Cuisinart Food Processor Guide

Cuisinart FP-14

The FP-14 is the most advanced Cuisinart food processor right now, and part of the Elite Collection series. This is the model you should get if you're looking for the very best. It has an incredibly powerful 1,000-watt induction motor that's capable of handling almost anything you throw at it, and the 14-cup work bowl is big enough for even the largest projects. It also comes with an 11-cup medium bowl, and a 4½-cup small bowl that are nested neatly inside the large bowl, for those times when you don't need the full capacity.

The included work bowls are made from polycarbonate, meaning they're extremely durable. The FP-14 also features Cuisinart's SealTight Advantage System, that seals the bowls and locks the blades when you're using it. This system ensures that you can fill the bowl to maximum capacity without having to worry about leaks and spills, and it also makes it very safe to use.

The Cuisinart FP-14 is easily loaded, thanks to the wide-mouth feed tube that makes loading even large ingredients a breeze. You'll save a lot of time with this since you don't have to chop the ingredients into smaller pieces before loading them. Other features include an easy-to-use touchpad control panel, LED indicator lights and an on/off locking system. Most of the parts are of course removable and dishwasher-safe. It also comes with a range of useful accessories, including an adjustable slicing disc, mixing/chopping blades, a book with instructions/recipes and an instructional DVD.

Cuisinart FP-12

Cuisinart FP-12 is essentially a smaller version of the FP-14, and also part of the Elite Collection series. It has the same, powerful 1,000-watt motor that doesn't struggle a bit even with the most difficult jobs. As the name implies, it comes with a 12-cup work bowl, and also a smaller 4-cup bowl nested inside, which is great for smaller jobs that don't require a large bowl.

Just like the FP-14 it comes with the SealTight Advantage System, which ensures that you don't have to worry about leaks and spills when you're using the food processor. This system is great because it means much less time spent on cleaning up after using it. Another similarity with the FP-14 is the wide-mouth feed tube, that lets you load large ingredients without having to chop them up first.

Most of the other features are also shared with the FP-14, so essentially you should really only consider the FP-12 if you know you don't need the 14-cup capacity (or you want to save a few bucks).

Cuisinart DLC-2011

The DLC-2011 is the largest food processor in the Premier Series, which is Cuisinart's midrange series of food processors. It's equipped with a powerful 600-watt motor that automatically adjusts the speed when mixing dough. As the name implies it comes with an 11-cup work bowl, which should be big enough for most people.

The included Lexan work bowl is of course dishwasher-safe, and virtually impossible to shatter. This machine is also very easy to load, even when using large ingredients like whole fruits, thanks to the extra-large feed tube. This feature is great because it means less time spent on preparations.

The DLC-2011 comes with a range of accessories. There are slicing and shredding discs, both made from high-quality stainless steel, a blade for chopping/mixing and of course also a dough blade. It's also very easy to get started with it, thanks to the included instructional DVD and the book with recipes/instructions.

Cuisinart DLC-2009

The Cuisinart DLC-2009 is the medium size model in their Premier Series. It's very similar to the DLC-2011 in many ways, including the powerful 600-watt motor that it ships with. However, this one has a smaller work bowl (9 cups instead of 11), meaning you won't be able to use it for really big jobs. Note that "2011" and "2009" designates only the model sizes, and the names have nothing to do with the years they were introduced, which might be easy to think.

Like the DLC-2011, it has a Lexan work-bowl which is shatterproof and dishwasher-safe. The wide-mouth feed tube is also the same on these models, meaning you'll get the same easy loading with the 2009 as on the 2011. You can even throw whole fruits into it, no problem.

The included accessories are virtually the same as on the DLC-2011, so that shouldn't affect your decision. In the end, the price difference between the 2009 and the 2011 is very small, so unless you're short on countertop space you might as well get the 2011.

Cuisinart DLC-2007

The DLC-2007 is the smallest Cuisinart food processor in their Premier Series. In a direct comparison there aren't really that many differences between the models in this series. Basically the unique think about the 2007 is that it comes with a 7-cup work bowl instead of 9 or 11 as found on the other models in this series. Some people find that a 7-cup bowl is more than enough though, in which case this food processor might be a great choice.

As mentioned, this food processor shares most of its characteristics with its larger counterparts, the 2009 and the 2011. It has the same durable work-bowl (dishwasher-safe) and the extra-large feed tube for loading large ingredients. Even the accessories are virtually the same as on the larger models. All in all, this food processor is probably best for people who know that they aren't going to use the full capacity of the larger models.

Cuisinart DFP-14

The Cuisinart DFP-14, part of their Classic series, is a 14-cup Cuisinart food processor in a classic, timeless design. It features a 720-watt motor, which is more than powerful enough for most jobs. It's quite similar to the Elite Collection FP-14 model in many ways, although not as powerful. It has pulse control for better control when chopping and pureeing.

The 14-cup Lexan work bowl should be large enough to work well in most situations, and it's dishwasher-safe for easy cleaning when you're done. This food processor also comes with the extra-large feed tube that can be found on most Cuisinart models, making it easy and painless to load even large ingredients (like fruit or whole potatoes) into it.

The DFP-14 comes with a range of accessories, including attachments for shredding, slicing, chopping, kneading and mixing. There's also a recipe book and an instructional video to help you get started with using it.

Cuisinart DLC-4 Mini-Prep Plus

The DLC-4 Mini-Prep Plus is a smaller food processor, intended for smaller jobs. It's a great choice if you don't need the large capacity of the high-end models. It comes with a 4-cup work bowl and is very handy for everyday usage in the kitchen (since it's so small you can keep it standing by on the counter at all times). The motor might not be able to compete with high-end models, but it is more than powerful enough for most small jobs.

It's very simple to use, with only two options: chop and grind, both using the same Smart Power Blade which moves in different  directions depending on what you're doing. There's also a pulse option for maximum control. It's controlled with a simple touchpad panel, and the removable parts are of course dishwasher-safe.