15 out of 15 people found this review helpful.
Little Powerhouse for a Small Kitchen
Date of Review: Sep 18, 2006
The Bottom Line: Overall, it was the best kitchen purchase I made this year. Regret all the hours spent chopping by hand, and I'm only sorry I waited so long to get one.
Though we enjoy our vintage, 70-year-old home, one of the drawbacks is the smallish 10x12 kitchen with limited counter space. I cook often, and enjoy it. But I was very tired of chopping onions, mixing meatloaf, and grating cheese by hand.
The answer to all these problems was clearly a food processor.
Not your Mother's Machine
My mother bought one of the first Cuisinart's to come on the market, way back in the 80's. We loved it. We chopped, grated, and mixed to our stomach's content. It was sturdy, easy to use, and generally enjoyable.
So when I decided to look for a processor, I looked no further than Cuisinart. On discovering this mini version, I was thrilled to bits. Here was the very processor my mother used, only in a three-cup version. The LPP's small footprint means I can leave it out on my countertop without cluttering it up, and the many attachments made me nostalgic for my mom's kitchen.
Little Powerhouse.
This extremely quiet, easy-to-use machine has found a permanent home in my kitchen. The day it arrived, I showed it off to my hubby, and made him watch me use it.
Though it is the smallest capacity you can buy, it is perfect for cooking for two-to-four people, and more if you use the overflow attachment.
I set it up immediately. The manual's directions were easy to read and very clear, complete with sketches. I was confused about the juicers -- it comes with three, but I could only find one! To my surprise, they are all nested for easy storage.
Though it is billed as a basic unit, it includes all the basic attachments for puree, chopping, shredding, grinding, juicing, and mixing. Yes, mixing. I can't wait to try out my meatloaf.
It chops onions, and more delicate tomatoes. I've sliced cheese with it, though I think the shredding attachment works better.
The LPP is also easy to clean, whether you rinse it off in the sink between uses, or pop it in the dishwasher. I don't buy anything that I can't put in the dishwasher. I am considering buying a second bowl for it, though, so I can switch between foods more easily, leaving the cleanup for later. I only wish I could find other attachments, such as a dough blender or whisk, as are available on other Cuisinart processors.
Included in the set:
A motor base with multiple settings and pulse control
Work bowl with feeder lid
Stainless Steel blade
Two stainless steel discs for slicing and shredding
Juicer attachments (three sizes included)
Spatula specially designed to fit in the feeder tube
Chute attachment for overflow, to produce larger quantities (requires a bowl to catch the shreds as they come out)
I think this will be the perfect kitchen helper, and I plan to use it to make nachos, tacos, meatloaf, salad, stuffed grape leaves (mixing the meat), hummus, and many more of my hubby's favorite dishes.
For example, making nachos, I can shred or grate the cheese, onion, lettuce, tomatoes, and the pre-cooked chicken, as well as puree the beans for refrying!
For Hummus, it'll grate the onion, garlic, and puree the Garbanzos, as well as mixing it all together with the oil and lemon. Likewise for meatloaf, it'll grate the peppers, onions, puree the tomatoes, grind the meat, and mix it all together. For these foods, I don't even have to clean the bowl in-between the different ingredients -- it mixes it all together in one bowl. Now that's efficient!
Timing!
As for being a time- saver, I actually timed the difference between using a hand chopper (FIVE minutes for a medium onion), versus rough-chopping it and feeding it through the LPP (ONE minute flat).
