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One of the many tools I included in my article about what small appliances to include on your wedding registry was a good food processor. This is truly an invaluable tool for any home cook’s kitchen.
Before I got mine, I found myself thinking, “Yes, this chicken and vegetable soup recipe does look delicious… but wow, that’s a lot of veggies to chop. Pizza it is!”
I don’t know if I should feel grateful or maybe resent my food processor a bit for getting rid of my handy excuses to get take out. I’ll get over it, though, because hello homemade cashew butter!
Like I explained in my cook and carry crockpot review, when it comes to small appliances, invest in something that’s at least mid-range from the get go. A $10 mini food processor is just not going to get the job done and you’ll end up buying something a lot bigger and sturdier anyways.
I looked for a food procesor that was powerful, had multiple blades, and was relatively big but wouldn’t take up too much precious cupboard space. I ended up deciding on the Cuisinart Pro Classic 7 Cup Food Processor.
Cuisinart DLC-10SY Pro Classic 7-Cup Food Processor
Capacity
Although I’m always attracted to the smaller food processors because they’re so easy to store and I can’t help thinking about the fact that I’m only feeding two, I spend enough time in the kitchen to need a food processor for more than just making a quick sauce.
I wanted something that could process six month’s worth of salsa to freeze or knead pizza dough for me. The 7 cup is considered mid-size and certainly isn’t so large that I’ve had to create a spot just for it, like my beautiful KitchenAid stand mixer.
In fact, it fits in my cupboard without issue, helped by the fact that it is easily disassembled.
The container on the this device is a great size that maximizes capacity along with compactness – Check out what others are saying about the Cuisinart on Amazon.
The work bowl is big enough that I can indeed knead dough, but one of my favorite things about it’s size is that I can use it to chop all the vegetables for a soup without moving the veggies to another bowl in between. I will always find a way to do fewer dishes!
The extra large feeding tube is awesome because I don’t have to chop my veggies to chop my veggies. Which means no cutting board and knives to clean, either!
Multiple Blades
When choosing a food processor, it was important to me that it be super multi-functional. If I’m going to spend more than $20 on it, it better be more than just a pesto-maker!
This one comes with a medium slicing disc, shredding disc, chopping/mixing blade, dough blade, and small and large pushers. The slicing disc will cut veggies more quickly and evenly than I could ever dream of doing, making it perfect for coleslaw and stir fry.
The shredding disc is my best friend when it comes to mac and cheese and enchiladas. It’ll take a block of cheese and shred it completely in just a couple of minutes.
Sometimes I buy cheese in bulk because it’s cheaper, shred it, then portion it into bags that’ll last us about a week and freeze.
The chopping and mixing blade is likely what you’ll use the most.
It’s great for mincing garlic, making breadcrumbs (to use in our crispy and tasty recipe for breaded beef fillets), making homemade nut butters, even mixing ground raw meat if you’re too squeamish to do it by hand.
You can even chop raw meat into cubes!
The dough blade, of course, will do the handy work of all your yeast bread recipes. The pushers help you safely guide your food through the blades.
All these features mean I can use this small appliance to slice cucumbers way more evenly than I ever could dream of doing by hand, shred potatoes for a breakfast hash, knead pizza dough, or finely chop enough nuts to make a baklava.
I’m tallying up minutes of my day that I can now tack on to more obsessive cookbook reading as I reread that sentence.
Even better, since the Cuisinart Pro Classic 7 Cup Food Processor is a relatively big food processor, it can do a lot of those things at once! That makes the stockpiler inside me oh so happy.
Cuisinart even offers extra attachments, so if you find yourself wanting different slice thicknesses or a finer grate on your zucchini, you can have it.
The one downside about having so many options is that you will be required to go through more assembly before using it. It’s relatively intuitive to put together, but this step can add some time.
Unlike its predecessors, this model comes with a flat lid in addition to the feed tube lid. The feed tube lid is made up of multiple pieces, meaning it’s hard to setup and clean, and the flat lid is only one, making it a much easier option for kneading dough.
The flat lid even has pinholes in it for drizzling in more ingredients so you can make mayonnaise without all the splatter.
Power and Speed
I know I’ve already mentioned several times in this review that this piece of equipment can knead dough. I may or may not hate kneading dough by hand, so this feature is really exciting to me.
Most food processors don’t offer this, which means the reason this one can is that it has a really powerful motor. This food processor comes equipped with a 600-watt induction motor that’s both very reliable and relatively quiet.
Very few reviewers report problems with the motor, which does have a five-year warranty in case anything does go wrong.
This food processor has two settings: on and pulse. The on setting allows the machine to run continuously, so you’ll use it for pureeing a soup or slicing vegetables.
The pulse button gives you more control by allowing you to press it on and off to determine how finely processed you’d like your food. Although only two settings can seem like limited options, this is pretty typical of food processors.
You shouldn’t need multiple settings for most food preparation. If you do find that you need a high and low speed, turn to your blender instead.
Safety
A food processor can be a dangerous appliance to operate. Think about it: you’re working with a machine that whips very sharp blades way faster than you could ever handle a knife.
Luckily, Cuisinart implemented some safety features. The processor won’t run unless it’s correctly assembled, so no need to worry about a loose piece whipping off and hitting you or your unsuspecting significant other.
Even so, always make sure that the base is unplugged when assembling, disassembling, and cleaning. The blades are very sharp, so make sure to handle them with care and never let your hands or utensils come into close contact with them while it’s running.
