some_guy5's Full Review: Cuisinart DLC-2011 PowerPrep Plus 11 Cups Food Pro...
Over the years we have been married my wife has mentioned from time to time that she would like a food processor. In the past she has done almost all of the cooking so I take her at her word when it comes to the kitchen, but a good food processor isnt cheap. We had both a Cuisnart Mini Prep Food Processor and a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer so we were able to make due. Recently I have gotten more interested in cooking. Before long I wanted a real food processor too. With both of us finally pulling in the same direction, we finally got one this year for Christmas.
My Search
Food processors are some of the more expensive counter top kitchen appliances. With that in mind I researched which model to get very carefully. I wanted to be sure to get it right the first time since I dont fancy buying multiple food processors. I wanted a food processor with a big enough bowl. I think it would be disastrous to spend all that money only to find that you still dont have what you need for your kitchen. I wanted a powerful motor, basically for the same reason. I wanted to make sure this food processor was powerful enough that I wouldnt want a new one after processing some heavy duty stuff. Finally I wanted a strong brand name with a good service record. Again, I just wanted to make sure it would last. We settled on the Cuisinart DLC-2011 PowerPrep Plus11 Cups Food Processor and I am glad we did.
Size, Weight, and Looks
The Cuisinart DLC-2011 PowerPrep Plus11 Cups Food Processor comes in a variety of colors to fit your style needs including red, white black, and brushed metal. I personally chose brushed metal. The food processor measures 7 x 9.5 x 14.8 inches and weighs 15.5 pounds. If counter space is precious in your kitchen then keep that in mind because the Cuisinart DLC-2011 PowerPrep Plus11 Cups Food Processor is a bit of a beast.
Out of the Box and Use
Given what it does the Cuisinart DLC-2011 PowerPrep Plus11 Cups Food Processor is surprisingly easy to set up and use. The box includes the bowl, large feed tube, small feed tube, chopping blade, dough blade, slicing disk, shredding disk, spatula, plastic arm (for use with disks), and how to DVD. To use you need only plug in the unit, fix the bowl into place, select a blade or disk, and add the large feed tube. The large feed tube measures 4.25 by 2.75 inches. At this point you can select a button from the touchpad. Your choices are; Off, On, Pulse, and Dough. The unit will not function unless the small feed tube is then attached (to make it nearly impossible to get your hands down into the spinning blades). You can either attach the small tube and feed food in, or feed food in through the larger tube and use the smaller tube to push the food through the larger feeder. The smaller feed tube causes metal contacts to move into place which finally allow the blades to engage. I find this a pain, but it does make it hard to process your hands. Changing blades or attachments is very simple. You simply fit the blade or the plastic arm over a nub in the bottom of the bowl. I read both the instruction manual and watched the how to DVD. Both stink, my opinion of course. The instruction manual is full of warnings and recipes, but not so many clear instructions. The DVD spends the first few minutes showing you how to set up the unit bit quickly transitions to some chef showing you recipes. I watched for a while thinking that more useful information would be forthcoming but it never came. After a while I just felt like a sucker for watching that chef prepare things that I had no interest in and finally stopped it. The good news is that the Cuisinart DLC-2011 PowerPrep Plus11 Cups Food Processor is easy to use and you wont need much help.
My Experience
I have only had my Cuisinart DLC-2011 PowerPrep Plus11 Cups Food Processor for a little over a month (we cheated and bought it before Christmas as gifts to eachother) but we have already managed to use it several times. For starters, it slices and shreds things in seconds, maybe even in 1 second. It just rips right through a cucumber or carrot, for example. On the down side, it takes a few minutes to set up and clean. Unless I am slicing or shredding a large quantity I wont even bother with it. If you are cooking for a large number of people the Cuisinart DLC-2011 PowerPrep Plus11 Cups Food Processor is a HUGE time saver. For small tasks it may be more trouble than it is worth. I have used mine to grind meat. I cut 8 ounces of chuck or sirloin into 1 inch cubes and let the food processor rip through it. This motor makes short work of the meat, which I consider to be a moderately heavy task. You can also grate parmesan cheese the very easy way. Simply put on the small feed tube and get the chopping blade spinning and one at a time drop cubes of parmesan down the tube. I love fresh grated parmesan and this takes all of the headache out of the process. I know we havent totally tested the limits of what this food processor can do but it has performed admirably in all of your tasks so far.
Cleaning
For a single use I would say the Cuisinart DLC-2011 PowerPrep Plus11 Cups Food Processor is easy to clean. The 11 cup Lexan bowl is dishwasher safe so just drop it in their and forget about it. We wash the attachments by hand, but again it isnt much trouble for one thing. Where I find it a pain is when you are doing some serious all day cooking where you are going to need it more than once. Washing the bowl and all the parts repeatedly can be quite a hassle. I would not consider this a serious drawback since I imagine every food processor has this same system.
Conclusion
I think I overpaid for mine, but I am still happy with the Cuisinart DLC-2011 PowerPrep Plus11 Cups Food Processor. I bought mine at an outlet and made the mistake of assuming that the outlet equaled good deal. We paid $200 and Cuisinart was offering a $20 rebate. I found this some model online for $170 minus the $20 rebate. Live and learn I guess. The Cuisinart DLC-2011 PowerPrep Plus 11 Cups Food Processor comes with a 10 year warranty on the motor and a 3 year for parts and labor. Cuisinart has become synonymous with food processors the way KitchenAid has for stand mixers. There are certainly other good brands and models out there but I think you will do very well with this one. I recommend it.
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