Mini Food Processor Recommendations

[Andy M.]

I have a mini FP I just don't like. It's a Hamilton Beach 3 cup and it just doesn't handle foods well.

I was just making calamata olive hummus and the FP would not pull the solids down to the blade as it should. There was enough liquid in there to do the job, it just didn't move the food. I have had similar issues with other foods as well.

We bought this on the cheap a few years ago as we didn't expect it to get much use. Now it is and I want something better.

Can you help me with reviews of the mini FP brands/models that you have and are happy with?

Thanks,

 

[JamesS]

I've been hearing good things about the Cuisinart CH-4DC. Think I may pick one up myself in fact.

 

[MostlyWater]

I have a Cuisinart and I'm happy with it. I think they come in 2, 3 and 4 cup sizes. Mine is 3 cups, iirc.

 

[Andy M.]

Thanks for the info. We have a number of Cuisinart appliances we are happy with.

 

[JamesS]

I needed a couple of miscellaneous kitchen knick knacks so I tacked the Cuisinart onto an order from Chef's Catalog. I would have ordered it from Amazon (and had it tomorrow) but they didn't have the die cast, only the white and black machines.Chef's can be a little slow, so sometime in the next couple of weeks I'll let you know what I think of it.

 

[Andy M.]

I needed a couple of miscellaneous kitchen knick knacks so I tacked the Cuisinart onto an order from Chef's Catalog. I would have ordered it from Amazon (and had it tomorrow) but they didn't have the die cast, only the white and black machines.Chef's can be a little slow, so sometime in the next couple of weeks I'll let you know what I think of it.

This one looks good. Why do you prefer the die cast?

 

[JamesS]

We're a couple of years from a total kitchen remodel and planning on stainless appliances. So, I'm trying to keep the counter top appliances metallic wherever possible. Aside from that, the die cast is metal, it's not going to yellow, get burned by a hot pan sitting too close to it, won't lose it's sheen to too many years of scrubbing etc. The less plastic the better in my eyes.

 

[Andy M.]

OK, thanks.

 

[CharlieD]

I've had my cuisinart mini chopper since my son was 6 month old, i used to make all his food my self, no jars. He is 14 now, Thank G-d. The mini chopper still works as well as it did when I first got it.

 

[Yakuta]

Andy, I have a kitchenaid food processor. It came with a small chopper bowl and a blade. It's like a smaller insert into the larger food processor. It works really well.

The thing I like about kitchenaid products are that they are extremely heavy weight and made to last. I have been using mine for years withou an issue and the little chopper attachment is very handy for garlic, herbs, nuts, you name it.

 

[Andy M.]

I've had my cuisinart mini chopper since my son was 6 month old, i used to make all his food my self, no jars. He is 14 now, Thank G-d. The mini chopper still works as well as it did when I first got it.

Thanks, Charlie. That's a great testimonial.

 

[Andy M.]

Andy, I have a kitchenaid food processor. It came with a small chopper bowl and a blade. It's like a smaller insert into the larger food processor. It works really well...

Thanks, Yakuta. I already have a full size Cuisinart FP so this is not the way to go for me. Thanks for your response.

 

[CharlieD]

You're welcome Andy.

 

[Yakuta]

You are welcome Andy. In that case a mini cuisinart would do the job. I used to own a Braun before and that did a decent job as well and was not that expensive - 35 bucks.

 

[JamesS]

The little Cuisinart came in this afternoon. I haven't tried using it, but after unpacking my initial impression is pretty favorable.

• The four cup bowl is the perfect size for me. Not too small, not too big. The bowl itself is nice and open, without too many nooks and crannies for debris to hide in. The safety mechanism isn't terribly onerous. It's just a matter of lining the lid up to slide a tab through an extension of the base.
• The base seems sturdy, and is absolutely beautiful. The die cast metal looks really nice for a $50 appliance. There's a cord reel on the bottom with a track to route the cord out the back. The two buttons are flush with the top of the machine, and sealed. So, again it should be easy to maintain. The motor has a lot of torque. When you turn it on, you feel it.
• The blade is kind of spiffy. It spins one way to grind, the other to chop. So, there is only one blade to deal with. Like all of the recent Cuisinart food processors, it's retained by the bowl when you take the bowl off of the base. It doesn't fall out when you pour from the cup.

On the neutral to slightly negative side:

• The included booklet is pretty thin. The eleven pages are filled with safety information, hints and tips, nine recipes and the eighteen month warranty.
• The included spatula is pretty much a joke. It's four or five inches long, and will likely be lost inside of a week.
• The holes in the lid for adding liquid seem kind of small. I have a feeling when I'm pouring fat into the bowl to make mayo or hollandaise, it's going to flow a bit slower than I'm used to. They'll probably be fine for lemon juice or other thin liquids.
• There's no continuous operation feature. Both switches only operate while they're pressed.

 

[Andy M.]

Sounds good, James. I'm interested in how well the blade pulls the unprocessed foods down into the path of the blade so it can be chopped up. There has to be a constant movement down at the center and up the sides to promote fast processing.

 

[JamesS]

I made some tapenade as an appetizer with it earlier. The little book reminded me that I hadn't made any in a couple of decades or so.

It seemed to do very well. It was a little faster than I would have expected, and I ended up over processing because of it.

Cleaning was pretty much as expected. It's definitely the easiest of all of the food processors I've owned. The only hard to get places were on the outside of the lid and didn't get messy anyhow.

I played with the holes for the liquid too. They really are a bit slower than I'd like, but nothing that can't be dealt with.

Everything processed nice and uniformly. There isn't much seeing into the bowl once it's running. It's so small, the food splashes everywhere inside.

I'm making popovers for breakfast tomorrow, I'd normally use a blender, but will give the Cuisinart a try to see how it handles liquid.

 

[Andy M.]

Sounds great. I think it's time to go shopping.

 

[CharlieD]

Enjoy, it looks great.

 

[Andy M.]

...It was a little faster than I would have expected, and I ended up over processing because of it...

James, if you don't mind, could you check out the wattage of the motor and let me know? I think the only place you'll find it is on the base of the machine.