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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program 2012 Year End Update: I continue to use and appreciate both the Breville food processor and the Cuisinart. I do reach for the Cuisinart more frequently than the Breville but that is mainly because I use it to make some sort of dough on an almost daily basis. Please see the comments section of this review for a discussion of the cheese grating issues and the resolution for the Breville Food Processor. (Kudos to the company for resolving this issue.) Also please note, I have added a Cleaning section to this review based on issues with the Cuisinart food processor lid.
Update:
Cuisinart After 4 months of regular use I have to say that this has become my "go to" machine. I typically need to make some sort of dough with my meals and so I use the large bowl for my dough and then the smaller bowls for slicing and dicing. My only complaints about this machine are that sometimes there is spill over from the smaller bowls to the larger bowls when processing the food and I have to keep a hand on the machine when kneading larger amounts of dough because it gets to rumbling and grumbling all over the counter.
Breville After repeated attempts at dough making with the Breville, I have concluded that it is simply not cut out for that sort of work. When I am making vegetable stock and need to chop up a lot of vegetables I do go with this machine because it is an absolute beast. I also like the french fry disc. I have also used the emulsifying disc and it is pretty effective but must be seated tight down on the base of the bowl or matter gets under the disc. My only other real complaint about this machine is that those little metal tips on the disc spindle and blades have burned me more times than I care to count, they get really hot and then tend to want to stick to the top of the lid when you pull it off.
After putting up with a prehistoric GE 7 cup food processor for decades I finally decided to empty my wallet and buy a 14 cup Cuisinart Elite Collection food processor* Cuisinart FP-14DC Elite Collection 14-Cup Food Processor, Die Cast. Then, a week later I was given the opportunity to review this food processor. Can you say "holiday time heaven"? I put both machines through their paces cooking Thanksgiving Dinner and have continued to use them on an almost daily basis to do everything from simple slice and dice to whip, puree and knead. They are both fine food processors, excelling in different areas. Here is a back-to-back comparison.
Appearance:
Breville This is a beautiful machine, being sleek silver and coal black. The lid is a slide lock system and has a very wide feeding chute and a large food pusher with a smaller round pusher, (the small pusher is calibrated and can be used for measuring); the unit can run with the small pusher out but stops if the larger pusher is removed. (And starts right back up if it is put in quite the shock if you forgot you had the machine running when you took it out.)
Cuisinart This is a very attractive unit but is a bit boxier than the Breville and not as expensive looking. The lid snaps on to the unit when two small buttons are pushed in on the large work bowl. There is a wide feeding chute with a smaller chute inset. And it comes with a retractable cord that can be extended a little or a lot.
I really love certain aspects of both machines. The Breville really is a beauty; I like the measurement feature on the small food pusher and the fact that the large pusher is closed in at the bottom, so food does not get in the open part of the pusher when you use it. I am not crazy about the roundness of the small pusher though; functionally it is much less practical. I also love the retractable cord on the Cuisinart.
Accessories:
Breville Three Blades (Micro-serrated S blade, Dough blade and Mini processing blade), 5 discs (Adjustable Slicing Disc, Shredding and Grating Disc, Julienne Disc, Emulsifying Disc and French Fry and Vegetable Stick Disc), One Mini Bowl, a disc spindle, small brush and spatula, instruction booklet (with a few recipes) and storage container. (Note: the blades have metal tips and can get quite hot after processing so mind your hands when reaching into the bowls!) All bowls and attachments are BPA free.
Cuisinart Three Blades (Small Chopping/Mixing Blade, Large Chopping/Mixing Blade and Dough Blade.) Two discs (Adjustable Slicing Disc and Reversible Shredding Disc.), two smaller bowls with pour spouts, Stem Adapter, Spatula, Cleaning Tool and instructional DVD with recipes and spiral bound instruction manual with recipes. Accessory Storage Case.
The Breville obviously has a greater number of accessories and the storage container is much higher quality than the Cuisinart. The Cuisinart container is a two level unit and the bottom drawer is clumsy to pull out and push in. On the positive side, only the Cuisinart container has a safety lock to keep little hands out. The Breville brush and spatula are also better quality than the Cuisinart. That said, the instructional booklet from Cuisinart is far superior to Brevilles both in construction and content and the additional DVD is a godsend for those who are either visual or auditory learners. It is very helpful to be able to actually see someone use the food processor. Also, certain of the Breville accessories must be washed by hand.
