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I was planning to buy the Kitchen Aid food processor, but the store was out of the model I had researched. I desperately wanted to walk out of the store with a food processor in hand after fighting traffic in freezing rain for an hour to get there. The Cuisinart FP-14DC Elite was in stock, a bit higher priced than I had budgeted, but it was huge and shiny and promised a tight seal over the 3 working bowls that, putatively, would allow me to process liquids with minimal collateral damage. The Kitchen Aid model I thought I was going to buy had several concerns expressed online about leaks and spills, which may or may not have been accurate. This Cuisinart model had numerous issues posted online about food getting stuck inside of the lid and toothpicks, toothbrushes, power washers, and steam-powered carpet cleaners being required to remove all the little particles. There were also some ancillary comments about the dough blade not picking up all the ingredients and food getting stuck under the blades. Every product has some pluses and minuses when used by a large enough percentage of the population, so I decided to brave the reviews, not let perfection be the enemy of the good, and give it a whirl, or a slice.
I spent twelve hours on my birthday making a five course very extended meal for my family with frozen drinks, fruit smoothies, home made peanut butter, peanut butter cookies, turkey pot pie, hummus dips, fried falafal, very low fat turkey burgers ground on the processor, spinach mashed potatoes, shrimp-stuffed homemade ravioli, served with homemade pesto, and all manner of goodies that I couldn't make with any consistency or flair in my old blender. I assumed that a food processor would perform some miracles that the blender just didn't have the oomph to accomplish and so far could not be happier. I can't imagine that I've been cooking for 30 years without one--what a dunce.
Given that this new toy is fast becoming my best friend, I wanted to provide this review to allay some of the concerns others may have with two specific issues: cleaniness and dough mixing.
All the big issues about cleanliness were associated with the rubber seal around the lid of the machine. The three bowls on this unit nestle together and the spring loaded rubber seal keeps everything in place. The blades lock into the base of each bowl and processed food can be poured out of the work bowl with the blades still in place. From the mixed drinks to the honey flavored peanut butter I had ice, flour, herbs, nuts, and juice flying everywhere and never experienced a problem getting one course cleaned out and the next course loaded up. Many people said that they had to resort to toothpicks to get all the food out of the lid that slipped past the rubber seals. Food particles, particulary parsley and chopped spinach, do slip up past, around, between, and above the rubber seal. However, I found no need to clean this by hand. There are open slots cast into the top of the lid that allow hot water to cascade throughout the lid and down past the rubber seal. Just a quick spray from the sink did 99.9% of the work. The tiny pieces of finely chopped carrots or spinach that slipped between the upper lid and the inner seal flushed away by raining water down on the lid's top while manipulating the rubber ring with your fingertips. The manual suggests just rinsing the whole thing down and throwing it in the dishwasher. But I tend to go on marathon cooking sprees when the family is together for a whole day and I'm not going to run the dishwasher every 30 minutes when I'm cooking 5 to 10 courses. Flushing the lid seemed to take care of the problem so I'm less worried at this point about the online comments regarding the difficulty of cleaning the unit. I may not be processing the same foods as the people experiencing the difficulty, but my limited experience to date suggests that the rubber sealing mechanism in the lid is a big benefit, not a problem.
The other issue raised in the online reviews was the effectiveness of the dough blade. I only made a pie crust, a pizza, and some raisen bread, but, here again, I didn't experience the same issues reported by others. I had to scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times to get a dough ball to form and pick up all the flour off the side of the bowl, but this still seemed like massively less work than kneading by hand and throwing flour all over the kitchen while making fresh pasta. Kneading the pasta dough in the machine for a few seconds beats the heck out of the 10 minutes of hand kneading that my cookbook demands.
So, I can't speak to all the features (I haven't even taken the shredding blade out of the case), but I did want to address those two issues. People reading about food processors online may be unduly scared off by those two concerns. I'm no expert, but I intend to become one. I have to say, my kids absolutely flipped over the taste of homemade peanut butter and homemade hummus compared to the store bought versions. I can make peanut butter in less time on this machine than it takes me to grab it off the shelf at the store and it actually tastes like peanuts, not some homogenized version of Soylent Green that has had the flavor reinjected chemically after it was all removed in processing.
Enjoy.
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I had the original Cuisinart for home use and have been using a Custom 11 for at least 15 years. The multi-bowl, locking blade, and reversible/adjustable discs on the 14-cup Elite totally hooked me. After seeing a TV ad and doing some online research, I just couldn't order fast enough. While those features are nice, the most important thing is how the machine functions as a FOOD PROCESSOR and in that regard....what a disappointment. The ONLY thing I did before boxing it up to return was shred carrots for a salad. While filling the large feed tube, a couple of baby carrots fell right through the finger hole of the shredding blade into the large bowl. Okay. Reposition blade, try again. Use small feed tube, assuming that will make fallout less likely. I might as well have taken a weed-whacker to a bowl of carrots. There were many nearly-whole carrots left around the rim of the blade (over 1/2 cup) and the contents of the bowl ranged from crumbs to nearly whole baby carrots. Nowhere near the uniformity I've been accustomed to with my Cuisinarts since the mid-70s. Great concept, poor execution.
