Mini-Mate for Mini-Me!

Hi, my name is Pogomom and I am a gadgetaholic.

Hi Pogomom!

One gloomy afternoon… (Now is the time for those who find these personal commentaries tedious or offensive to scroll down to “The Out of Box Experience.”) … while avoiding responsibility, I decided the one thing lacking in my life was the biggest, most powerful Cuisinart Food Processor on the market. Suzanne, my easily swayed partner in crime, and I hit the malls, specialty shops, department stores, Victoria’s Secret, a Chinese restaurant and Baskin Robbins with hope of locating the object of my desire at a discount.

Several hours into this escapade, we narrowed our search down to two stores. Both establishments carried the substantial appliance at thirty dollars less than their other competition. Only Burdines had the smarts to throw in a little bonus, the Cuisinart® Mini-Mate™ Plus Chopper Grinder.

In an attempt to keep this review concise and on topic, the sad story of our sudden distress due to poorly prepared Moo Goo Gai Pan and one aptly named Pu-Pu Platter will not sully this page. For the curious, I plan to cover this experience in my upcoming review of Imodium A-D®.

I plunked down my hard earned cash for the burdensome package after peeking inside to make sure the bonus gift truly existed. The tiny white box served to assure me the mini-processor awaited my attention. I love to get in on a ‘purchase with purchase’ deal if the product is worthy. In this case, Cuisinart® offered the Mini-Mate gratis; digestive disorders be damned, I was thrilled!

Choppers and Grinders and Blenders – Oh My!

I admit embarrassment over the fact that I own a virtual glut of small kitchen appliances. My first thought when unwrapping the little object was, “Great! Something to give a relative for Christmas!” I could hardly imagine making use of anything with such a minute capacity and seemingly flimsy blades. After all, I purchased the jumbo sized Cuisinart® Pro-Custom 11 for its size and power, why would I want to adopt a stunted baby version of the long coveted behemoth?

The answer became clear once I plugged in the mini-mangler. A dear friend sent his prize-winning recipe for “Hotter Than Hades Tropical Salsa” and the few ingredients required weighed out to just under two cups. Processing anything less than three cups in the Pro-Custom 11® seems like overkill; so, I ventured to give the Mini-Prep a shot at the title. To my surprise, the little unit performed not only admirably but offered more control than the larger version with its two speeds and well balanced blade assembly.

Chopping the peppers to perfection took seconds. The tomato chunks held their shape without becoming a watery mess even with my mistaken addition of lime juice at the first stage instead of waiting until the very end. No liquid escaped the tight fitting, top-mounted motor assembly during processing and clean up was a pleasure. It does not take much to sell me on a product that does exactly what the manufacturer claims. Besides, the cute little utility tends to grow on you once its capabilities become evident.

The Out of Box Experience

· Cuisinart® Mini-Mate Plus – Model MM-2M (0-86279-10022-1)
· Lexan® Work Bowl (Part Number: DLC-225)
· Reversible Chopping/Grinding/Mixing Blade
· Spatula
· Instruction Manual and Recipe Book
· Two-year Limited Warranty (Nanct is now very, very happy.)

Cuisinart® suggests a retail price of forty dollars; many stores offer the Mini-Mate™ Plus for thirty dollars or less.

Features! Features! Features!

According to Cuisinart® and me:

· “The unique top mounted motor provides stability, sure control and an easy grip.” I find placing my hand on top of the motor housing while pulsing or processing keeps the Mini-Mate from dancing across the counter.

· “High speed motor chop 2-speed push button control.” Huh? I believe Cuisinart meant to stress the expanded power and ease of use of the two-speed motor with an easily accessible simple push button control. It could happen.

· “Two speed operation for controlled chopping or grinding and grating.” The highest speed makes short work of vegetables, milk chocolate and nuts. The lower speed provides better control over grinding hard items.

· “Push-button operation provides precise fingertip control. “ The processor’s motor responds immediately to slight pressure and release of the well-positioned push button control.

· “Reversible chopping/mixing blade,” is self-explanatory. One side of the extremely sharp blade assembly chops, purees and performs most tasks. The blunt side performs grinding duties admirably while not overheating or burning food (coffee beans, for example) during the process.

· “Transparent dishwasher safe Lexan® Work Bowl (Part Number: DLC-225)” holds less than twenty-eight ounces of liquid or dry food. Replacement work bowls sell for under ten dollars.

