Product Review... Cuisinart Elite 12 Cup Food Processor Model FP-12DC
The wonderful and very generous folks at Cuisinart have sent me a Cuisinart Elite Collection 12-Cup Food Processor Model FP-12DC to test and review.
The Cuisinart company makes a host of products ranging from bakeware, griddlers, ice cream makers, to countertop cooking appliances...and even food processors. Among their food processors, Cuisinart has the Elite Collection... featuring a 4 Cup chopper/Grinder, a 12 Cup Food Processor , and a 14 Cup Food Processor. But for this review, I tested the Cuisinart Elite Collection 12-Cup Food Processor Model FP-12DC in the die cast. The Cuisinart Elite is a redesigned food processor that offers new and exciting features. Upon opening the package, I first noticed how sturdy and heavy-duty the food processor was. Would it perform?
I was very curious to find out...
About the Elite:
This is one high-capacity, heavy-duty processor with an ultrapowerful motor! You will definitely feel how powerful the the 12-Cup Elite Processor is...it has a 1000 watt peak power motor. This of course, allows for some real effortless slicing, shredding, chopping, mixing, and even kneading. It has 2 interchangeable bowls...a 12-cup and 4-cup bowl. The 4 cup bowl is nested inside the 12 cup...so you can use the 4 cup to do some chopping and then easily switch to the 12 cup to do shredding, slicing, mixing, etc. The electronic touch-pad controls feature an on, off, and a pulse function....it is easy to clean.
One neat feature of the Elite, is the SealTight(TM) system. This creates a spillproof seal between the bowl and the lid. It allows you to fill the bowl to maximum without without leaking. A pretty cool new feature!!...no more leaking when you process soups, puree foods, etc.
It also has an additional feature where you can lock both bowls while you pour out your ingredients. That's really nice, because you don't have to deal with the bowl/blade falling and creating a mess. The 2 blades provided are very durable and made of stainless steel. It has a couple of finger holes where you can pick them up safely. The slicing disc is adjustable. You can customize the size and thickness you want by turning the dial to the required thickness....from 1 mm to to 6mm. I love this feature...you don't need a bunch of slicing discs.
The shredding disc is two sided... allowing you to quickly grate thin or thick shreds of ingredients.
It even has a dough blade that makes it easy to knead dough without using the harsh chopping blade.
The chopping blade will process foods or even mix ingredients.
Another wonderful feature of the Elite is the extra-large feed tube.... which I love! It eliminates the need to precut most ingredients. It also gives you the option of a smaller feed tube, if needed.
The pulsing motion is quick and quiet. I can't get over how quiet it is!
Some of the features of the Cuisinart Elite Collection 12-Cup Food Processor:
• 2 Food Processors in 1
• 12-cup Large Bowl and 4-cup Small Bowl with Pour Spouts & Measurement Markings
• Exclusive Patent-Pending SealTight™ Advantage System – Seals Bowls and Locks Blades
• Easy On/Off Locking System with Push-Button Release
• Stainless Steel Adjustable Slicing Disc (1 to 6mm)
• Stainless Steel Reversible Shredding Disc (fine/medium)
• Large and Small Stainless Steel Chopping/Mixing Blades with BladeLock System
• Dough Blade
• Cuisinart® Supreme® Wide-Mouth Feedtube and Cover Assembly
• Electronic Touchpad Controls – On/Off/Pulse with Blue LED lights
• 1000-Watt Peak Power Motor
• Spatula
• How-to DVD and recipes by Hubert Keller
• Recipe/Instruction Book
• All removable parts are dishwasher safe
• 10-Year Motor Warranty 3-Year Limited Warranty
• Available in Die-Cast, White, and Black
You can watch a demo video of the Cuisinart Elite Food Processor HERE.
How I tested the Cuisinart Elite Food Processor:
Over a period of several weeks, I decided to make a variety of recipes... using as many of the features the Elite has to offer. Some of the recipes were the ones I often prepare. Yet there were a few new recipes that I had never made before. When I first started using the Elite, I noticed how powerful and well it performed.... yet it was quiet. With that alone I was impressed! The noise level was very minimal...I need to stress that, because it impressed me way beyond my expectation.
MAKING HASH BROWNS:
On Saturday morning, we sometimes have hash browns. My husband usually helps with that. He usually takes out a hand held grater and grates the potatoes. This time around, I had him try the Elite. He placed the grating disc in the food processor, adjusted it, and proceeded to grate the potatoes. In literally seconds, he grated the potatoes. He commented on how quickly and quietly the Elite performed. He loved it...
SLICING ONIONS:
I needed to slice some onions to fry for the Chicken Biryani. I used the slicing disc and adjusted it to 1mm. I got beautiful thin slices in under a minute. Incredible...I was impressed how quickly it had sliced the onions that would have easily taken me much longer to do by hand. And they were evenly sliced! I also used the Elite to make thicker sliced onions for my Basque Chicken...it sure simplified the dish, that's for sure.
SHREDDING VEGETABLES FOR SALADS:
I shredded some carrots and jicama for a salad. I had a salad in a matter of minutes...evenly shredded.
MAKING BAKED GOODS:
One day I made some biscuit scones. It was a breeze cutting the butter into the flour....evenly distributed by using the pulse button. This is great for making double or triple batches.
MAKING SIDE DISHES:
On another day, I ventured out to try a new recipe. I made a Potato Pave( recipe soon to be posted) where 3 pounds of thinly sliced potatoes were needed. My potatoes were all odd shaped and I still managed to get some wonderful thin slices... in record time. We were able to enjoy a an elegant side dish that looked beautiful.
MAKING DOUGH:
I also wanted to use the dough blade. I decided to make some whole wheat(chipotle flavored) homemade tortillas (recipe soon to follow).The Elite combined and kneaded the dough beautifully. I had homemade shredded beef burritos with homemade tortillas for dinner.... ready in less than an hour. What a treat!
MAKING "ICE CREAM":
And of course, I was excited to try the 1 ingredient "ice cream" ... banana ice cream!Have you ever made it? Basically, you freeze sliced bananas for 2 hours and process until smooth and creamy. You can add all sorts of additional ingredients, such as honey or sugar, flavoring, milk/cream, chocolate...etc. I chose to make the original as well as a chocolate version. I was impressed with the Elite managing to cream the bananas with very little effort. I had a healthy "ice cream" in a matter of minutes...very nice!
SHREDDING CHEESE:
Oh, and today, I needed to shred a 2 pound cheddar cheese block. I slightly froze the cheese for a few minutes. I cut the block in 3 pieces...the wide mouth feed tuber was perfect for the job. It was big enough...I was able to fit the cheese blocks right through the feed tube. I had beautiful shredded cheese in minutes...ready to be placed in a ziploc bag and frozen for future use. How cool is that?!
I can't say enough about this food processor...this is one amazing food processor that performed beyond what I expected. I just love it! I am looking forward to using the Elite for many other recipes.
Would I recommend it?
Absolutely... 5 stars indeed!
The Cuisinart Elite, completely redesigned, with all sorts of exciting new features, provides the home chef with one of the finest food processors on the market.
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