Merry Christmas to Me!
Here’s what I received this Christmas:
Cuisinart Pro Classic 7-Cup Food Processor
My mom thought I needed a Cuisinart, and I had a list of objections:
1. One more appliance.
My cupboards and counters are full of kitchen helps, and I didn’t feel I had room for more. I’ve gotten along just fine without it, so do I really “need” it?
2. Overkill.
I have a little food chopper that has been doing a great job for many years, and I didn’t think I needed something “bigger and better”.
3. Lid.
It seems like the lid to the Cuisinart ends up being a million pieces. Actually, it’s only 3 pieces: top, big plunger, and little plunger. Still, this would take up nearly the entire top rack of my dishwasher! I wanted something simple with a bowl, blade, and lid.
To buy or not to buy . . .
After doing a bit of research, I found what I thought was the perfect machine. We ordered it (three days before Christmas) and I used it Christmas day. Indeed, it is PERFECT! All my concerns have been resolved:
1. One less appliance.
I was actually able to get rid of two appliances I had–my small food chopper and the Magic Bullet. The Cuisinart food processor can do everything they did, only better. Truth be told, my chopper blade was so dull that it had a hard time with parsley. The Cuisinart is so sharp, it shredded carrots, sliced celery, and chopped jalapeno like butter. It’s also SO MUCH quieter.
I’m waiting until salsa season comes around, because it might replace my manual salsa chopper. For sure I’ll prefer to chop all my onions, garlic, and peppers in the Cuisinart, but I’m not convinced it will be as good with tomatoes. I’ll let you know!
2. Perfect Power.
I opted for a smaller size–7 cup bowl instead of 9, 11, or 14 cups. I have a family of four, and this is perfect for our needs. I’ve found it does a better job at chopping onions and peppers than my small chopper, even with a bowl capacity that’s twice as large!
3. Extra lid.
Not all the models came with this, but you might be able to order one for the others as well:
It came with a compact cover to use for chopping. That means that I only have to wash three pieces: bowl, blade, and lid. Just like before–woo hoo! The compact lid has a little removable top in the middle that allows you to add liquid and small items while the blade is running.
If you’re happy and you know it . . .
I LOVE THIS APPLIANCE!!! I watched the instructional DVD, and had to give it a try that very day. I made a quick Cole slaw for dinner.
- Using the chopping blade, process 1/4 cup of fresh parsley until minced.
- Add 1/4 of a medium onion and process until minced.
- Add 1/3 cup of mayo and 1/2 TBS red wine vinegar, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper and pulse until combined (up to 10 seconds).
- SWITCH TO SHREDDING BLADE
- Shred 1 carrot. Cut to size of feed tube and lay down horizontally. This will give you long shreds.
- SWITCH TO SLICING BLADE
- Cut 1/2 cabbage into wedges, then slice each wedge.
- Dump contents into a large bowl, mix, and serve!
I have had this food processor for about 3 years and love it!
I have this in the 11 cup version and you are going to LOVE it come salsa making time! Our family likes our salsa more smooth than chunky and this little machine cut my prep time for canning salsa in half. Love it! I sometimes wish I had the smaller one, but I’m not going to complain, I was thrilled to get mine last Christmas!
You will love it! I was pregnant 29 years ago and convinced my very stingy husband that I could make baby food in it, and save money that way. He ordered it immediately.
Well, she was completely breast-fed until she wanted solid food, (11 mos.), but I had mastered bread making, zucchini shredding, soup liquifying, food chopping, and all kinds of other stuff before then. It’s still going strong. Congratulations on obtaining my favorite kitchen appliance!
Deborah–I do run my dishwasher, and it takes one load every day (at least). Part of my issue was not taking up the entire top rack just to wash the Cuisinart. This one is the smallest version with the strong motor, and if I use the flat lid (chopping only), it hardly takes more room than my old 4 cup chopper!
Seriously, I made an omelet this morning so I could chop green onions, peppers, and jalapeno. Then tonight I made fajitas with sliced onions and peppers (BEAUTIFUL!). It’s so much fun!!!
You should be getting kick-backs! I completely understand. Before the sun set on the 2nd night of Cuisinart ownership I had made pizza dough, followed by fresh sauce, followed by toppings and grated cheese. I felt so proud of myself! Did I read that you don’t use your dishwasher much? Too bad because the brilliant thing about this machine is how it all goes into the dishwasher and comes out sparkling.
I have one pumpkin left…..I know my Cuisinart will make an awesome whole wheat pastry crust and turn microwaved pumpkin chunks into pie filling.
Have fun!