Warranty:
Breville One year limited warranty on unit. Twenty-Five year induction motor warranty.
Cuisinart Three year limited warranty on unit. Twenty-year motor warranty.
Controls:
Breville The unit has three button controls; Power Off, Start/Pause and Pulse. It also has an LCD display with a count up or count down timer.
Cuisinart -. The unit has four buttons: On, Off, Dough and Pulse.
I love the LCD display and counter feature on the Breville. As for the Cuisinart, the dough cycle is almost a must have for me since one of the primary reasons I wanted a good-sized food processor was because I am a baker. (It is not my profession but is one of my passions.)
Motor:
Breville 1200-watt induction motor
Cuisinart 1000-watt peak power induction motor
Slicing and Shredding:
Breville Shredding the machine shines here. Shredded cheeses** are uniformly shredded with minimal powdering and there is quite a difference between fine and course shreds when the blade is turned. Slicing simply excellent. I made a dessert that called for very finely sliced apples and I could not have asked for a more beautiful result.
Cuisinart Shredding This unit isn't quite as good at shredding as the Breville. There is very little difference between the fine and medium shred on cheese and quite a bit of the cheese powders. (Not an issue for cooking but one if it is being plated.) Slicing Very good results here too. Not quite as uniformly sliced as the Breville but close enough.
Chopping:
Breville The top performer. You just have to be careful to keep the processing time down or you end up with grated not chopped!
Cuisinart Does a very good job but isn't quite the powerhouse the Breville unit has proven to be.
Kneading:
Breville Oh dear, I am afraid I haven't had the best luck here. The machine is simply too powerful and your poor dough is easily beaten. I have tried several batches using this unit at the same time as the Cusinart and have never been able to get the same quality result. They really need to add a dough button to the controls.
Cuisinart Wow, fantastic results! Makes bread so light you can't tell the difference between that kneaded in the food processor and kneaded by hand!
I made a double batch of baguette dough. I hand kneaded one third and put one third in each of the food processors. I kneaded the dough in the food processors until it formed a shaggy ball and then finished kneading by hand. The dough in the Breville was simply tough and even with much attention never recovered from the initial processing. The dough in the Cuisinart was easy to work with and felt "just right". When the three loaves were (blind) tasted side-by-side the family was split over whether the hand kneaded dough or the Cuisinart kneaded dough had the best texture and taste. All thought the Breville kneaded dough was on the tough side and a bit tasteless.
Cleaning:
Breville the machine must be hand washed. Cleanup is a breeze and there are no issues with food being trapped in the lid seal.
Cuisinart I am very unhappy with the lid and seal is designed on this machine. I have to pick food out of the seal and between the seal and the lid most every time I use the machine. I also am having an issue with mold growing on the top of the seal where it is encased in plastic and unreachable for manual cleaning. I have been soaking the lid in a vinegar solution to deal with this but it is simply unacceptable to have these sorts of issues with a machine that is so expensive. The food processor is top rack dishwasher safe but I would give some thought to putting the blades and slicing/shredding discs in your dishwasher.
Overall impression:
Breville this is a very fine, beautiful machine. If you are leaving it out on the counter and use it mainly for slicing, shredding, chopping, I highly recommend investing in this unit. That said; if you like to work with dough, consider investing in the Cuisinart.
Cuisinart Until I had the cleaning issues with the lid on this machine I thought that for the price this unit was a tough one to beat. Now I am not so sure. I very much appreciate and enjoy using the machine but am completely put off by the fact that I have to actively watch for and address mold forming in the seal area of the machine. I recently picked up The Best Bread Ever: Great Homemade Bread Using your Food Processor and am going to work on using it with the Breville after the first of the year. If I can figure out how to make a great dough using this machine then the Cuisinart will be relegated to the back shelf.
*I had a watch on it on camelcamelcamel and there was a price dip.