And by the way, Amazon...it is REALLY reprehensible for you to display this item with a list of $545 or even $350 when MSRP is $299. I'm noticing grossly exaggerated list prices and "discounts" more and more here. Sad trend.
Best Deals for Cuisinart FP-14 Elite Collection 14-Cup Food Processor
First let me say that it is disappointing that Amazon has only one page for both the 12 and 14 cup Elite processors as they are very different machines. Having said that, I purchased both the FP-12DC Elite 12-Cup and the DLC-2011CHB Prep Plus 11 Cup. I did this because Consumer Reports rated the DLC-2011CHB Prep Plus 11 very highly (it is currently their second highest rated processor), but did not rate the FP-12DC Elite 12-Cup at all. I was interested in many of the features of the Elite 12, but not at the cost of functionality. Having tested the machines for a week now, I can say that I am pleasantly surprised and quite taken with the FP-12DC Elite 12-Cup processor.
The Motor:
While there is little information from Cuisinart regarding motor in the Prep Plus, I believe it to be the same as that in the Elite. Other places have said the Prep Plus has a 768 watt induction motor, and the Elite box states it has a 1000 max watt induction motor. In addition, the motor warranty on both is the same 10 years. They also sound very similar. They are both quiet, with the Elite perhaps edging the Prep Plus here, only because the base is bigger and is able to muffle the noise a bit better. This is not by any means scientific, but they are at least very similar motors and have avery similar amount of power.
The major difference between these two motors is that the Prep Plus has a dough feature and the Elite 12 does not. This does not mean the the Elite is incapable of dough. It is and it is heavily marketed for it in the sales materials and the included recipes. In fact the Dough button on the Prep Plus (and others including the Elite 14 cup) seems to be largely about product differentiation, or at the very least, it has limited utility. It is supposed to slow the motor so that the dough mixes better. In my testing though, it did not slow the motor significantly, and certainly slowed it less than the actual dough did. I also think a stand mixer does a much better job for this purpose. Having said that if you have limited space, both machines will happily punch up a dough for you.
The Work Bowls:
The Prep Plus has a Lexan bowl, the Elite has one made of Polycarbonate. Lexan is a very light weight plastic, but it is also somewhat flexible. This gives the impression that the Elite polycarbonate bowl is sturdier, and would last longer. Whether or not that is actually the case is difficult to say. In any case the Prep Plus bowl is undoubtedly lighter, so if you are an elderly person, or have some other infirmity, the Lexan will be better for you.
Both Elite bowls have a pouring spout, the prep plus does not. That's right, the Elite 12 comes with two nesting bowls. The Prep Plus comes only with one standard 11 cup work bowl.
The Elite bowls utilize the Sealtight lid, the Prep Plus uses a standard lid. Some have complained the Sealtight lid is hard to clean, but I have not found that to be the case. A rinse with the sink sprayer, and a run through the dishwasher (top rack) is all that I needed to get either of the work bowls and lids clean. The Sealtight lid does take some downward force to close, but I found it needed no more pressure than the Prep Plus bowl required laterally (sideways). In fact I found the Prep Plus bowl was inferior in use, in almost every way. The Elite bowl can be removed by twisting it left and lifting it from the motor with the lid still closed. The Prep Plus bowl, however, must have it's lid loosened before you are able to remove the work bowl from the base. In practice this is a real pain. I also found the button release of the Sealtight lid to be much more agreeable than the twisting function of the Pre Plus.
The Prep Plus has a widemouth plunger opening, and so does the Elite. Oddly, though the Prep Plus opening is very slightly wider, because of the way the slicing and shredding blades mount on that machine, it is a solid inch more shallow. This means you will be doing more chopping before you can get your food processor to do your slicing. In my tests with carrots, it meant four fewer cuts over 5 total carrots. Not a huge difference, but if you were going to do a lot of slicing making pickles or the like it would mean quite a bit more prep work.
The smaller plunger on the Prep Plus is a circular one, that can lock inside the larger plunger. The Elite has a wider elongated small plunger that does not lock. At first I thought this was a falling of the Elite, but in reality the extra real estate in the smaller opening is appreciated, and the need for a locking smaller plunger in negated by the fact that you have to press down on it as well as the larger plunger when using the large opening. The only real failure I saw in the Elite plunger system, was that it was missing some drainage holes that the Prep Plus version had, and these cause the plunger to collect water in the dishwasher.
The Blades:
This is where the Elite comes out head and shoulders above the Prep Plus. The Elite slicing blade is adjustable, creating 6 different widths for slicing 1mm to 6mm. While I can't imagine a circumstance where you would use a 1mm blade since the power and speed of the machine would render whatever you were slicing into mush the rest of the widths are very usable and make very good even slices. The slicing blade on the Prep Plus, on the other hand, is fixed. In addition, because the slicing and shredding blades have a smaller circumference, they do not cut as well. more about this for the shredding disk.
