Have you ever been using a little blender to try to grind a spice mix, or make a smooth, icy pina colada, only to have the wimpy blades do an imperfect job or, worse, burn out its motor?
What about trying to make bread or pizza dough in a food processor that simply cannot hold the volume of dough you’re looking to make? I can speak from personal experience that these things happen, and whether you’re a professional chef or a home cook, it’s frustrating! The solution? Upgrade your kitchen hardware to a 12-Cup Cuisinart Elite Collection Food Processor.
Pros/Features: There’s tons of features on these sleek, beautiful machines, which means you can do just about anything with them.
- The motor is powered by 1000 watts, so it can power through the most stubborn solid foods, even ice
- The base features a simple, three button design with “on” and “off” buttons and a “pulse” button for precise control
- Two nesting bowls, a 12-cup and a 4-cup, are included so you always have the right size bowl for the job
- The lid features “SealTight technology” which means no spills
- Includes a vertical feed tube with a food pusher, so you can add ingredients while the machine is on, perfect for making salad dressings, aioli, or other emulsions
- Comes with three blade attachments and two disc attachments, one for slicing and one for shredding. There is a large and small stainless steel chopping and mixing blade for the large and small bowls, and a plastic dough blade designed to take the work out of kneading dough.
- All parts, with the exception of the housing base, are dishwasher safe, so cleaning your Cuisinart is super easy.
Cons: The downsides to the 12-Cup Cuisinart Elite Collection Food Processor are mostly related to its size.
- This is not a flimsy, cheap little food processor; this is a real piece of equipment, which means it’s rather large and heavy, weighing in at just under ten pounds
- It also takes up a lot of room in your cabinet, especially when you consider that you have to store the bowls, lid, and blades, which come in their own bulky plastic storage compartment
- I have also had problems with the lid seal which, if put on incorrectly, can appear to be fitted, but can leak liquids out the side
Bottom Line: The 12-Cup Cuisinart Elite Collection Food Processor retails for $249.99, making it an investment, for sure. But, given the quality of the machine, I would say it is definitely worth the price. If you take good care of this machine, you will have a slicer, blender, shredder, dough-kneader, and food processor that you won’t need to replace for a long, long time.