Cuisinart Mini Prep Plus Food Processor, 4 Cup, Brushed Stainless (Shiny)

I have owned a full size Cuisinart food processor for many years and loving to cook I use it often. However, there are times when I just need a quick chop up of an onion or other smaller food prep items that do not really require getting the larger processor out of the pantry and cleaning up later. If you already own the larger model, you will still find yourself using this smaller processor more than you thought. If on the other hand you live in an apartment with limited kitchen storage space or are cooking for only one or two, this size processor is perfect.

We didn't really want to own (and store) another kitchen appliance. Years ago we'd been given a full size food processor and never used it, ended up giving it away. We finally decided we needed to get one because we love hummus and it is so much cheaper to make than buy, and the blender just wasn't the tool for the job. Searching for small processors, the Cuisinart stood out for the number of high ratings of it. I looked at the smaller ones, but caught a comment along the lines of "you can't really use more than half the volume". While it looks like you can fit a lot in the processing chamber, and they call it 4 Cup capacity, the blade sits over an opening that is about half the total height, so if you've got a lot of liquid it is going to flow right through and out the bottom of the chamber. This is the biggest food processor we would want to store, and it turned out to be the perfect size for us. The brushed stainless plastic housing looks fine, I'd rather not pay for real stainless steel for a product that is kept behind a cabinet door. It was packed well, and came with a small plastic spatula which at first looked like a throw away item but turns out to be just the right size and shape to get nearly all the processed food out of the chamber. Not having used other food processors, I can't compare this one's functions to others. I'd imagine that a full size model with a more powerful motor could do more, but for us this is a good compromise. The first batch of hummus (the users' manual included a recipe for hummus which varied from my usual one, so I gave it a try and it is good) was all it took to confirm we had made a good choice buying this. It's fast, easy to use, does a great job and is easy to clean, and stores in a small space. I've used it half a dozen times now, and can see already that I'll be trying it out on other things- pesto, tapenade, guacamole . . . Bottom line is that I'm very happy with the way it looks, the way it works, the ease of use, and the reasonable price. If you want to make soups or process big batches of food consider a bigger model, but if your needs are like ours, this is a good choice. May 18, 2013 Now that we've had it and used it many times, I've got two things to add: the recipes in the users manual are good, and the processor is very noisy in use. I use a lot of power tools and I wear hearing protection when I use them. This kitchen tool seems to be as loud as my belt sander, and that is loud.

I bought this as an exact brand/type replacement for one from quite a few years ago that the blade plastic housing started giving out. It works perfectly as expected. I made snow ice from crushed store ice in seconds. Easy, small and efficient!

Adding this paragraph to my prior review. Cuisinart was good to ship me a replacement unit and because I live in California and California's consumer protection laws, I did not have to pay to ship back my defective unit. I'm left with the hassle of having it properly recycled but that's tolerable. I'm being more careful about how long I let it run and how much I put in the bowl and so far the replacement unit is working ok. I upgraded from my original rating of 2 stars to 4 given the warranty support. Would I buy this again? Maybe, as long as I was ok being cautious using the unit. This unit is a little powerhouse while it works. Based on my experience and what I've read from others posting here is that it's best for briefer tasks such as chopping some vegetables or making pesto which it excels at. It isn't bad at grinding and I've used it to make almond butter but it really taxes the food processor. After making a few small batches of almond butter the motor seems to have burned out. Sadly if there is any kind of thermal shutdown it didn't work and it's now useless and less than a year old with only occasional use. What I find more frustrating is that it's really hard to get through the customer support for a warranty claim. I've tried calling a few times when they warned me they were very busy and a few times when I got a busy signal trying to call them. Now I've been on hold for over 50 minutes and no help yet. Fortunately, I'm able to get some things done while wearing my phone headset but still quite annoying. Not sure what they are going to require for replacement shipping -- so it might not even be worth getting serviced.

Great machine. Works perfectly

Great value and compact. Easy to operate and clean. Works well.

3 cup size (24 oz) is an excellent alternative to the much larger food processors. Smaller size means MUCH easier to clean by hand — and yes it’s dishwasher safe. Clever 2-button system of “chop” vs “grind” is implemented by a blade which has two cutting edges on opposite sides, so it spins clockwise to chop and counter-clockwise to grind. The two end up being different. Ever have the problem where you start something like basil chopping, and the bottom half of the leaves gets all chopped but the top half doesn’t get chopped at all? I was pleased to discover that if you alternate pushing the “chop” and “grind” buttons, that solves that problem! The “grind” button actually pulls the top half down so you can “chop” it. Note that if you want to continually chop, or grind, you need to hold the button down. There’s no “keep chopping” function like the older mini Cuisinart choppers had. Frankly, I don’t think that feature is worth it at all, and after using this chopper, I don’t miss it. It is no problem to just hold your finger on the button for 10 seconds. And it’s just as easy as before to pulse it. The only (mild) negative I found is that it is more finicky than I expected in locking the bowl onto the machine before it will turn on. You have to put the bowl down with the handle pointing just precisely so (about 7:00 position), then turn it to the 6:00 position, with more precision than previous models, and no clear mark or indicator to guide you. But after a few moments of struggling, you’ll figure it out. Overall, this was a very worthwhile purchase. I recommend.

This is the best Mini-Prep Food Processor ever! I have purchased two, one for me and one for my sister. It is so easy to use, well made, and easy to clean and most of all extremely light especially if you have problems or arthritis with your hands!

Excellent tough little machine!

This is not suitable in our family . To operate this a additional requirement is required which I don't want to buy.

FAIT BIEN LE TRAVAIL QUI PRÉTEND , MEME TRES BIEN

Este producto ya lo había comprado anteriormente. Es muy útil y practico. Tamaño adecuado

NOT FOR THE EU COMES WITH A US PLUG!!! I can smell the engine when I run it even when using an adaptor. I think the wattage is too high for the EU. Also can’t put the barrel in the dishwasher or food gets stuck in side the handle and it has a special type of screw to unscrew it so I can’t get it clean. Don’t buy.