Cuisinart FP-8SV Elemental 8-Cup Food Processor, Silver

l love love love my Cuisinart Elemental food processor. I bought it a few years ago and immediately thought that maybe I had made a mistakes in purchasing such a powerful processor. It's also a bit large and has a lot of accessories so the entire set takes up quite a bit of space. I used it once to prep some food for a huge party then didn't use it again for over a year. I thought about selling it, but then I decided to just put it to use. Once I really got the hang of it, it was game over. I use it so much now. I shred whole blocks of cheese, makes purees, make nut spreads, make salsas, slice veggies, spiralize zucchini; the possibilities are endless. All the parts (minus the processor itself, of course) are dishwasher safe so cleaning it super easy. I definitely ... Morel love love love my Cuisinart Elemental food processor. I bought it a few years ago and immediately thought that maybe I had made a mistakes in purchasing such a powerful processor. It's also a bit large and has a lot of accessories so the entire set takes up quite a bit of space. I used it once to prep some food for a huge party then didn't use it again for over a year. I thought about selling it, but then I decided to just put it to use. Once I really got the hang of it, it was game over. I use it so much now. I shred whole blocks of cheese, makes purees, make nut spreads, make salsas, slice veggies, spiralize zucchini; the possibilities are endless. All the parts (minus the processor itself, of course) are dishwasher safe so cleaning it super easy. I definitely recommend this product if you're an avid cook.

A new food processor after all these years!

I bought my new food processor several weeks ago. I grow basil during the summer and, about this time of year, i start making it into pesto to freeze for use during the winter - my primary use for a food processor (that, and making hummus sometimes). Sadly, my old processor - a smallish Black and Decker hand-me-down from my late aunt that was more than 20 years old (!) - died on me when a small but crucial part broke.I had already harvested a lot of basil so no delay was possible.Fortunately, my local Bed Bath & Beyond had a selection of Cusinarts (which I had previously noticed was well-reviewed by Consumer Reports magazine) - and the 8-cup size was even on a promo sale!I bought one and used it almost immediately.I was impressed by the the ease of use - ... MoreI bought my new food processor several weeks ago. I grow basil during the summer and, about this time of year, i start making it into pesto to freeze for use during the winter - my primary use for a food processor (that, and making hummus sometimes). Sadly, my old processor - a smallish Black and Decker hand-me-down from my late aunt that was more than 20 years old (!) - died on me when a small but crucial part broke.I had already harvested a lot of basil so no delay was possible.Fortunately, my local Bed Bath & Beyond had a selection of Cusinarts (which I had previously noticed was well-reviewed by Consumer Reports magazine) - and the 8-cup size was even on a promo sale!I bought one and used it almost immediately.I was impressed by the the ease of use - since it was similar in many ways to my old one. I was also impressed by the fact that it was actually quieter than the old one had ever been. AND....since it was considerably larger than my old one, making the pesto was a much quicker and easier procedure.I have no complaints (given the small sample size/length of time I've owned it). I had read a few reviews written by people complaining about issues with getting it to work. Not sure what the problem was, but I guess either you fixed it or they were not putting it together correctly so the safety interlock was not engaged? Some elements of it felt lighter to me than on my old one, but I am hoping that it is durable enough for my purposes. I had read a while ago about a problem with the S-blade breaking, but presumably you have fixed that also on models currently in stores.

A processor that can’t process?

We’ve used it 3 times: once for peppers and onion for gumbo, one for graham crackers for a pie crust, and once for crumb pie topping. The peppers were either paste or the one inch chunks we put in. The graham crackers just wouldn’t move around so we had sand on the bottom and whole crackers on the top. The crumb topping would not break up the one inch butter cubes. We dumped them into a bowl and used a hand pastry blender. I’d think a basic standard for a food processor would be to cut butter. Also, the bowl locks in right over the controls so you have to stand to the side to see them. We’re returning it today.