** Please see comments section for a discussion of recommendations for shredding cheese and warranty implications.
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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program The Breville Sous Chef is a powerful food processor. It has a 1200 watt motor, a size found in many restaurant food processors. My son-in-law has been a kitchen manager at several restaurants. He said this is very similar to the Hobart food processors they used to chop a case of onions at one time. He was impressed with the 25 year warranty on the motor. He did say they would have to replace the bowl every couple of years in the restaurant from running it through the dishwasher. Breville did say in the instruction book to not use the dishwasher regularly on the bowl, so that sounds like the restaurant's experience with theirs.Breville has included several safety features in their machine. It will not turn on if the bowl, lid, and large shoot pusher are not in place. They have a finger hole on the plug to help you remove it safely from the outlet. The cord is also retractable for storage. The instructions frequently remind you to be careful with the blades and slicing discs. They recommend washing by hand and not leaving them in water to soak. A brush is included to help with getting food out of them safely. They have included a storage box to keep the blades and discs in a safe place. It locks and can be stored on its side.
One of the discs is a variable slicing disc. It can be set to 24 different thicknesses. There is a storage position which is a safety feature and will also protect the blade. I have seen an adjustable blade in a top of the line Cuisinart, but not in lower priced processors. This also has an emulsifying disc that is for whipping eggs and things like that. I have never seen this in another processor. The powerful motor probably is why this one has this disc and others don't. There are all of the other usual discs and blades included dough, French fry, chopping, etc. There is also a timer that will either count up or down. When you are first working on a recipe, you can have it count up to determine how long to process. Once that has been determined, you can then use that information to program it to count down the correct amount of time and shut off when time is up.
The 16 cup bowl is huge. It is larger than many other processors and the large shoot is much bigger than most. That allows you to put in whole potatoes to make 5 inch fries. It also includes a 2.5 cup bowl for those times (such as mincing garlic) when the large bowl is just too big. There is a small S blade for the small bowl. When you are positioning the slicing discs in the large bowl, be sure the slicing blade is at 12 o'clock. You don't want it directly below the shoot. If you are looking for a heavy duty processor that has thought of everything, this should do the trick. There is a 1 year replacement warranty and it is 17.75" high X 8" wide X 10.25" deep.
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I love the features of this food processor. I was replacing a Black and Decker unit I picked up at Walmart that was about ten years old, so the step up to this model was more of a leap. The two bowls (the big one is huge, while the little one is perfect for tiny jobs), the giant chute, and the slicing blade that changes the width of a slice with a simple twist, are all favorite features of mine. I also like the storage case, the look of the machine(the base is easy to keep clean), and the way the large bowl has no hole through which contents can spill.BUT, there are drawbacks, and a few of these would be enough to have me looking at alternative models were I to shop for a processor in the future.
First, and most troublesome (even dangerous), is that the metal spindle at the top of the blade attachments gets HOT. I mean burn-your-hand when you acccidentally touch it, hot. And you can't help but touch it. If you run the unit for more than a couple of minutes, the powerful machine will create enough heat to sizzle any flesh that touches that little metal part. When you take any blades out (which, inevitably you will) after processing your food, you can't really help but touch that part. It stays hot for quite a while, too. I shouldn't have to use a hot pad when removing blades after processing. I understand that this part is durable because it is metal, and I am all for durability, but seriously, this is horrible engineering. On the top of the lid, there's also a metal part that makes contact with that spindle, and it gets very hot as well. Both have burned my hand.
My second complaint is the whine the machine makes sometimes. It was so loud, my husband ran to the kitchen to turn the unit off because he was worried that it was self-destructing. I was processing a liquid, so it shouldn't have been working too hard. I still don't know why it makes that sound on occasion. Yesterday it did it while I was making pesto in the small bowl.
My third complaint has to do with the shredding feature. One of the reasons I bought this machine to replace my old cheapy one is for grating cheese. We are particular about the type of cheese we eat, and it doesn't come commercially grated, so I have to grate all of our cheese. The old machine I used would leave behind a sizable hunk of cheese that didn't come into contact with the grating blade because of a gap between the lid and the blade. This unit also leaves a hunk (it's a smaller piece than the Black and Decker left behind), but when the last chunk does finally fall past the chute, a tremendous cracking sound is made as the power of the machine shoves the piece of cheese around instead of holding it still as the last bit is shredded. I suppose it would be difficult to make the gap between the lid and the top of the shredding blade much smaller, but it would help prevent that whacking sound (which I fear is going to destroy a plastic piece sooner rather than later) from happening, while also solving the problem of the un-shredded cheese hunk problem.
