Serious home cook's workhorse
Written: Jul 13 '00
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: power; easy assembly and usage; small footprint
Cons: only one size slicing and grating blades
|
|
|
| QuietI's Full Review: Regal Ware K813BK La Machine Food Processor |
This review is of an earlier model, the La Machine I. From what I can tell, the only changes between the current model and mine is the color of the work bowl, which has changed from a sort of translucent coffee-color to clear. The parts and accessories are identical.
In a previous life, I owned a Cuisinart and a lot of other stuff, too. When I eventually moved out and left my entire kitchen behind, I definitely felt bereft without my arsenal of kitchen appliances, but I was a bit too strapped for cash to just go out and replace them all. My mom came to my rescue and got me the Regal La Machine for my birthday that year.
Fast-forward 9 years (time really does fly!) and this machine is still going strong. The Regal name may not have the same cachet as Cuisinart, but I have absolutely no complaints with the performance or abilities of this food processor. Here's why I really like this machine, and why I would not hesitate to replace it with whatever its latest incarnation is, when this one finally gives out.
Features
The work bowl assembly is a simple two pieces: the bowl itself, which only fits on the machine one way, and the cover with a tall pouring funnel/feed tube, which must be fitted correctly or the machine will not turn on. There is also a pusher piece for you to use when slicing or grating, to push the food against the slicing/grating blade.
The basic blade for chopping and pureeing is the typical round-center-post with two wickedly sharp, curved blades sticking out from it; one of these blades just clears the floor of the work bowl, so that you're not left with a lot of unprocessed stuff on the bottom of the bowl.
For slicing or grating, there is a stem which fits over the center post, and a round plate which fits onto the stem. The slicing blade and grating blade (one of each, sort of "medium" for both) slide into the plate before you fix it to the stem. To slice or grate, you fit whichever blade you want into the plate, then attach the stem, and put the whole works onto the post. Then you put the cover on, and put whatever it is you are slicing or grating through the feed tube, and push it through. This is fairly typical of how slicing/grating works in the other food processors I have seen, and although it sounds rather complicated it really is simple.
All of the pieces are dishwasher safe, and the blades have remained sharp and effective.
Typical Usage
OK, I have a small family (only 4 of us, and my kids are really tiny) so for the most part I use a 4-sided-grater to shred or slice whatever I'm working with. It's just so quick and easy! (See my review on "Kitchen Must-Haves") But there are times when I use the food processor because it is the best tool for the job:
Cauliflower puree
As devotees of the low-carb way-of-eating, I maintain a potato-free household. Sometimes, though, you just want mashed potatoes with your roast beef (or whatever) and pureed cauliflower is an amazing substitute. I have made cauliflower puree and served it to guests who had no idea it wasn't potatoes! Texture is everything here, and the food processor does a great job of bringing everything together to the right "whipped" consistency.
Christmas cookies
Christmas is the one time of year when the low-carb stuff flies out the window. I have my own traditional set of Christmas cookie recipes, including scotch shortbread and lemon squares. Shortbread is an ideal cookie dough to mix in the food processor, it couldn't be easier. Just throw all the ingredients in with the regular blade, and run it until everything is incorporated and the dough forms a ball. Since I make several batches of all the different kinds of cookies, the food processor is a real time-saver (not to mention arm-saver) here.
The engine is quite powerful, and there have been no indications of overheating, even when I have a double-batch of lemon-square crust mixing up in the work bowl.
Carrot bread
Another not-low-carb treat, but well worth it... and I usually make more than one batch. I would end up with permanently orange fingers if I grated that many carrots by hand! Even though there is only one grating blade (you may be able to order different sizes; I never wanted to, so I never looked into it), it's a great size for carrots. They aren't too big so they end up crunchy, and they aren't too small so that it turns to mush.
Some things that, in smaller quantities, I use the 4-sided-grater for, but in larger quantities, the food processor is ideal for:
* hard cheese: use the regular blade and pulverize parmesan or romano; store air-tight in the freezer
* fresh ginger: peel and cut into chunks; process until it is finely chopped; store air-tight in the freezer
*fresh lemon rind: use a vegetable peeler to remove the yellow-only part of the rind; place all the rinds (you need quite a few lemons' worth to make this worthwhile in the food processor) into the work bowl and process until finely chopped; store air-tight in the freezer.
Can you tell I'm into fresh ingredients, but also convenience cooking?
Caveats
I have used this machine to slice mushrooms, cucumbers, any number of vegetables. You have to pack the feed tube carefully or the food gets pushed over and ends up stuck up on the inside of the lid. You also have to apply even pressure or the slices won't be uniform. The same techniques applies for grating, too. However, I had these same problems with the Cuisinart I had way-back-when, and I have noticed similar behavior on my mother's machine (I have no idea what kind it is, sorry.)
Conclusion
This is a relatively small foot-print machine, although it is taller than some other food processors, but it does save counter or cabinet space. For the versatility and performance it gives you, I think it is an excellent value at around $40 (QVC price), and you can probably find it for substantially less in the discount superstores. If you only need a food processor occasionally, the La Machine is a good choice, because it will handle anything you can throw at it, it won't cost you a fortune, and you won't have to sacrifice a lot of storage space for a little-used appliance.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
QuietI
|
|
Member: Joan Hedman
Location: Chandler, AZ
Reviews written: 89
Trusted by: 70 members
About Me:
Busy. Life. You know.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.