Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

"Oh, I don't need a food processor. I love to chop things by hand! And really, my cheap, tiny blender does just about any job a food processor could do. It's not worth the money!" This has been my mantra for years. Oh, what a fool I was. What a fool! A food processor is such a magical device. You can do things with it that are impossible to do without it! Have you heard of cashew cream sauce? It's fabulous. You soak about two cups of cashews in water for 2 hours, drain and rinse them well, and then toss them in your food processor with a clove or two of peeled garlic, about 2/3 cup of water, and about a teaspoon or so of salt, to taste. Press the power on, and in seconds, you have smooth-bodied, flavourful dip that is extremely versatile. From there, it's all up to your imagination! Add some nutritional yeast to make it taste nice and cheesy, with just a pinch of paprika to bring out those cheesy notes, and serve it with tortilla chips. Or how about a bit of curry powder and some basil to serve with pita chips as a sweet, curry-style dip? Or perhaps you'll use some herbs and pour it over pasta, for a new twist on "lazy pasta night"? Maybe you're no fan of that idea. Well then, how about making pesto right in your own home? Those tiny bottles in the grocery are never as good as the stuff as you can get in a nice restaurant, and they can be damned pricey for such mediocre flavour. Make it yourself, and be amazed! Or what about hummus? You can use a method by Kenji Lopez-Alt over at SeriousEats to make tahini sauce with garlic and lemon that makes for a FANTASTIC base for the best hummus of your life (made with, I suggest, the best on the market, and available also here on Amazon: Soom Foods Pure Ground Sesame Tahini 11oz (2 Pack))! Sabra has got NOTHING on homemade hummus. There's also the sheer joy of buying nuts in bulk, knowing that you're saving quite a bit of money tossing them into your food processor to get chopped rather than buying them pre-chopped. Or you can quickly chop toppings for a salad. There's a lot of chopping this thing can handle that you might not care to handle yourself! Or, how about this: the best homemade ice cream you've ever had? It's simple; make your custard-style base (I recommend Jeni Britton Bauer's method, Google it or pick up her book here: Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home), freeze it overnight in a big gallon freezer bag laid out flat, and the next day, break it into pieces to throw into your food processor. Then you can whip it to a gorgeous creamy state, add in some flavourings, pour into an ice cream container, and freeze; voila! The best homemade ice cream you've EVER had - guaranteed better than storebought, that's for sure, and a lot healthier, since you're in total control of what goes in it. :) And I'm sure before I even began to write this review, you had your own ideas. Nut butters? Certainly! How about dough? It can do it! Grating cheese? Well, I prefer an old-fashioned box grater, but if you're tired of washing that ol' beast, absolutely, go for one of these! There's just so many wonderful things you can do with this gorgeous machine; and it's outrageously simple to handle. I've seen a great many food processors in family homes; they're awkward, they're cumbersome, and they're very noisy. This isn't whisper-silent, but I can safely use it all hours of the night without losing a finger or waking my sleeping household. Now, I must confess I've had precisely one point of frustration with it since I bought it: I opened it up, threw in an ingredient, put the top back on, hit the "ON" button, and.. nothing. I was dumbfounded. Why isn't this brand new machine working? Turns out, it was a safety feature! I hadn't secured the top, so it didn't come on. And thank goodness! I would've had a big mess on my hands. Knowing that it will simply not turn on if I don't have the top fastened on correctly is a comfort to me; I can get to work and not worry about double-checking that I've put everything back in place just so, and I can trust little ones to put things into it without worrying that they'll get over-excited to turn it on and send ingredients flying around my kitchen! And it's so simple to put together and take apart once you take a few minutes to handle it first-hand. This is a wonderful machine to aid the home cook, and I believe if you've made it this far in my review, you know I'm right. You deserve this. It'll take a special position in your kitchen, just like a KitchenAid; in fact, a KitchenAid and this food processor have a constant presence on my countertop. If you love to cook, and you love to explore new techniques and recipes, then I beg of you; do yourself a big favour and get this today!