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Product Reviews |
Reviews /
Cuisinart Mini-Prep Food Processor SummaryA small food processor (with a capacity around two cups) is an invaluable accessory to anyone who regularly cooks certain cuisines, such as Indian, to prepare pastes of herbs and spices. The original Cuisinart Mini-Prep DLC-1 and the stainless steel DLC-1SS (shown at right) did this job very well, but have been made obsolete by the DLC-2, which was redesigned by a complete idiot. If you can find a DLC-1, I recommend that you buy it. If you can't, well, I really don't know. Detailed ReviewThe DLC-1 (or DLC-1SS), is essentially a scaled-down version of the highly respected classic Cuisinart food processor at about a quarter of the price. It does everything that the classic does, when fitted with the standard blade, but on much smaller quantities of material. Many Indian recipes, for example, call for something like two tablespoons of fresh ginger root, three cloves or garlic and two green chilies. This gets lost in a classic, but the Mini-Prep DLC-1 handles it perfectly. The cost is so low that if you have space to store it you should really get one of these. The DLC-2A is a redesign of the Mini-Prep that introduces some serious design flaws. The sensible two-speed operation of the "HI" and "LO" switches has been replaced with "Chop" and "Grind", one of which (I haven't bothered to remember which one) makes the blade go backwards. The blade, which originally sat low in the food container, has been replaced by one at a higher angle that just whizzes harmlessly above small loads. Worst of all, the straight sides of the container, which originally enabled the contents to be easily scraped out using the supplied tool, have been replaced by curved sides. Now you need to find a tiny rubber spatula or scrape away at it with a spoon; the tool (which is still supplied) is almost useless. |