Cuisinart Mini-Prep Plus
Sometimes things come in weird sizes. There’s probably a good reason as to why they do, but I always wonder why one appliance would have slightly different capabilities than others in the same price range. I mean, is a single cup of processable goods so large of a difference that a 5 cup couldn’t just be a 6 cup, or a 7 cup couldn’t just be an 8 cup? These are the things that I wonder about.
So, when I saw the Cuisinart DLC-10S Pro Classic 7-Cup Food Processor, that’s where my brain went. I’ve seen 8 cups. I’ve seen 10 cups. I’ve even seen 2 cups. But 7 seems like a strange number to me. Unless it’s lucky, in which case, bring it on!
Other than that, I have no reason to think this is any different from other comparable machines, but I wanted to take a minute and find out.
It’s Not A Mixer. Or Is It?
Before I had a kitchen of my own, I didn’t really understand that so many appliances have specific purposes. I mean, blenders and mixers and processors kind of do the same things, right? Fundamentally, yes, but they do the same thing in different ways. Now, this processor is made to have the power of a mixer while still being able to slice and dice. That makes it worth its weight in gold as far as I’m concerned.
I love my stand mixer, but it is heavy and hard to move. The fact that this food processor not only has the attachments, but the motor to be able to knead bread, sounds amazing, even if it’s not something I do much of. I have used my stand mixer to make bread, and it does a good job, but I always worry about the wear and tear on the motor because even though it was pretty expensive, it is not a high-end machine. If this machine could take that concern off my plate, that would be amazing.
Enough With The Watts
Most people don’t buy the most powerful machines because most of us don’t need the most powerful. This processor has a motor that boasts 600 Watts of induction power to shred, slice and chop 7 cups worth of food. It’s certainly not the biggest motor on the market, when some machines can boast over 1,000 watts, but who needs that much power on a regular basis? At 600 Watts you have more than enough power to work your way through the thickest of doughs, and best of all – thanks to the induction motor – it’s really quiet! (for a food processor that is, but still..).
Not For Blending
I should probably clarify that blenders and processors are not the same thing. They both mix and make things homogenous, but a blender is liquid tight, while a processor is not. Processors should, however, still be able to hold a fair amount of liquid as it’s being folded into whatever you’re making, and this processor will let you get away with a fair amount. It’s still not a blender, but it also won’t turn in to a leaking sieve if you add a little water to soften up your mix.
A Tight Fit
The lids and pieces of a food processor should be snug, but not so tight that you can’t easily remove them when it’s time to add, pour or clean. It may seem that the removable pieces and parts of this processor are made just a bit too big, and some users have said that when the pieces are stuck, they can be impossible to unhook.
It may not be a well known fact, but many appliance manufacturers actually make the parts to fit really snug because as time goes by and they are used more and more, the plastic pieces will wear down and become easier to remove, but no one wants the lid to come flying off while the food processor is doing its job. So play with the processor a bit and get familiar with it before you actually use it for food, just to make sure all the pieces that should come apart, do come apart. And if they’re a bit too snug, swipe the edge with a little vegetable oil, and that should make the parts slide properly.
Not So Easy To Clean
I know that not all the pieces of a food processor are dishwasher safe. I also know that I am more comfortable washing them by hand because a cracked bowl or loose blade can be really bad news. But some of the parts on this processor can prove to be difficult to reach when washing by hand. This isn’t a big issue, but there are a lot of elements to this piece of culinary machinery so you have to be careful and patient to get them all clean.
You Got A Big Mouth
I think I used this line in another review as well, so luckily it’s not the only food processor with this feature, but it’s so important that I used it again. Trust me, you want a big mouth, it makes a difference. The big mouth makes it easy to load in whole chunks of food right from the top of the machine, and that’s how you get away with saving time while still getting your chop on. It makes you look like you worked really hard to chop and slice everything by hand. That can be our little secret.
Nothing’s Perfect, Not Even Cuisinart
So, this processor has some issues, but nothing that can’t be overcome. Just don’t use it for blending, and if removable pieces don’t remove easily enough, get friendly with a little bit of vegetable oil. Besides that, the DLC-10S does so many other things really well for the money. It certainly does the chopping, it makes a big impact on what you’re able to do, and I’m super impressed with all the power. I doubt you will find anything better in this price range.
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