with an old, not updated or decorated kitchen. It's not tiny, there is room for a dining room table and washer and dryer and I have 2 fridges in there, plus some chrome shelves I put in.

The floor is a travertine or marble tile, light beige with some green features, and the lighting is flat flourescent fixtures. The windows are newish. Other than that, everything is just old, white cabinets with country type pulls; I would not want to match anything. I have a mixture of pots hung on a pot rack. I have a yellow Stabix rooster pot which I like. My (old but still looks new) kitchenaid mixer is white, however it's still packed from moving in 2005.

My taste (and fantasy) is to one day have a kitchen that is a mixture of a minimalist (out of Dwell magazine if you've seen that) and fancy chef's kitchen with industrial features. That may or may not ever happen but still, I'd like the food processor to reflect my taste. None of the bright colors really appeal to me. And I don't think I want a black food processor. I could get a white one to match my mixer but that is not that important to me. So I'm considering the KA brushed nickel food processor but it has a large black bar I don't think I like so much. Maybe I could get used to it. I'd like something with a smooth finish like the mixer. Does anyone know if the KA food processors come in plain stainless steel or chrome? Does the brushed nickel instead have a texture? 
I know some or all of you are chefs, what would you choose if you have the same taste as mine?

Does the KA have the function where you can put your finger to hold in the blade like the Cuisinart does (or did)?

Can you (I think I read this is not possible) use the slicing and other discs with the 2nd largest bowl?

All oopininions welcome! I have some health stuff going on in my life, emergency type plus this insurance deadline and am dizzy and have blurred vision reading so cannot spend much if any time on the computer looking up reviews and choosing products so I have narrowed it down to these 2 and probably the KA and will be happy with any help with my decision.

Best,
Carole


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## mezzaluna (Aug 29, 2000)

Hi Carole and welcome! I sympathize with your health challenges, having had some myself in the past year.

To recap, I have the 12 cup Kitchen Aid with the smaller insert bowl. Yes, you can hold the blade in from the bottom while emptying the contents of either the large (main) bowl or the smaller (insert) bowl. 

I don't see how you could use the slicing disks with the smaller insert bowl. I think of that smaller bowl as a bonus, for making small batches of sauces, pizza toppings, etc.

As for color, why not the dark green? I think it would look good with the beige and the green. If you're going to purchase a cover for it, keep that in mind. If you find it on sale and can't get the first choice of color, a cover would do the trick.  Let me know if you need the name of a custom appliance cover maker. I got mine from a Wisconsin woman who was selling her items at the State Fair.


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## carole (Jun 10, 2007)

Hi, thank you for replying! I'm so sorry you also have health problems.

I am confused with this forum, probably my fault for posting the same message in two threads originally.

So you like yours? Can you put in a zuchinni or potato or carrot, that sort of thing in the smaller feedtube if you want to put it in vertically (like the Cuisinart) instead of cutting it to fit horizontally in the wide feed tube? 

Have you tried it for pastry dough or biscuits? I think I read there was some delay after the pulses.

Also can you use the middle size bowl by itself without stacking it with the 12 cup? And can you use both the 12 and 10 cup bowls with the slicing and chopping discs, in other words all blades? 

I know the mini bowl is a bonus and needs its own little blade. Lots of questions I know.

Good idea about the green. It would look good here. But since I am not trying to match this kithcne as I rent and don't know how long I'll be here, I'm thinking of either the nickle with black bar or the white, leaning towards the former. If I ever have a place with stainless or black appliances it would look good. But I wish they had a stainless or chrome or the nickel had a smooth finish instead of textured, I just have not heard anything about that.

There is a good deal on Amazon with a rebate but they don't say the nickel one has the narrow feed tube as well as the wide one. I'm assuming it's the same as the white, just a different color and a bit more expensive but I may have to call KA and ask (difficult as I sleep during the day and am struggling to turn things around and get to dr appts, just diagnosed with breast cancer a week ago on top of already being disabled from a long chronic illness (CFIDS with OI) and I'm really falling apart quite honestly at this news and what comes with it but I have to get my stuff purchased to get insurance to replace what I lost and I only have 2 weeks, really less because I have to have time to get invoices and send them in, etc). When it rains, it pours.

Carole


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