Food processor recs?

sanae78

I really wanna buy a food processor because I'm dying to make some fresh salsa and when we start Kaya on solids I plan to make her baby food.  But I have no idea what kind to get or what features I should look for.  Anyone have any recommendations?  TIA!

lola808

VITA MIX!

It's a blender, but you can vary the speed and do about a gazillion things with it, including making salsa and soup (and it comes out HOT)!   It's also good for baby food and I plan to make some when A is old enough.

Pricey, but sooooooooo worth it.  We use it all the time.

MrsZiz

lola808:

VITA MIX!

It's a blender, but you can vary the speed and do about a gazillion things with it, including making salsa and soup (and it comes out HOT)!   It's also good for baby food and I plan to make some when A is old enough.

Pricey, but sooooooooo worth it.  We use it all the time.

We have a vitamix and while I LOVE it for smoothies and acai bowls and such, I HATE HATE HATE it for baby food. The blade doesn't come out so a LOT of the food is under the blade when you make baby food. You have to make a LARGE batch of baby food to make it worth it. I cooked 12 peaches and it still wasn't worth it for me to use it, instead I used my normal food processor.

As for our food processor, we got it a garage sale last year It's decent size (I would say medium). I would be sure that you can take the blade out so you can scrape all of the food out and you don't waste any. When making baby food and putting it in ice cube trays you want to use up every last bit of the food. We buy B organic so I really don't want to waste that pricey stuff! Ours is super basic and I would probably post on CL that you WTB one and see what comes up. For sure don't buy the one at Williams Sonoma, that cost SO much and is not worth it for sure!  

KShiz

I have Cuisinart, but which ever you choose, make sure you compare prices w/ what they have on Amazon.  I got a better price AND free shipping  

SanHawaii08

i have a kitchenaid, and while i love it, it's huge, and has a gazillion parts to wash.  so i sometimes avoid using it just so i don't have to wash it

MrsIH

We also have a Kitchen Aid and I love it!  Even with the extra parts to wash.  It was also a gift from my late Grandfather  We also have a Cuisinart mini prep plus which is handy when you don't want to bring out the bigger KA.  

husky422

I have a Cuisinart.  I don't know if I've ever used it...lol.  I found it again while I was looking for something in the above the fridge cupboard 

MauiWedding08

MrsIH:

We also have a Kitchen Aid and I love it! 

 

We also have a Cuisinart mini prep plus which is handy when you don't want to bring out the bigger KA.  

same with me.  I really like the KA.  Mine has 3 bowls (that nest) so if I'm ever making something that requires a couple of different things be processed (like when making cheesecake crust and filling) I like that I don't have to stop and wash the bowl and blade, I just use the next size.

I also like the mini prep for quick chopping - like onions, etc for dinner when I'm in a hurry.

I don't think we plan to do purees for baby food but if I were I would be really happy with the KA because of the nested bowls - I could make multiple things (in varying amounts) quickly.

sanae78

So which KA one is it?  Is it the 12 cup?  Are there lots of different ones?

MauiWedding08

hmmm, good question - I have had mine since college...

I just looked up the 12 cup one at Macy's and it only lists 2 bowls (a large one and a super small one).  Mine has 3 which is important b/c I always use the large and medium ones.  The small one is very small and I would rather just use the cuisinart mini-prep for that type of job.

MauiWedding08

I just googled kitchenaid food processor three bowls and found this:

overstock.com link

that is the one I have.

lola808

MrsZiz:

lola808:

VITA MIX!

It's a blender, but you can vary the speed and do about a gazillion things with it, including making salsa and soup (and it comes out HOT)!   It's also good for baby food and I plan to make some when A is old enough.

Pricey, but sooooooooo worth it.  We use it all the time.

We have a vitamix and while I LOVE it for smoothies and acai bowls and such, I HATE HATE HATE it for baby food. The blade doesn't come out so a LOT of the food is under the blade when you make baby food. You have to make a LARGE batch of baby food to make it worth it. I cooked 12 peaches and it still wasn't worth it for me to use it, instead I used my normal food processor.

Bummer!  I can sort of imagine this happening... 

lelekay

I LOVE my Cuisinart Prep 9, but have never used it for baby food.  We got a Beaba Babycook for Christmas this past year, so I was planning to use that.  But for soups and such, the Cuisinart rocks!

mrs.winter

I have this that I got at Costco for $18 and it is the best for baby food. Easy to clean, etc

 

mrspresley

if you just want one for baby food and occasional use i think most any will do and it doesn't have to be fancy.

if you plan to use it a lot for other things too then i think cuisinart makes one of the best ones. i would get on that is at least 11 cups so you can make a decent amount with it (with some of my baked goods and puddings my smaller one doesn't fit it and i have to work in 2 batches).  if you aren't in a rush to get it you can keep your eyes out for deals...often you see deals at Tuesday Morning...or at Kohl's where you can use a 30% off coupon and get Kohl's cash too   I think a good deal would be about $100 for one... I think my MIL got the 11 or 14 cup one for that price.

SanHawaii08

My KA is very similar to Robbi's - 12 cup, 3 bowls, but i think mine might be a slightly older model - linky

but personally, i'd probably prefer Renee's setup for baby food...we have a stick blender too - i might try that when the time comes. 

plumeriapal

You've already got great responses but I wanted to plug the Cuisinart mini prep too. It's perfect for salsas and pestos and for chopping things like fresh herbs or onions on the fly.