Cuisinart DLC 2011..If you need to shred mass quantities, this is the way to go

I really enjoy cooking. And I enjoy gadgets. That said, I never would have bought the DLC-2011 for myself. It was a gift from my husband. Oh, I would have visited it in the store and online, and would have WANTED one, but I wouldn't have shelled out the 230 bucks for it.

But I'm glad he did.

First off, the thing is SOLID. Cuisinart is to food processors what Kleenex is to tissues, and with good reason. You can tell when you take it out of the box that this is NOT a flimsy appliance. I may not use it a lot, but this thing is going to last me forever, much like my KitchenAid mixer.

The DLC 2011 comes with a standard blade, a blunt blade for making dough, and two discs....one for long shreds and one for thin slices. It's simple to figure out how to put it all together, even if you don't read the directions. Very intuitive.

It's got the usual safety interlock devices, and that's a Good Thing. They aren't kidding when they say "blades are sharp". I supposed if you really wanted, you could figure out how to override the interlocks, but you're not going to accidentally be able to stick your hand in the bowl while the blade is going around.

It really can't be beaten for shredding cabbage for slaw, making pesto, and it does ok with pie crust, too. It does exactly what you expect it do, quickly, and well. EASY to clean. Instead of buttons, the controls on the front are touch pads, so there aren't any nooks and crannies to trap grease and crud. (There are 4. Off, On, Pulse, and Dough) When you're done processing, the bowl assembly comes apart easily, pops off the base, and is ready for sink or dishwasher. The base is smooth and easy to clean.

Now, you can't just throw a big wedge of parmesean in the bowl, hit the on button, and expect perfection. There's some prep work involved for using any food processor. But really nothing more than making your raw materials of a size that they can fit in feed tubes. In the case of the cheese, you'll need to chop it into about equal sized cubes to get a good consistency for your final product. If you're shredding cabbage and carrots, you'll need to make sure you're starting with hunks that can fit in the large feed tube.

Storage is the only issue I have, and that's because my kitchen, like my house, was built in 1926 and there's not a lot of storage space. My husband turned a useless coat closet into a pantry for me, and it goes on a shelf in there. The parts store in the bowl assembly, and the whole thing sits on a shelf, ready to be pulled out as needed.

Cuisinart has a really nicely done web site, with listings, pictures and descriptions of the company's products, recipes, and other information.


Warrantee information:
Full 10-year motor warranty
Limited 3-year warranty on entire unit

www.cuisinart.com
1-800-726-0190