callen

One of my main reasons to get one is to grate cheese & this is why I want a good one with decent power. I also would like to do dough in it & you need decent power for that too. I do have a KitchenAid stand mixer with 475 watts but the FP I am looking at is 600 watts so that's even more power. I do have the attachments for my KA to do cheese but I find it grates the cheese in pieces smaller than I prefer. The old hand grater does a good job but my knuckles have paid the price at times. I also would do veggies in the FP for salads etc. but the main use would be cheese & dough. I appreciate the responses so far so please keep them coming.................

Geri B

Have had a kitchen aid for many years. Have accessories to make sausage,ground beef, pastas, breadcrumbs and anything to be shredded or sliced! Along with the blender attachment and the beaters, bowls. Best investment ever...have used, and still use a lot of the attachments, never had a breakdown...

I prefer to be a "scratch" cooker..as opposed to frozen/boxed.

DJ

Some people love them, some don't. I guess you won't know which you are unless you give it a try. I think a good idea would be to get an inexpensive one (Goodwill) and see if you use it and like it. Then you could upgrade if you found it indispensable, but wouldn't have a huge investment in it if you found you didn't use it.

I've tried them and they seem like too much work to get them out and put them away and take too much room on my countertop for the few times I'd use it. I use a hand chopper or knife and cutting board for chopping and my blender for puree; either hand-grate or buy pre-grated cheese.

callen

Me too. Do you happen to know the # of watts that your KA has? There is 1 (KA) at walmart for $100. with 300 watts of power & 1 at Canadian tire (Cuisinart) with 600 watts for $200. I am leaning towards the 600 watts for the extra power.

Annie Pearl

I have two, a big one and a mini. I don't use either one of them.

joysewer

The only thing I ever used mine for was to grate carrots for carrot cake and cabbage for cole slaw. It broke and I didn't replace it for years. Finally, I decided I needed another one instead of hand grating carrots. My friends recommended a Ninja instead of a food processor so I got one of those. I LOVE that thing!! It comes with a small bowl and 2 blender pitchers, each with their own blades. The motor fits on all of these and chops things with just pulses.

Prism99

I use my KA to grind up carrots for carrot bread. It's also nice for making a loaf of bread very quickly. I put all dry ingredients in, pulse a few times, then turn it on and add water through the hole on top. For me, the trick is to *not* overmix (stop as soon as ball forms) and to add enough water for a soft, sticky dough; this makes for a tender bread. Too much mixing and it comes out a brick! I let it rise right inside the bowl. When ready, take out, knead slightly, proof, form into a loaf, let rise and bake. It also works great to make topping for apple crisp.

There are only two of us at home now, and I find I do not use the FP for chopping onions, etc. simply because there is not enough to make it worthwhile. I would find the FP essential if cooking daily for 4 people or more, and it's essential for my carrot bread and a few other things, but I don't find it particularly useful when cooking for 2.

Regarding the cut that was mentioned, the blades are extremely sharp and I am always *super* careful when handling them. I can understand how someone could easily get cut.

For soups, it's a lot easier and less messy to use an immersion blender rather than a FP or regular blender.

We buy shredded cheese at Sam's Club and keep it in the freezer until needed.

Mine is a very strong KA that is no longer made. My biggest issue with it is that the plastic parts that supposedly go into the dishwasher become brittle over time and need replacement (pricey). Before the KA I had one of the smaller Cuisinarts for years and it was *perfect* for a loaf of bread; regretted giving it away as I had to change technique and proportions for the much larger KA. If you are making a single loaf of bread, you do not need a huge bowl or motor.

Companies change, so you really need to look at current reviews of brands and models. Amazon is a good place to go for that. I would also recommend not going too big with a FP unless you know you will be using it to can large quantities, chop for large meals, etc. For 2 people, a moderate size can actually be better.

BDawn

I have 2 the small one is a ninja and I use it for chopping nuts, veggies and making bread crumbs. The bigger one is a Cuisinart and I make my pie dough in it. It makes the pie dough perfectly flaky tender and oh so good.

Prism99

For those of you have the Ninja, is it a food processor or a blender? I think the only Ninja's I have seen are blenders.

quilter1

I love my Cuisinart. I wore out the first one- it was a wedding gift 32 years ago, now I am on to #2. I use it for pie dough (pour the mix into a bowl then add water, to not overmix), chopping anything like onions or nuts, shredding cabbage or carrots, slicing cukes for pickles, breadcrumbs, shredding cheese. The list goes on. It is a bit of a pain to wash, just be careful of the blade. I would say to buy the better quality unit, if you have a cheap one and it doesn't do the job then you would not use it.