Well, this one’s no fun. In case you missed it, Conair, the parent company of Cuisinart, issued a recall of faulty Cuisinart food processors two days ago across the United States and Canada. Yikes. It’s an alarmingly large product recall: there are 8 million units being yanked from stores in the States alone, along with 300,000 from Canada.
The models were sold as far back as 1996 and as recently as 2015, for price points ranging from $100 to $350. The culprit? The riveted blade in the food processors. Conair received 69 reports of consumers finding broken blade bits in their freshly-processed foods. Of the incidents reported, 30 were for mouth lacerations and tooth injuries. Conair is offering for customers to contact Cuisinart for free replacement blades as recourse. I don't mean to be alarmist, but you may want to check if you've got any of the 22 models listed here in your possession. Throw those blades out!
My suspicion is that this number of incidents is a bit higher than was initially reported, though—that's what tends to happen with food recalls! In fact, it's already happening. Consider the plight of this poor denizen of Virginia, unaffiliated with Conair or Cuisinart, who’s being inundated with unwanted calls from miffed Cuisinart customers who misdial the company's helpline.
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Don't call this woman. Instead, here's a question to ponder: got a Cuisinart horror story of your own? Please share—whether it's related to this recall or otherwise. Food processors can be tricky little beasts. Food flying everywhere! Why add to the fuss with a wayward blade? Ridiculous. But if you've got a story, hopefully laceration-free, I'd love to hear it.
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Written by: Mayukh Sen
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24 Comments
Awads
January 24, 2017
After the email telling me that i failed to send them the model number for my cuisinart, which i ignored, they still sent me one. I found it in the mail a couple of days ago.
Awads
January 17, 2017
No replacement blade yet. Instead, I recently received an email telling me I failed to tell them the model number of my cuisinart. I totally did include the number. Now, it doesn't feel like it's worth my time to try to decipher (once again) the model number. It's very hard to read on this old model! i'm just going to carry on as I've been doing. I haven't tasted any metal yet!
Greenstuff
January 17, 2017
Hey, be careful! My brother and sister-in-law did have their blade break apart. Fortunately, they noticed before eating.
Karin B.
January 17, 2017
I have been buying the DCL 10 for 30 years because my 15 slicing , shredding, julienne and French fry discs will only fit that. When the blades were recalled I ordered replacements and I bought a new 8 cup machine . What a difference, I love my new Cuisinart and for little chores and will buy a larger machine of another brand . They DO improve things, those old items are not better because they are old.
aargersi
December 19, 2016
I have a Kitchen Aid now - my old processsor (I forget the brand!) decided to throw safety to the wind and START without the top on AT ALL but blade was in (I hit the button by accident and it was plugged in). That's some scary shit. It went straight in the trash.
emgoh
December 16, 2016
From the moment we got our's we have referred to the blades as the spinning-blades-of-death. It's been a good reminder to handle with extreme care. So far no injuries.
Thanks for the heads up about the recall. A friend had also emailed me. Not owning a TV anymore, I'm wondering if anyone has heard about this recall through local or national news, too? Seems like an important one that many are not yet aware of.
Thanks for the heads up about the recall. A friend had also emailed me. Not owning a TV anymore, I'm wondering if anyone has heard about this recall through local or national news, too? Seems like an important one that many are not yet aware of.
creamtea
December 16, 2016
I second Bevi's comment; just found out my mother has the riveted blades. She never would have known about the recall. Thanks for the info!
witloof
December 16, 2016
I just checked and mine is on the endangered list, so thank you. I registered for a new blade.
I don't have a food processor horror story, but I will share that I had a Cuisinart burr grinder that stopped working two months after the warrantee ended { I used it maybe six times a month, tops} and the company basically said they wouldn't do anything for me. So that was the last time I ever bought anything from Conair or Cuisinart. I replaced the electric grinder with a hand cranked model from Japan. It takes five minutes to grind my coffee in the morning but at least I know I will never have to worry about the grinder shorting out.
I don't have a food processor horror story, but I will share that I had a Cuisinart burr grinder that stopped working two months after the warrantee ended { I used it maybe six times a month, tops} and the company basically said they wouldn't do anything for me. So that was the last time I ever bought anything from Conair or Cuisinart. I replaced the electric grinder with a hand cranked model from Japan. It takes five minutes to grind my coffee in the morning but at least I know I will never have to worry about the grinder shorting out.
