I have both a Kitchenaid professional mixer and a Kitchenaid food processor. I've had worlds of trouble with the mixer and will probably never ever buy another Kitchenaid mixer, but would swear by the KA food processor. I swear I could propel a boat with that sucker.
No misunderstanding on my part. I would only add that the term "robot coupe" is a brand that like Xerox has become a synonym for something else, as in "photocopy". No longer suis generis it is a noun and a verb at the same time.
In case of any misunderstandings due to the last post. I Use Cuisnart at home and Robot Coup profesionally for twenty years. I never meant to imply they were one in the same..
Cuisinart is not Robot-Coupe. It started out that way, but in 1977 Robot-Coupe was no longer manufacturing it. It was manufactured by a Japanese firm. In 1989 it was sold to Conair Corp. Robot-Coupe still makes high end Food Processors. I had the original RC many years ago, and have had the 14 cup Cuisinart for many years and have been very pleased with it.... no problems at all and all the original equipment is going strong.
." By 1977Cuisinart's sales totaled $50 million. With its product firmly established, the company suspended its contracting of Robot-Coupe as the manufacturer of its food processors. A Japanese firm assumed the production of Cuisinart models instead."
Thank you, everyone! I will take everything you said into consideration when making my decision. I'm hoping my husband will gift me with a food processor for my birthday- so I think I'll direct him to this thread =)
I've been very happy with my Cuisinarts (not being paid DonnyG!). I had the first one from 1988 until 2009 and just got a new one last December. The original is still working but the stem for the disks got lost in a move and replacement was expensive. This time I got the 14 cup with the three nesting bowls so it's like having three different sizes for different jobs. I've never tried a KitchenAid so I can't compare, but I had great luck with my first Cuisinart, and am so far very happy with my second. for the kind of home cooking I do, it's been great.
Pierino-I understand completly and you make a good point about the sanitary issue. I can get turned off by a problem with a product and never have a good thing to say again about that product. Been there!
I have a large Cuisinart and I just bought a Cuisinart Smart Stick with whisk and chopper attachments- the chopper is a bowl with a blade in it. I like having both because I don't have a big enough kitchen to leave the large one the counter and I hate pulling that huge thing out for small jobs. Now with the Smart Stick I can do small things (chop garlic, herbs, salsa) with the chopper attachment that is basically a mini food processor. I know I sound like an ad, but it is really nice! And it all goes in the dishwasher.
I won't split hairs with DonnyG but I will talk split housings. Cuisinart may have redesigned of late, I don't know, but I believe the problem was the tensile strength of the plastic housing the blade. Mine was cracking not within years but within months. The crack made it impossible to clean effectively. Not a good thing if you're making things like mayonaisse. KitchenAid just has better design.
I consider the blade a wear item, therefore I don't think if one cracks, or strips from the inside over time it's necessarily a bad product. Kind of like the clutch or tires on a car. If they wear out that doesn't make the car a piece of junk. My Robot coup goes through a blade every so often and I still think its the best in the world.I have shown my Cuisinart no mercy and in five years or so I haven't had a blade or any other problem yet. I like to Freeze chunks of cheese and put in the processor and turn it to powder for some little fried cheese hors devours that I do and I cringe at the horrible sound it makes cutting through frozen cheese. I think this is the hardest I could be on it. No apologies needed though we all have different ways of seeing things.
I apologize but I'm in the anti-cuisinart camp. I have robot coupes both large and small and after some poor performances from Cuisinart I'm sticking with KitchenAid. The problems I had with Cuisinart had mostly to do with the housing on the cutting blade repeatedly cracking, even after being replaced---simply bad design. My original processor was a Braun and it still works fine to this day. In total I've been really disappointed in the performance of the Cuisinart brand...
For home use I like the full size 14Qt Cuisinart. For Power it compares to a Robot Coup that is found in most comercial kitchens. Some people say you wouldn't need that size or power but once you have it you wonder how you ever did with out it. I also recieved as a gift a tiny Cuisinart that has become a favorite for small batches of emulsions as well as a good fresh herb grinder.
I have a KitchenAid. It works just as well, very well built. The Cuisinart has nicer controls when your hands are dirty, two giant push down "levers" versus buttons that my KitchenAid has. But my KA came with a mini prep bowl, and a secondary "prep" that I can use with the grating attachments, and a caddy for the blades. I think they're both interchangable, but the KA has small extras.
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." By 1977Cuisinart's sales totaled $50 million. With its product firmly established, the company suspended its contracting of Robot-Coupe as the manufacturer of its food processors. A Japanese firm assumed the production of Cuisinart models instead."