If you have a food processor...

[gardenmommy]

What do you have, do you like it, and would you buy it again? I am thinking about buying a food processor, but have no idea what a good brand is. I was thinking it might be nice for making pie crust, sauerkraut, and salsa, off the top of my head. I am sure I would find more uses for it. I've never used one, never wanted one, but the thought of chopping all that cabbage by hand for sauerkraut is rather off-putting, making a FP more appealing.

[Cristiaz]

I have a Black and Decker Power Pro 2 that I got at Target a little over a year ago for about 40 bucks (i think). I've been happy with it! It does what I want it to do! I use it to make hummus or shred veggies, just simple things like that.

[snowbunny]

I have a 14-cup classic cuisinart food processor that I am totally in love with. It's easy to work, easy to clean and is just such a good addition to our kitchen. Totally worth the money.

[AJP]

I have a KitchenAid "Professional", love it, use it almost every day for mayo, shredding veggies, pie crust, biscuits, chopping nuts, pesto, salsa, all kinds of stuff. I've had it for about 5 years, I think, after burning out a Black & Decker and getting frustrated with another forgotten-brand one (both cheap models).

[dogmom327]

I have the Kitchen Aid 770. It's fantastic. Very quiet but very powerful. I am amazed how easy it is to clean.

[gardenmommy]

I was doing a little research into brands and such last night. It looks like the KA and Cuisanart get some of the best reviews. If I get one, I will get the best brand I can afford, because I hate buying an appliance and having it burn out shortly. I really would rather spend more and get something of excellent quality that will last for years. Thank you for your posts mamas, they are really helpful!

[cristeen]

I got the KA as a wedding gift 5 years ago, love it!!

I went with the KA over the Cuisinart because it had 2 different sized bowls, which makes it way more useful to me.

Most often I use it for mayo, but also peanut butter, hummus, pesto, wet rubs, and any large chopping or shredding job.

[WeasleyMum]

I have a Cuisinart, don't remember what model. It's one that can also be a blender. I like it for the most part, it does everything I want, but I wish I'd gotten one with a bigger bowl. I like my mom's better-- her's is also a Cuis, if I remember right, but much bigger, quieter, and has two different-sized bowls. But, it doesn't have a blender option.

[buckeye_bebe]

Big Cuisinart, received as a gift. Came with discs to do various shreds, a disc holder, blades, and an extra processing bowl. I love it, usually. It processes everything, makes easy work when more effort and energy is needed than to use a box grater or mandoline/v-slicer. I've used it to make biscuits, but only do so when it is a really stiff or beaten biscuit. Otherwise I do that by hand or use the KitchenAide to do doughs. The downsides are how much it weighs, how many pieces to wash, prepping for slicing, and liquid content. Too much liquid in the bowl will spill out the bottom once the blade it removed. Good luck!

[artemis33]

I just got this KA one last year for christmas and I love it! I upgraded to this size from a smaller one so I can do things like double crust recipes (it irked me to have to do 2 batches when I wanted a pie!). I can also do pizza dough in it super, super fast.

The small work bowl is great for chopping nuts, small batches of pesto or hummus, etc.

Great machine!

Oh and watch the price and look around. I paid less than that and also got a rebate so you can definitely get a better deal

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...X0DER&v=glance

[kathleen_mary]

We had a lower end Kitchen Aid model for a couple of years and burned it out. But we cook a lot.

Just bought a Cuisinart Classic 11 cup, and have been pulling it out pretty much every day. It was on sale at Macy's for $150. It is sooooo much faster than using a knife. We mostly use it for chopping veggies, mixing up bean pastes and sauces and kneading bread dough.

One thing we seem to go through is the bowls. So make sure you can get a replacement bowl if yours breaks and see how much that would cost (we had to replace the kitchen aid one once and it was like $40!).

If you get the Cuisinart, I recommend a case for the blades. A little pricey but I am happy to not be slicing my fingers every time I reach into the cupboard and it has a little safety lock to keep tiny fingers out.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...146721-5332605

[jjawm]

Kitchen Aid here. I love it. I use it for slicing up carrots and celery for the week, for shredding potatoes for hash browns, for slicing potatoes, making humus, pie crusts, and more. I use it at least once a week, often more than one time in a day.

[lil_miss_understood]

subbing
something i've been considering as well

[gardenmommy]

Originally Posted by cristeen

I got the KA as a wedding gift 5 years ago, love it!!

I went with the KA over the Cuisinart because it had 2 different sized bowls, which makes it way more useful to me.

Most often I use it for mayo, but also peanut butter, hummus, pesto, wet rubs, and any large chopping or shredding job.

I think I would also use it for some of those things. Pie crust, pizza crust, etc. I also would love to make hash browns, but the chopping has put me off it forever. Sounds like both the Cuisanart and KA are good. Thanks for sharing how you use them, too! Lots of ideas! I think it might make cooking for our soon-to-be family of 7 quicker and easier.

Oh, one other thing. Can your children use your FP? Not little ones, obviously, but maybe 8, 10, 12ish? With supervision, of course, can they work with it? I am thinking it might allow me to more easily teach my olders how to do stuff like make pie crust or whatever.

[snowbunny]

Originally Posted by gardenmommy

Oh, one other thing. Can your children use your FP? Not little ones, obviously, but maybe 8, 10, 12ish? With supervision, of course, can they work with it? I am thinking it might allow me to more easily teach my olders how to do stuff like make pie crust or whatever.

I let my 4-yo use it with supervision. It's got a really good safety mechanism and only two buttons. I see no reason why a 12 year old shouldn't be allowed.