Fourth, the pusher piece (the large chute one) is not dishwasher safe. If you put it in your dishwasher by mistake (as helpful husbands are prone to do), it will emerge with water trapped inside. Shaking that water out by hand to prevent a mildew problem is a wonderful upper body workout. Hand-washing is not a big deal if you've just shredded carrots, but it would be nice to be able to put it through the dishwasher after something oily has been processed.
Also, there is a small area on the small-bowl blade that seems to be rusting. I can't tell you how frustrating it was to see that. It's a small spot, but I noticed it after only my third or fourth use of the machine.
It is a beautiful unit. It looks lovely on my counter, and I use it several times a week to slice veggies, mix muffin batter, and chop nuts. But frying my hand tonight prompted me to write a review I had no intentions of writing so others looking at this very expensive processor would have all of the information they might want to make an informed decision.
Honest reviews on Breville Sous Chef Food Processor
Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program The Breville BFP800XL looks stylish on the kitchen counter but serious home chefs can rejoice that the sleek looks are just the icing on the cake (if you'll forgive the pun). The 1200 watt induction motor makes kneading even stiff doughs a snap. That's probably the reason why there is no separate dough cycle like certain other food processors have.The wide-feed tube is really large at 5.5", super-handy for slicing large batches of food quickly.
As a mom, I am thrilled that all parts that come into contact with food are BPA-free. The larger bowl has a capacity of 12 cups liquid or 16 cups dry. The nested mini bowl has a capacity of 2.5 cups. A nice feature is that the bowls have both metric and Imperial measurements. The bowls are safe to wash in the top rack of a dishwasher; however, handwashing is recommended to prolong the bowl's life. I found cleanup by hand to be super-easy.
The locking accessory storage case is another great feature of this machine. The included discs are the large S-blade, the mini S-blade, a reversible shredder, a julienne disc, a French fry disc, an emulsifying disc handy for whipping cream or egg whites, and a slicer disc that has 24 settings (0.3 mm to 8 mm). A big plus is that the discs do not have any finger holes so no issues with large chunks falling through the holes into the shreds/slices.
For those interested in the dimensions of the machine, here are my measurements:
Height with bowls, no lid = 12.5"
Height with bowls and lid = 17.5"
Front to back: 11"
Side to side: 8"
Weight" 19 lbs (this baby is sturdy!)
The one caveat I have about the machine is that the user has to really make sure that the lid and the feed chute are locked into place exactly so or else the machine won't start. I guess that's a safety feature but it made for some frustration on my part the second time I used the machine. I kept getting an error message and it took my visiting mother-in-law to help me figure out what I was doing wrong. Once I got it figured out, however, the Breville BFP800XL worked like a dream. If my old el cheapo Sunbeam food processor is a Kia, this Breville is a Mercedes. Highly recommended!
Update: As time goes on, I love this machine more and more! I find myself using it on a daily basis, whereas I rarely used to pull out my old Sunbeam food processor. I actually find myself disappointed when I CAN'T use it and have to go with my blender or hand-mixer for something.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Breville Sous Chef Food Processor
Let me quote the owner's manual for the Breville BFP800XL Sous Chef food processor (page 5, upper left hand corner):"Do not process cheese in the product. Use a hand held cheese grater for grating cheese. Processing cheese in the appliance will cause damage to plastic parts and will void your warranty."
The story about it is all here:The short story is that AFTER releasing the food processor, Breville tested it and found that aggressively shredding a large wedge of Parmesan cheese can cause the machine to seize or push the shredding disc off balance. They immediately changed their manual to include the warning about voiding the warranty. They also began their redesign for the BFP800XL/A version to fix the problem, available in January 2013. What they didn't do was include a statement about the coming fix for the problem in the packaging of the present model.
I had no idea there was a problem when I bought the food processor the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, to be given as a Christmas gift. Imagine my dismay when my wife open this gift and read that statement in the owner's manual.
Owners of the BFP800XL can contact Breville to get a new shredding disc and lid to correct the problem.
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