41 out of 41 people found this review helpful.
Cuisinart a name you can trust.
Date of Review: Dec 19, 2003
The Bottom Line: Every kitchen would find this machine an added help with many cooking chores.
Last Christmas I received the Cuisinart Little Pro Plus Food Processor/Juicer from my two daughters. I did not have much chance at that time and into the spring as my husband became more seriously ill until he passed away in March. Following the late spring and summer I became more interested in using this machine. With my interest in the low-Carb diet I was experimenting with foods and I found this powerful machine was a very handy tool.
The Cuisinart Little Pro Plus has been put to use in many different ways. I had purchased a few years ago the Mini Food Processor and used that often. The problem with the Mini machine I had to chop things in small batches so now with the big Cuisinart the process is much simpler and faster. This machine comes with the following:
l. Motor base with motor shaft and three control position switch.
2. A clear plastic work bowl that fits tightly on the motor base.
2. Metal blade fits into the work bowl to chop raw or cooked foods plus other uses.
3. Clear plastic cover with feed tube that locks onto the work bowl
4. Heavy duty plastic feed tube pusher - used mostly when slicing & shredding.
5. Adaptor stem that fits into the work bowl
6. Slicing and Shredding disc that fit onto the adaptor stem
7. A white work bowl with a chute & disc that shoots out your food
8. Juicer attachment with different sized cones for limes, lemons, oranges and grapefruit.
My experience with the Cuisinart Little Pro Plus has only been with the chopping and grinding to make coarse to fine powder. One has to be careful with the metal blade as it is extremely sharp. It does not take long for food such as fresh cranberries to be chopped and ready to make into salad, muffins or bread. This machine was an excellent and fast worker when I made a Cranberry Fruit Salad that I will be serving this weekend.
The recipe that I have used often when getting my Christmas goodies boxes ready was for Sunflower seed Parmesan cheese Crackers. Since many of my family are on the Low-Carb diet they were all looking forward to getting these tasty little goodies. The recipe I found was in the 500 Low-Carb Cookbook that I did a review on some time ago. For those who miss a cracker with their soup or salad may want to try this in their food processor.
Sunflower Seed Parmesan Cheese Cracker
1 cup sunflower seeds
? cup grated parmesan cheese
? cup water.
Grind sunflower seeds and grated parmesan cheese to make a fine powder. When ready pour ? cup water through the feed tube while machine is running. Your dough will form, turn off machine and carefully remove the blade. With spatula turn dough onto parchment paper the size of a large cookie sheet. Shape dough and place another piece of parchment paper on top to roll dough out into as thin a sheet as possible. Remove top parchment paper and cut edges to fit cookie sheet then score dough into the size crackers you would like. I use a pizza cutter. Bake in 250 degree oven and watch carefully as you do not want them to burn. Remove parchment paper and crackers to rack to cool. When cool break crackers and store in covered containers.
For added flavor I include into work bowl along with the seed and cheese other spices like Mrs. Dash seasoning, pepper, dried hot red pepper or chili powder. Try different seasonings to get something you like. I could not have tried this recipe if I did not have this machine Cuisinart Little Pro Plus to grind up the sunflower seeds and parmesan cheese fine enough to make a good cracker. It takes a little practice but everyone really liked these crackers.
There was a booklet of Instructions and recipes included with the machine which included pictures and descriptions of each part of this machine. There was a section on safety use and a troubleshooting guide. So far I have had no problems and trouble and it has been standing up very well. There is a section on cleaning and storing, I store the blade in the work bowl with lid attached. I unplug it after each use and found cleaning the working parts with soapy water and rinsing. I dry it well and store it back on the motor base. The work bowl is made of Lexan polycarbonate plastic which is shatter resistant and heat resistant. I just wipe off the base with a soft wet cloth. The base is heavy and does not move around when working so that is a safety feature.
Suggestion for some of the recipes I have tried is for the Salsa I made a big batch to add to the gift boxes. Chicken salad worked great, plus using it to make my sour cream/mayonnaise dip with seasonings and horseradish. The Cranberry Orange Muffins worked fine, that is the first time I tried making muffins in a food processors. There are others I will try when the spirit moves me to be creative with food again.
The Cuisinart offices are found in East Windsor, NJ and a warranty registration card is included with the warranty good for five years on the motor and three years on entire machine. Just fill out the form and send it in. These warranties exclude any accident, misuse or any ordinary household use. The name Cuisinart is a name you can trust and a handy machine for every kitchen. ANY DEVISE THAT MAKES COOKING EASIER IS A BLESSING FOR ANY COOK!!