A solid and affordable product

Grating potatoes and onions by hand for the potato pancakes I used to devour as a kid is time-consuming, repetitiously boring as H-E-double toothpicks and also incredibly rough on the knuckles when, as is inevitable eventually, your hand slips.But for me, feeding potatoes and onions into this food processor and watching them grated in seconds is a thing of beauty and a joy forever. Also my wife no longer needs to listen to me swearing while she bandages my abrasions so this fine appliance is also a valuable and economical means of couples therapy.A compact and well-designed processor, it takes up very little counter space, has a powerful but quiet motor, comes with three solidly-made interchangeable attachments and easily tackles all sorts of previously boring ... MoreGrating potatoes and onions by hand for the potato pancakes I used to devour as a kid is time-consuming, repetitiously boring as H-E-double toothpicks and also incredibly rough on the knuckles when, as is inevitable eventually, your hand slips.But for me, feeding potatoes and onions into this food processor and watching them grated in seconds is a thing of beauty and a joy forever. Also my wife no longer needs to listen to me swearing while she bandages my abrasions so this fine appliance is also a valuable and economical means of couples therapy.A compact and well-designed processor, it takes up very little counter space, has a powerful but quiet motor, comes with three solidly-made interchangeable attachments and easily tackles all sorts of previously boring food preparation tasks. Safety's also carefully thought out since it's carefully engineered not to be startable until blade, container and lid are all properly clicked into place.While Cuisinart also makes far more elaborate food processors, the price and simplicity of this one made it an easy and affordable choice.

Big Shredder indeed!

Our 24+ years Cuisinart-Mini is breaking apart (bowl safety plunger broken), still going, but the load work now requires a bigger sibling. Hence, we purchased the next kin in size and so far is a work in progress as we continue to try the convenience of its capacity. While bigger, it seems too light for its size and material quality may not be as tough as its little bro. We also miss the nifty accessories that were part of the mini flexibility to do other tasks. Time will say if up to the challenges, but we trust the brand name on it will provide years of reliable use and results.

Maybe I just don’t get it.

I purchased this product about a month ago, with the intent of using it for chopping vegetables, slicing tomatoes, and shredding potatoes. In order to chop vegetables, the manual states that for best results you should first cut them into one inch pieces. I did that but it still did not give very good results, I ended up with assorted sizes from big chunks to tiny pieces.Next I tried slicing tomatoes, but found that the feed tube was entirely too small, unless I cut the tomatoes down to size, then I ended up with a lot of wasted food and very small slices of tomatoes.I then moved on to shredding potatoes, and again the feed tube size came into play forcing me to cut the potatoes into fourths. The shredded potatoes came out marginally ok, but remember that I still ... MoreI purchased this product about a month ago, with the intent of using it for chopping vegetables, slicing tomatoes, and shredding potatoes. In order to chop vegetables, the manual states that for best results you should first cut them into one inch pieces. I did that but it still did not give very good results, I ended up with assorted sizes from big chunks to tiny pieces.Next I tried slicing tomatoes, but found that the feed tube was entirely too small, unless I cut the tomatoes down to size, then I ended up with a lot of wasted food and very small slices of tomatoes.I then moved on to shredding potatoes, and again the feed tube size came into play forcing me to cut the potatoes into fourths. The shredded potatoes came out marginally ok, but remember that I still had to use my knife and cutting board, so that just gave me more dishes to wash on top of washing all of the food processor parts. To sum things up, I am not satisfied with the results and will probably never use this food processor again. I will however continue to use my cutting board, box shredder/grater and sharp knife the old school way! Not to be entirely negative, I do have some advice for anyone considering purchasing this food processor. Find a family member, friend, or even a neighbor that has one and ask them to give you a demonstration or even let you borrow it so that you can decide for yourself. One man’s trash may be your treasure! Just because this product didn’t work out well for me, it may very well be just what you’re looking for, if not, then you will have saved some money. Like I said in the beginning, maybe I just don’t get it, it just seems like it’s more work than it’s worth to me.

No chopped apples, only applesauce

Not for chopping apples, I must say. I pulsed, then ran it for a bit, then pulsed, then ran, etc. Several wedges of the apple never chopped. The apple had been first peeled, then cored and cut into 8 wedges via an apple corer/slicer. By the time I got most of the apple chopped, it had become applesauce, and became useless for my recipe in that state. There were even still some larger pieces that never chopped. Luckily, I had another whole apple. I manually chopped the apple, added it to the "applesauce", and had to create a slurry with cornstarch and water in order to be able to use this mixture for my mini apple pies. A lot of extra work, with a machine I thought was going to cut my work in half. I used the machine again, the other day, to make smoothies. It worked ... MoreNot for chopping apples, I must say. I pulsed, then ran it for a bit, then pulsed, then ran, etc. Several wedges of the apple never chopped. The apple had been first peeled, then cored and cut into 8 wedges via an apple corer/slicer. By the time I got most of the apple chopped, it had become applesauce, and became useless for my recipe in that state. There were even still some larger pieces that never chopped. Luckily, I had another whole apple. I manually chopped the apple, added it to the "applesauce", and had to create a slurry with cornstarch and water in order to be able to use this mixture for my mini apple pies. A lot of extra work, with a machine I thought was going to cut my work in half. I used the machine again, the other day, to make smoothies. It worked pretty good for that. Maybe I should have just bought a blender. I'll try it another day to see if it chops veggies for a chopped salad. Kinda scared of what might happen. Not too keen on drinking my salad.

