Kitchen

[SuesCat]

I need a jump-start to getting away from take-out, canned, and boxed dinners. I actually enjoy cooking and am fairly good at it. But more & more often i am taking the fast & easy way out when it comes to what's for supper, which is no doubt higher in fats, calories, and sodium. And it's definitely not as delish as home-made from scratch. Plus, i've got weight to lose.

I'm thinking a food processor/Slicer/Chopper/Grinder will be just the tool i need to get back to basics. Nothing too fancy. Also, something with a smaller footprint and not too heavy would be best for me.

I'm thinking pesto type sauces, sliced and julienne veggies & potatoes, and we eat so much peanut butter.. maybe i could make my own? I'd much rather shop the perimeter of the grocery store than the inside (packaged food) aisles.

I've been browsing online and saw a Hamilton Beach Big Mouth for around $60. Good price point for me, but i'm not sure about the HB brand. I also figure that i'd want at least 500 watts for power and less noise, stress on the machine?

If you have any advice on any of this, i'd really appreciate your experience and/or ideas. Thanks so much.. i'm motivated now! Take care ~ sue

[brandiwine]

Kitchenaid makes the best food processors. I cook healthy meals 6 out of 7 nights. Too bad you missed the TSV a couple of days ago. That processor has a smaller footprint than my 13 cup one. It comes with adjustable slicing blades and a julienne and French fry blade. It also has a small bowl for small jobs. With a little planning, cooking good meals at home is pretty easy.

[SuesCat]

Thanks, brandiwine! I did take a good hard look at that one.. and it actually seemed fairly quiet on the on-air demos. I got scared off in that it was only 350 or so watts, but i see it's still available, and maybe that's all i need. Your reply is greatly appreciated!

[AnikaBrodie]

I love Magic Bullet and Krups chopper for chopping and grinding. Both work very well.

[SuesCat]

Anika ~ thanks for the recommendation on that one! 'Good to know what actually works in rl when i'm shopping around!

[Sooner]

The Cuisinart basic food processors with the square base are great machines! They are easy to work and reliable! They are the old style with the toggle switch not the electronic push button one (the more rounded model). I LOVED mine! I upgraded to a fancier one with 3 bowls, but sometimes I miss my old one. The two I had have lasted a long long time. My mom got both of them when I upgraded and the last one is still going at her house. Just get the size you need!

[Sooner]

A footnote: I had both the KitchenAid and Cuisinart mini ones and never used them. For general purposes and not huge batches, the Cuisinart 11 cup ones are good!

[SuesCat]

Sooner, i think there was a Cuisinart i was interested in, too. And i definitely think i should get at least a 9 cup, 11 would be good, too. Thank you! Everyone's comments are helpful! More online window shopping tomorrow!

[viva923]

I am not sure what the name is, but I purchased it a year or two ago on the Q. It was shown on the Wednesday night cook with dave show.

it is a hand slicer,dicer . it comes with 5 blades, shredder, slicer (which I use the most), a fine shredder, Juliann slicer. .

[SuesCat]

viva ~ you know? I've been thinking about something like that, too. But i think it'll be too hard on my hands. It doesn't take much these days. Maybe i should start with one of those and get into the groove of prepping fresh veggies and using them in recipes. That's definitely a thought to consider. Thank you!