Catherine
December 15, 2016
I was making date/nut balls and I had my cuisenart food proccesor running in the on position not pulsing. The blade kept auto stopping and I kept trying to force pulse it to the point I smelled the motor burning! Long story short and very sticky fingers and a big mess later I found one date pit stuck to the side of the blade! Note: make certain those dates have all pits removed before adding to the food processor.
Jan W.
December 15, 2016
Please don't throw the old blades out! After the recall site quits getting so many requests because of the breaking news, go to http://www.cuisinart.com/recall and fill out the very easy questionaire & form. You'll need the model number of your particular Cuisinart unit. Once you fill out the form, Cuisinart says they'll mail you a replacement blade and a box to mail your recalled blade back to Cuisinart where they can dispose of it.
Also - I recommend to everyone here to invest in at least one cut-resistant glove. I know it isn't 100% injury proof but it would definitely protect your hand when handling a spiral blade such as this one. I used to work with a lot of knives and bladed things in a kitchen and the cut-glove certainly saved me many a time from these hazards.
Also - I recommend to everyone here to invest in at least one cut-resistant glove. I know it isn't 100% injury proof but it would definitely protect your hand when handling a spiral blade such as this one. I used to work with a lot of knives and bladed things in a kitchen and the cut-glove certainly saved me many a time from these hazards.
SMSF
December 20, 2016
From what I understand from info on the cuisinart website, they are not asking you to mail back your old recalled blade. When you receive your replacement blade the package will include instructions on how to secure the old blade in the shipping box so you can dispose of it safely yourself.
Bevi
December 15, 2016
Thanks for this PSA on this recall. This is a great way to keep the community safe.
creamtea
December 15, 2016
Heck no, don't throw them out! Report online and get a new blade from the company!
I don't have any horror stories; I love my trusty Cuisinarts (both the mini and the larger model). As for my older, smaller food processor, a Robot-Coupe, I've had it since graduate school, and now my daughter is about to graduate college, so a few decades. It keeps dying, then miraculously comes back to life
I don't have any horror stories; I love my trusty Cuisinarts (both the mini and the larger model). As for my older, smaller food processor, a Robot-Coupe, I've had it since graduate school, and now my daughter is about to graduate college, so a few decades. It keeps dying, then miraculously comes back to life
OurSeason
December 15, 2016
Last Christmas I was making peppermint bark and decided to try crushing hard peppermint candies in my food processor. My toddler was in the kitchen with me at the time, having lunch. The sound of the hard candies in the processor was absolutely deafening, and I ended up later taking myself and toddler to the doctor to be assessed for hearing damage! We were fine, but lesson learned: if in doubt, wear ear protection. And a good old-fashioned rolling pin works just as well for crushing candies!
Shelley M.
December 15, 2016
Just the usual of trying to make mashed potatoes in the processor. A mistake you only make once.
Valhalla
December 15, 2016
The only horror story is that I need to start my holiday baking and now I have to wait for the replacement blade. Perfect timing, Cuisinart!
Awads
December 15, 2016
I absolutely love my cuisinart food processor. I have been using it for 18 years and it is, indeed, a workhorse. I've always been super careful around that blade....it's scary! So I have zero injuries to report. I went to the website last night (from my iphone) and was able to sign up for the replacement blade very easily. I can't wait to get it b/c after 18 years, i could probably use a new one! If mine ever does die, i will replace it with the same brand. It's been good to me.
mrslarkin
December 15, 2016
Do it online. Super easy.
A few years ago, my blade rivets broke and I contacted Conair for a replacement and they were like "not my problem - it's beyond the warranty." Many comments on Amazon for replacement blade shows that it's been happening for a while. At least the company is replacing them now.
A few years ago, my blade rivets broke and I contacted Conair for a replacement and they were like "not my problem - it's beyond the warranty." Many comments on Amazon for replacement blade shows that it's been happening for a while. At least the company is replacing them now.
Greenstuff
December 15, 2016
I've cut myself my share of times, but no more than I've cut myself with knives and other household weapons. I did head to the Cuininart recall site yesterday and can report difficulty at every step of the way--difficulty getting to Cuisinart at all, difficulty at getting to the recall page, in filling out the form, and in sending it. I'd thought it never worked, but then I got a confirmation. In fact, I got two confirmations! So, if you never get through, I may have a spare.
Megan L.
December 15, 2016
I was so excited when I got my first food processor and blindly stuck my hand into the box to pull it out. Unfortunately, the (unwrapped!) riveted blade caught my finger and caused some notable damage. I am now the proud owner of a sizable scar and have no feeling from my knuckle to the tip of my finger due to irreparable nerve damage :(
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