KitchenAid Food Processors Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this model almost two years ago, as a replacement for a much-loved food processor that had been discontinued. Here's why I don't like this one:
1) One of my main criteria when I was shopping for it was that my new food processor should have a large capacity. This one was advertised as having a large capacity. But the stem in the middle of the bowl is very short, so you can't actually put much food into it, especially if the food is liquidy.
2) They advertise having one of the widest mouthed feed tubes. But what they don't tell you is that the "maximum fill line" on the feed tube is very low. So you really can't pack all *that* much food into the feed tube.
3) The ad said it had an attachment called "juicer." I thought that this meant that I could use it to, say, juice carrots, like the way my local food co-op has a juice bar where you can buy things like carrot-beet-celery juice. But no, actually the "juicer" is an attachment where you push down on an orange over a dome and the juice comes down the sides, through holes, and into the body of the food processor. It's basically like an ordinary "Mexican hat shaped" manual juicer except that you use the food processor to turn the middle (I guess that's how it goes -- I've never used this attachment) and then the bowl collects the juice. When I made my final decision between the last two food processors that I was looking at, I chose this one because it said "juicer." So this was a disappointment and made me feel that I'd been snared by phony ad hype. Interesting... I see they are now saying "citrus press" instead of "juicer" for this attachment. I think that is much more honest.
4) It's not good with small quantities. My old food processor could chop a clove of garlic. My KitchenAid just bounces the clove of garlic around, uncut.
5) Food often will "slalom" between the lower and upper blade without ever getting chopped. I've made hummus, let the machine run for a while, served it, and then found whole garlic cloves in the middle of the hummus, totally uncut. My old food processor never did that.
6) Flimsy spatula.
7) The rim of the lid fits on the *outside* of the bowl. So if you blend anything liquidy, it's pretty much guaranteed to be spread all over the outside of the food processor. And the counter underneath. On my old food processor, the lid fit *inside* the bowl, which was a zillion times better at keeping drips contained, mess-free.
8) When I want to take off the bowl with the blade inside, the blade is always "locked" to the middle stem, which keeps the bowl from coming out unless I reach in and disconnect the blade. This is easy to do, but it's annoying, especially when the blade is covered in food.
9) The pusher that you use to push food through the feed tube has two parts to it. They often unlock from each other while I'm in the middle of using them to push food into the food processor. This seems mildly dangerous.
10) When I bought it, I loved the idea of having multiple bowls, so that I could chop one thing, then switch bowls and chop something else. However, to use a smaller bowl you need to put the smaller bowl inside the larger bowl and then run the food processor with both bowls attached. Unfortunately, the few times I've tried this, food from the smaller bowl has gotten onto the bigger bowl, making it dirty enough that it needed washing too, with no time saved.
The one thing that I *do* especially like about the KitchenAid more than my old food processor is that its base is very well-sealed, so it is easy to wipe spills off it.
You wanted to hear all of that. Right? :-)----------
An update: Soon after I wrote this review, the food processor self-destructed. One of the metal blades ripped off of the shaft while I was using it. And then a piece of the latch broke off the lid in a way that sealed the lid and bowl permanently shut and permanently attached to the base. I was really happy, because it gave me a chance to buy a new food processor. I got a Braun CombiMax and am delighted with it. Here is a link to it: Braun CombiMax K-650 Food Processor, Braun K650 replaces the K600 The CombiMax has a much larger usable capacity than my old KitchenAid did, plus some nifty features that I haven't seen on any other food processor, such as a sealed bowl -- which means that liquid can't run out through the stem, so you can fill it *much* more full than other food processors.

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With its powerful 700-watt motor, this convenient food processor quickly and easily slices, dices, chops, and purees, helping to reduce prep time in the kitchen. The unit's durable sealed housing creates a sound barrier for quiet operation, while its ultra-wide mouth feed tube accommodates tomatoes, cucumbers, and potatoes with minimal sectioning or slicing. The food processor features three polycarbonate bowls, including a large 12-cup-capacity work bowl, a 10-cup chef's bowl, and a 4-cup mini bowl with mini blade. A multipurpose stainless-steel blade, dough blade, citrus press, and egg whip are also included, as well as three precision stainless-steel discs: a fine 2-mm slicing disc, a medium 4-mm slicing disc, and a medium 4-mm shredding disc. Other highlights include pulse control, a spatula/cleaning tool, an instruction/recipe guide, and a durable storage case that helps protect and keep the blades, discs, and accessories organized. For added convenience, the control pad and base of the appliance wipe clean easily and the bowls, blades, and discs are dishwasher-safe. Stylish and functional for today's busy kitchen, the food processor measures 10-1/2 by 8-1/4 by 16-1/8 inches and carries a one-year hassle-free replacement warranty.

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