· “Spatula included,” pretty much says it all.

· The processor comes with an attached eighteen-inch cord. This serves as a safety feature by preventing the Mini-Mate™ from accidental falls from the work surface while processing food.

’Honesty’ is Such a Lonely Word…

This appliance has its limitations. At the manufacturer’s suggested retail price it falls under the inexpensive category and for those with limited food processing needs that amount plus a few dollars could easily go towards a full-size Hamilton Beach®, Sunbeam® or Regal® food processor.

The Cuisinart® Mini-Mate™ Plus is a single purpose appliance and so might be a wasteful purchase for someone on a budget. The twenty-eight ounce maximum capacity work bowl and powerful motor lends itself to salsas, dressings and chopping or grinding small amounts of vegetables, cooked meats, nuts, chocolate, coffee beans and similar foods.

Although I enjoy the convenience of this domestic device, it seems impractical and unnecessary. Preparation requires slicing the food into inch square pieces for even processing results. If I go that far with cutlery in hand, why not go the extra step and complete the chopping or dicing manually? Surely, cleaning a knife is a simpler task than washing the blade assembly, bowl and wiping down the motor base. In both cases, the chef’s knife and cutting board require cleaning; why add the additional step?

Just as efficiently, I can use my hand blender and a strong plastic bag for making bread or graham cracker crumbs. My coffee grinder and I go back a long way so the novelty of watching the beans become dust through the Mini-Mate’s Lexan™ bowl rapidly waned.

We like our Parmesan and Romano cheese finely shredded, not ground down to powder, so the large Cuisinart comes into play for that purpose. If push came to shove, the larger processor easily serves to chop hard chunks of chocolate, shred coconut and does everything this diminutive model does and more.

Still, with all the negatives I listed aside, the Mini-Mate™ makes the best salsa and salad dressings. When the recipe calls for one finely chopped onion or pepper, fresh herbs or minced garlic with fresh tomato puree, I turn to the miniature Cuisinart to complete the task. It is true, had this appliance not come as a bonus, it would fall far down my list of desirable gadgets. Would I give it up now at a yard sale or to a worthy friend? No way! It has merit and gets ample use even though I would consider paying good money for it a frivolous act.

The manufacturer claims the Lexan® work bowl and lid are not only durable but also dishwasher-safe. Past experience with a dishwasher destroying the work bowl of a less expensive food processor taught me to not take those claims at face value. The one feature I miss is cord storage. With an appliance this small, I do not mind keeping it out on the counter but find looking at the stark white cord peeking out from behind the base unit when it is not in use, unappealing.

Regis Queries, “Is That Your Final Answer?

Since the Regis-meister was kind enough to ask, I make no recommendation regarding whether or not the Cuisinart® Mini-Mate Plus qualifies as a must-have appliance. It is fun, cute and serves a purpose many other appliances or a sharp knife and cutting board perform just as well. As a gift for that person who has everything, this might be ideal - but, do not be surprised if it ends up center stage at a garage sale or exchanged for something more useful.


© Pogomom – February 14, 2002


Bonus points and the salsa recipe for those reading through to the end:

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Hotter Than Hades Tropical Salsa

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon onion, diced
1 Cup tomatoes, cut into ¼-inch dice
½ or 1 each habanero chili pepper and Scotch bonnet chile
2 Tablespoons basil, julienne
½ each red bell pepper, small, cut into ¼-inch dice
1 each lime, juiced or bitter orange, juiced
¼ Cup pineapple, diced
¼ tsp salt

Put onion in a strainer and rinse well with very hot water and drain.
Seed the peppers (for more heat, leave in seeds)
Process the peppers until finely coarsely chopped.
Process all remaining ingredients except the limejuice.
Combine all ingredients, add the limejuice and mix well.
Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.

Serve with hot tortilla chips. This recipe serves four and doubles easily to serve eight.

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I am honored to participate in the Over Forty Write-Off hosted by BrendaMetcalf, Granniemose and her talented daughter Artbyjude. The required birth certificate, as proof of my maturity was the only stipulation for entry into this open write-off. Only one rule applied to join, “You must be forty years of age or older; if you will be turning forty in the year 2002 then you qualify.”

Our hostesses posted these rules: “One of these words: Spouse, Mate, Heart, Love or Old must be in the products name, not the title but the name of the featured product.

Participants willing to admit their age:

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