Not Pleased

We loved our previous Cuisinart Food Processor which we had used for many years until the connections on the work bowl broke. Regret not ordering a replacement bowl since everything else was fine. Very disappointed in this Fp-8 model. It seems "flimsy." Doesn't even feed carrots well for grating. Sorry I have already disposed of my previous model.

Out with the old!

We had to replace our 40+ year old Sears food processor. It worked perfectly all that time. It had two blades. One blunt plastic and one sharp steel. We wish the new Cuisinart had also included a less sharp blade. The slicers do not seem very useful yet. The blender seems to work well.

Sharp blades

This is a long story but there is a moral at the end.It was just past midnight. Everyone was asleep. I stood over the sink, holding my thumb, staring blankly at all the blood dripping out, not believing what had just happened. If there ever was a Bounty moment, this was it. Unfortunately I only had the Kirkland brand and it soaked through immediately. This called for drastic measures. I wrapped a bandaid tightly around the wound and then folded and wrapped 2 paper towels around it and tightly wrapped 5 rubber bands as tourniquet. I guess this is triage a field medic would do. It soaked through but it seemed to hold after awhile. At this point, I just wanted to sleep so I got into bed, tossing and turning for couple of hours. Should I go to ER or urgent care? Too ... MoreThis is a long story but there is a moral at the end.It was just past midnight. Everyone was asleep. I stood over the sink, holding my thumb, staring blankly at all the blood dripping out, not believing what had just happened. If there ever was a Bounty moment, this was it. Unfortunately I only had the Kirkland brand and it soaked through immediately. This called for drastic measures. I wrapped a bandaid tightly around the wound and then folded and wrapped 2 paper towels around it and tightly wrapped 5 rubber bands as tourniquet. I guess this is triage a field medic would do. It soaked through but it seemed to hold after awhile. At this point, I just wanted to sleep so I got into bed, tossing and turning for couple of hours. Should I go to ER or urgent care? Too much trouble. Besides, all they would be able to offer is a glue for the cut and possible blood infusion to make up for the blood loss. Probably overthinking. I need to reassess in the morning.Several hours later, I woke up. Great sign! I took off the blood soaked paper towels and the bandaid and saw some signs of clotting. It started to bleed profusely again though. So I redid the tried and true wrapping method but this time with 3 paper towels. I didn’t want to be walking around looking like a biohazard. So how did I get here?Back in 1989, I made a purchase of a Black and Decker food processor. It was a small one and we seldom use it. But it still works great! Over the years I have looked at newer models with all the bells and whistles and have been tempted to replace it. But that B&D kept on working. It had chips and cracks all over the bowl, the body was discolored. It wasn’t pretty. Well, this Sunday, I strolled through Costco and I saw a large Cuisinart food processor on sale. It was big, bold, and beautiful. My wife asked do we really need it since it’s been years since we last used a processor. But at this point, the temptation ( and the price) was too great. I brought it home and it sat on the counter until midnight last night. I decided to wash the blades and as I was drying the blade, my thumb went across the chopping blade and sliced the top of the thumb off. I stood there stunned as I saw a large chunk of my thumb just laying on that blade. It was so sharp that my skin offered no resistance at all. I’ve cut myself many times before but never had I seen a blade as sharp as this. This is when I began to think, the grass is not always greener on the other side. I’ve had a 33 year relationship with that B&D.Next month, my 32nd anniversary will be celebrated. You can bet I won’t be looking to upgrade another thing.I’m still trying to figure out what to use the food processor after all these years because I really have seldom use for it. I did put through a whole stick of pepperoni through it in about 15 sec so there is that. It felt someone prematurely finished as I stood there and thought I guess I’m done. But do be careful. The blades are sharp.