Cuisinart 14-Cup Food Processor Review

I’ve owned a Cuisinart food processor for the entirety of my adult life. And despite that being a 29-year jaunt so far (and my using the thing pretty regularly), I’ve — shockingly — only replaced it once. That’s how well a high-quality Cuisinart food processor holds up. For years, it has been a kitchen staple for me, and I can’t imagine living without it.

One of my most embarrassing life stories is actually about my Cuisinart. It’s worth sharing purely because it shows my dedication to the product: When I was 18 years old, my mom handed me down my first one after she’d used it herself for the better part of a decade. It was the smaller 11-cup food processor, and it lasted me until I reached my early 30s.

When the motor eventually died, my mom had me go to Williams Sonoma and return it — over two decades later — replete with the yellowed receipt from the ‘80s or ‘90s, which she had saved all that time. I went along with it because she offered to pay the difference between what she’d spent on that old food processor and a new 14-cup model for me. Since I also inherited my love of bargains and free things from my mom, I simply couldn’t pass up her offer.

Dimensions: 11 x 7.9 x 14.8 inches | Capacity: 14 cups | Power: 720 watts | Includes: Chopping blade, medium shredding disc, slicing disc | Dishwasher-Safe: Yes

Every manager on site came to inspect the ancient, faded receipt and marvel that anyone in the world was taking them up on their lifetime guarantee — a literal lifetime later. As an introvert who doesn’t love talking to strangers, it was a mortifying experience for me. But! I got a new (and heavily discounted) Cuisinart food processor out of it, and I’ve loved it ever since.

Of course, I’ve used plenty of food processors from other brands in my time cooking in assorted mansions as a private chef, but Cuisinart remains my favorite. In another decade, or so, when my faithful 14-cup processor dies, I’ll replace it with the same thing — only this time, I’ll be ordering it off the internet. I don’t think I could ever step foot in another Williams Sonoma again without turning beet red.

How I Use the Cuisinart 14-Cup Food Processor

I use my Cuisinart food processor with its basic S-blade for multiple day-to-day purposes. For example, I regularly make fruit and nut balls for a private chef client, which can be hard on a machine. The motor has never had issues with the mixture, however, provided I soak any dried fruit that has toughened briefly in hot water. I’m also a fan of using it for creating dough, particularly pie dough and pizza dough. And for the year-long period when I crafted homemade pet food for one of my Cornish Rex cats to accommodate his food allergies, I made that in there on a weekly basis. 

Sauces and dips, especially in large batches, come together fabulously in the Cuisinart. You use the S blade for them, and you can pack in a pretty serious amount of basil leaves for pesto or chickpeas for hummus. Because it isn’t a blender, it’s best for items where you still want a little bit of texture left. 

The 14-cup processor comes with two additional blades, one for slicing and one for grating. I love the slicing mechanism, as it goes much faster than a manual mandolin can. That makes it perfect for things like apple pie and vegetable gratins. I use the grating/shredding blade less frequently, but I find it useful for shredded vegetable slaws. It’s worth noting that the shred it provides is fairly small, which is ideal for dishes like latkes where you want a nice fine grate. 

What I Love About the Cuisinart 14-Cup Food Processor 

The longevity of this machine can’t be beat. It’s simpler to use than some other brands in terms of blade setup, and I’ve had issues with the motor on others getting overwhelmed. This Cuisinart takes quite a lot of quantity and tough ingredients to overwhelm though.

I also like the size of the feeder for the grating and shredding blades. Bigger would be nicer, but then things can get dangerous with your fingers getting close to the blades as they’re running. The size is large enough to not have to do a ton of prep cutting, but small enough to be safe. 

The Caveats

As much as I love the slicing blade, I do wish the vegetable and fruit slices it yields were a little more even. While it works nicely for things where you won’t see the sliced items, I don’t love it as much for applications where the individual slices are visible. Some are perfect, but others can be lumpy. And you’re bound to lose some pieces of produce in the top part above the blade — things always seem to get lost in there as it runs. Lastly, you’ll want to exercise caution when washing the S-blade, as it’s very sharp. 

Tips and Tricks

• Run the bowl through the dishwasher occasionally; otherwise, it will get cloudy. 
• Always utilize the finger holes when handling the slicing and grating blades. 
• Put dry ingredients in first, then add wet ones slowly. 
• Pour wet ingredients through the top, which will make them enter drip by drip for applications like pie dough where you don’t want to add too much liquid.  

How It Compares

I’m partial to my Cuisinart food processor, but there are other viable options out there. Vitamix has a food processor attachment available, and I have had good luck with it. I also like that it has speed options, which a Cuisinart doesn’t. However, it’s quite expensive on its own, an you need to already own a Vitamix blender to use it.

For a more budget-friendly choice, Hamilton Beach makes an inexpensive food processor. I haven’t used it, so I can’t speak to its strengths or weaknesses personally, but it offers a similar capacity to the Cuisinart and has several blade options. The KitchenAid 13-Cup Food Processor is comparably priced to, if not a little cheaper than, a Cuisinart processor. It’s very similar in usage and attachments as well, and its parts are also dishwasher-safe.

The Verdict

Cuisinart is the gold standard of food processors, and I haven’t ever had a better experience with a different brand. Its quality is evident through its longevity, and it consistently out-performs other models. There are plenty of reasons why the name has become synonymous with the product — like we say Kleenex when we mean tissues, or Q-Tip when we mean ear swab. The Cuisinart 14-Cup Food Processor is perfect for almost any chopping, slicing, or dicing task you can throw at it.