I have read people complain that food falls through the finger holes in the Elite disks. This did happen some for me, but over all the slices were far superior with the Elite blade. So much so that fully a third of the Prep Plus slices were uneven, where only 8 slices did not pass muster in the Elite machine (out of about 1.5 and 2 cups respectively). That included one piece that must have gotten through the finger holes. To be sure the finger holes are an unfortunate design decision. They are completely unnecessary given that the hubs provide a more than adequate place to grip the blades without cutting yourself. However, I found that their impact, when the machine was used as directed, was negligible.
The shredding disks were another place for the Elite machine to shine when compared to the Prep Plus. Both disks for the Prep Plus are an inch smaller in circumference. This combined with the odd design of the shredding ridges on the Prep Plus blade gave wholly uneven shreds. Some were very short at around 1/4 inch, some quite long at 1.5 inches. I can't think of a situation where this would be desirable. Even and long shreds should be a no brainer, and the Prep Plus blade can not deliver. When I first looked at the Prep Plus shredding disk, I wondered if it wasn't trying to accommodate the small blade circumference, but even if it is, it's a design that is faulty.
The chopping blades were much closer in performance. Both produced an even, fine mince, with a slight edge going to the Elite design. It took two additional pulses to get the same evenness and size in the Prep Plus. Not a deal breaker to be sure, but when you put that together with a far more functional slicing disk, and far better shredding performance, the choice is becoming clear.
Additionally the Elite chopping blade has a locking blade design, that allows for both more liquid in the work bowl, and for pouring the processed food out without losing your blade into the receptical, splashing food everywhere. This is a far better feature than all of the others combined. The Elite is a food processor that could legitimately be used for making smoothies, or milk shakes, because it can actually hold liquid.
So in the end I can confidently say that while both machines are very good, the FP-12DC Elite 12-Cup processor is the winner hands down, and the Prep Plus will be going back from whence it came.
Honest reviews on Cuisinart FP-14 Elite Collection 14-Cup Food Processor
I have owned two previous Cuisinarts (DLC-8 and DFP-14) over the past twenty years. I generally loved them but as a serious home cook I had two big complaints: liquids would overflow (when pureeing tomatoes, for instance) and you had to be careful when pouring contents out not to spill them or dump the blade out as well.
Those two issues along with a number that I hadn't thought of have been addressed by the FP-14-DC Elite. It is more powerful and does a better job overall of chopping, cutting, slicing and all of the other basic tasks. The blade lock function frees up a hand in the kitchen which is always important. Having three bowls is also a big deal we have been able to retire our mini-processor which required some hand cleaning. The nesting bowls helps with space in our Manhattan apartment and we appreciated the blade/disc storage unit that came with this processor (we had to buy them for our previous units).
When I was buying this processor I was very concerned by a couple of comments that other people left and I would like to address them:
1. CLEANING THE LID The lid has a silicon gasket, which is why it doesn't leak fluid. A number of people complained that it's difficult to clean. This is true if you try to clean it by hand. In my experience, though, it gets fully clean in the dishwasher (top shelf only).
2. Leaking some people complained about leaking. I think I understand why. With the old system of closing the Cuisinart (twisting), the machine would not operate unless the base and top were both locked in and the pusher was inserted. In the new system (where you press directly down on the lid to shut it), it is easier to close, but you have to make sure it snaps shut at the front AND back. I like this system better, however and my wife also finds it much easier to remove the lid.
3. Leaking between the three bowls we haven't had any problem with this and we frequently use the smaller bowl to prepare foods for our toddler. If you use the pour spout as the reference it's easy to align the bowls correctly to nest them inside the machine. We've used all three bowls in succession several times.
My overall impression is that this is a really thoughtfully designed product which was actually created by people who cook frequently. It has made our home life just a little bit easier. Cuisinart probably should have introduced this product a little sooner, but it is welcome in our kitchen.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Cuisinart FP-14 Elite Collection 14-Cup Food Processor
I have been using a Cuisinart since they were first introduced in the USA. From day one I have been a fan and kept two for everyday use. A 14 cup and one of the small ones for chopping. I thought that this would be the answer in combining the two but it is messy beyond belief. Everything seems to wind up in the rubber ring around the top or in the lid. I have to take it apart and manually clean those areas to get all my food. Lots of wasted time and effort. You can actually operate the machine without having the top totally engaged. I will stick to making bread dough in a Zojirushi. This machine seems a bit "over thought". It would be wonderful if it wasn't so messy. The idea behind the reversible grater and the graduated slicer is great. I had every disk made for my old processor and this certainly makes it easier and storage much less. The woman who does the video demo acts as if this is the first time she has ever turned on a food processor! I am not returning it but I definitely won't get rid of my older machines.
