Cuisinart Elite 14 Cup

Think I'm gonna seriously consider one of these. I think I found one for a decent price. Been talking about getting a full size food proc for a while now. Just wondering if anyone has opinions good or bad. I've looked at some other sites about appliances. Most say for full sized, and in the price range a Kitchenaid or Cuisinart is the way to go. Just looking for any other opinions.

Testimonial: I've had my Cuisinart, a DLC-7Pro, since 1981 (!). Always get the biggest and most powerful you can afford, so you can make pasta, bread, etc. with it, and it's just as easy, if not easier, to clean a big one than a small one. When mine was built, pre-BRuptcy of the' of the corporation a number of years ago, it had a 30 year warranty on the motor, which was .5 HP. It's never stalled, nor overheated, no matter what I've asked of it - I actually wore out a work bowl, but never a hiccup from the machine itself.

Ditto. Some speculate I only got married to get one. My ex is a good sport

I've got the large 12 cup Kitchenaid, which serves me well. Since the "new and improved" Cuisinarts were introduced a couple of years ago, I've had serious processor envy because they have some really nice features such as the wide feeder tube, which I really wish I had (not enough for me to dump the Kitchenaid, though.)

I've been jonesing for the new, W-S exclusive 16-cup Cuisinart with the smaller nesting bowl. My 1991-ish Custom 11 has been leaking a little bit so I'm justifying the purchase of a new one (don't judge me please) but trying to decide if it's worth the extra $$ to get the slightly bigger bowl at Williams Sonoma, especially if I can find a decent price on the 14-cupper that's available in other places. Anyone get the big guy? Like it? Not find it worth the bucks?

My next big purchase will be a larger more powerful Kitchen-Aid stand mixer....but I'll happily accept comments about that here too if no one minds the slight off-topic detour.

Kitchenaid!
Our Pro-Line has been bullet proof and I have purchased two more as gifts.-Dick

Like the other poster I've had my Cuisinart DLC-7 since the early 1980's (still works like a champ) but couldn't pass up a good deal on the 14-Cup Elite recently. It's a monster (pretty heavy and tall with the lid attached) but it's fantastic (retractable cord is a nice feature). I've rarely hit capacity on the 14-cup bowl, whether you need a 16-cup is really dependent on how you'll use it.

I found one of these under my tree this year after admiring it in a TV commercial!
I just took it out of the box today and it is awfully big.
The greatest challenge is finding it a spot on the counter since space is at a premium in my kitchen and I kept the old one in the closet till needed. (of course the old one is now 28 years old and partially melted from a lower dishwasher rack encounter...
I can't wait to try it out!

One of the first recipes I tried was the frozen banana "ice cream" on the last page of the recipe book (it's made its way around the boards here). Crazy simple and great.

Love my Kitchenaid Pro. I refuse to buy anything from Cuisinart, since my $200+ coffee maker started leaking all over the counter. It was a few months out of warranty. When I called customer service to see if I could send it in to get it fixed, they told me no, they won't fix it even if I would pay for it. They told me it was dangerous and I should throw it away immediately. When I pointed out that I could have bought a new Mr. Coffee every month that I owned the thing for about the same price, I got hung up on (I admit, at that point I was being a smart-ass since it was obvious they weren't going to do anything for me). Also, while the thing was still under warranty, the door kept popping open. I was told to keep cleaning the catch with a q-tip. I later found out that they actually had an upgraded machine that solved the door problem, and had I been more insistent, they would have replaced the machine. I know this has nothing to do with the appliance in question, but it just left a bad taste in my mouth for the company. I can't tell you what Kitchen-Aid support is like, because I have never had to call them. On the other hand, like some of the other posters, I have a cuisinart DLC-7 that my mother bought 25 years ago, then passed on to me about 10 years ago. It still works great. I actually probably use it more often than the Kitchen-Aid.

d4v3 wrote:I can't tell you what Kitchen-Aid support is like, because I have never had to call them.

My experience with KA customer support is marginally better, but not great. I have two stand mixers and have had a series of minor problems with each. Whenever I call them, the first thing they want to know is exactly what I use the mixer for, quantities, and what speeds I use. I've learned that if I say I use a speed higher than 2 to kneed dough, I will be told that I've misused the mixer and I should follow the recipes in their enclosed recipe book.

They usually give me a "do it yourself" type of fix that temporarily fixes the problem.

When my larger mixer finally died, out of warranty, they simply referred me to a local repair place that actually has quite reasonable prices.

Darren72 wrote:When my larger mixer finally died, out of warranty, they simply referred me to a local repair place that actually has quite reasonable prices.

I'd be interested in your recommendation. My senior statesman KitchenAid 5-quart mixer may need an overhaul. I am not convinced the graduated speed adjustment is as fine as should be.

***

I have an original Cuisinart that just keeps on ticking. I have contemplated getting larger models, then I considered how much room it took up. Is it really a big deal to do a couple of batches on the rare occasion I need it? Not really, especially since it is so fast. I cannot contemplate using its full capacity more than once a year. I know with the smaller one, I can fit the workbowl on top of the dishwasher.

At least for me, a larger capacity food processor isn't very practical. If I ran a boarding house, I'd buy one in a flash.

Regards,

I'm pretty happy with my Cuisinart 14 cup food processor that I've had for about 5 years. However, I recently noticed a crack on the lower blade right next to one of the rivets. Looks like I'll be spending approximately $35.00 for a replacement.

At least for me, a larger capacity food processor isn't very practical. If I ran a boarding house, I'd buy one in a flash.

The appeal the Elite is that it comes with 3 nested bowls, 14, 11 and 4-1/2 cups, so it ends up being very versatile.

Cathy2 wrote:

Darren72 wrote:When my larger mixer finally died, out of warranty, they simply referred me to a local repair place that actually has quite reasonable prices.

I'd be interested in your recommendation. My senior statesman KitchenAid 5-quart mixer may need an overhaul. I am not convinced the graduated speed adjustment is as fine as should be.

Abesco,Inc
2200 Stonington Ave Suite 200
Hoffman Estates, IL 60195
Phone: 847-884-9595
Fax: 847-884-9554

(I will also post this in a related thread on Kitchenaid repair.)

I haven't actually brought my mixers in yet. They are sitting on a table waiting for me to clear some time to drive to Hoffman Estates. But I talked to the service rep there already, who told me there is a flat diagnostic fee (perhaps $30?) plus the cost of repairs. She said most repairs are actually very cheap and they tell you the price before they do any work. She also said they have a "tune up" type of service where they recalibrate the speed adjustments, etc.

How embarrassing, I searched and my own old thread popped up!

Again considering purchase of a new KA stand-mixer. I want the bigger bowl, powerful motor, and having trouble decidin which model to get. Williams-Sonoma has a 25% off deal through tomorrow, then i start wondering about the Breville which is less expensive and quieter.

Will someone decide for me? Please?

Hi- Amazon has a really good deal on an 11 cup food processor right now. It is marked down to $79.99. It lists for $330.00 Here is the link.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004 ... prachel-20

Get it while you can. Hope this helps, Nancy

NFriday wrote:Hi- Amazon has a really good deal on an 11 cup food processor right now. It is marked down to $79.99. It lists for $330.00 Here is the link.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004 ... prachel-20

Get it while you can. Hope this helps, Nancy

$80 is a low price, but this unit never sells for $330. Amazon usually has it for around $130. See http://camelcamelcamel.com/Cuisinart-DL ... B00004S9EJ

Hi- Well the food processor that Amazon was selling for $80, is now back up to $179. So it is not a deal anymore.