Clean Up
This food processor gets bonus points from me because it’s dishwasher safe! Sometimes I find it really difficult to get to all the nooks and crannies on small appliances, but a run through the dishwasher will take care of that.
Since operating this food processor means working with several pieces that then need to be cleaned, the fact that it’s dishwasher safe makes the extra assembly worth it.
Again, make sure the machine is unplugged before taking it apart and cleaning it. Take each piece completely apart to make sure food doesn’t get trapped in cracks. You can wash the pieces with warm, soapy water or run them through the dishwasher.
Never submerge the base in water and don’t get the power cord wet. To clean the base, just a get a cloth wet and wipe it down with a little soapy water.
Other Considerations
One of my favorite things about the Cuisinart Pro Classic is that it has four rubber feet on the base to prevent it sliding or rocking around the countertop, seriously reducing noise level and making it easier to operate.
Although the motor has a complete 5-year warranty, the whole unit only has a 3-year limited warranty, so make sure to read it thoroughly after getting your food processor.
If you do need to replace parts outside of the warranty, they can be very expensive. Blades, however, are relatively inexpensive and should be changed as they dull.
This model is a moderate size, making it easy to store, but the base is pretty heavy. Consider this when designating a spot to store it: nothing too high or too low.
A 7-cup work bowl does not mean that it can hold 7 cups of food. It can handle about half that with liquids and three quarters that with solids. If you’re feeding a large family, consider going up to the next work bowl size. It’ll still have all these great benefits and be big enough to meet your needs.
In addition to all the blades and a comprehensive manual, this processor comes with several recipes, a spatula, and a how-to DVD which should help answer any questions that come up during use.
Some users complain that the machine has trouble processing softer foods, like mozzarella cheese. Cuisinart recommends getting these foods extremely cold, almost frozen, to help combat this problem.
Check out this video below to see the Cuisinart Pro Classic 7 Cup Food Processor in action:
Summary
Although the Cuisinart Pro Classic can seem a little complicated to put together, all these pieces ultimately amount to more options.
Different sized feed tubes and multiple blades are included so that you can quickly and properly process whatever food you’re working with that evening for dinner. The mid-range size is the best option for me when it comes to storage and what I’ll actually be using it for. I’ll say it again: I love the fact that this processor can knead dough for me!
Other food processors that I looked at before settling on this one didn’t have any additional attachment options, and I like that I can eventually expand with this Cuisinart model. Overall, it’s a great food processor that I’m sure I’ll be using for years to come!
I hope my review of the Cuisinart Pro Classic 7 Cup Food Processor was helpful for you and narrows down your choices! Want some more real customer opinions? If so, check out the comments from the massive number of reviews posted on Amazon.
About Chelsea Miller
Chelsea Miller, born and raised in Portland, Oregon, graduated from the University of Oregon where she discovered both her love of football and cooking great food. She's the founder of the food blog "A Duck's Oven" and began writing for Foodal in 2014.
I really really really want a food processor. I’ve tried making walnut butter in my blender and it wasn’t nearly as smooth as I wanted it to be. A Cusinart processor would be the dream!
I really like the look of this food processor. It seems clean and less bulky that other ones I’ve seen at the store. It would go great on my countertop! I have been wanting to upgrade mine. It’s pretty small and I have to do everything in batches if I’m making a bigger recipe. The 7 cup size would definitely suit my needs.
I learned my lesson with buying lower-end products. If it’s something that will be used often and for multiple things, it really is best to invest a little bit more money. I would rather pay $100 for something and get a good product then spending $30 or $40 on several occasions.
This one looks like a great deal, I might need to look at it a little further. It doesn’t seem ultra bulky and if it lets me do multiple things, then I’m happy.
I’ve been putting off buying a food processor because I figure that the blender fulfills the role of the food processor somewhat, but this article has convinced me that I should invest in a good food processor. This one does seem a little intimidating with all of the pieces, but I like that it has the rubber feet on the bottom and that it is not very noisy.
I have been wanting a food processor for the longest time now. My little blender is just not cutting it (pun intended!). I’ll have to look into this one.
This processor looks really efficient. It’s my first time seeing it. Thanks for posting the video that goes along with it. I like seeing demonstrations and real-time views. The next time I go to the store, I’m going to look for it.
The one I had that bit the dust recently was a 9-cup, but I like that the footprint on this model is smaller, since my kitchen lacks counter space. This seems like it has a very powerful motor, which would be especially helpful for mixing dough. I also like that it comes with a DVD, which I’d be more likely to watch than read a manual.
I recently broke my only food processor. It was a Hamilton Beach 8-cup(Model 70450) that my husband and I bought long before we were married, when we got our first apartment. It was fine for shredding the occasional cheese or mixing up a batch of alfredo sauce (before discovering the proper way to make alfredo sauce). It gave out on me in the midst of trying to shred block cheddar for my first attempt at scalloped potatoes from scratch. After it broke, I realized just how much I used it. Unlike when we first bought it, and used it maybe once every 6 months, my cooking as become more consistent and homemade since becoming a SAHM, and I found myself making more from scratch. I’ve been missing my food processor, and been on the fence about which one to buy, knowing full well that any new one I got should be an investment, not another $30 purchase. Thank you for such a comprehensive review of an obviously superior product. I buy a lot on Amazon and have been considering Cuisinart as a brand for a while now, as they are the most consistently highest rated. You have convinced me! Thank you for taking the time to write up such a detailed and helpful post!