I have a huge crop of basil coming on this year, and I want to make a lot of pesto. Last year I made it very awkwardly with a blender… had to keep pushing everything down with a wooden spoon. I need a food processor, clearly. What do people recommend? I don’t want to spend a fortune, I don’t want a million parts I have to clean each time, etc. - Jill
I just bought a basic Cuisinart (model DLC-5) for the purposes of making homemade mayo and salad dressings. It has a 7 cup bowl and the three most basic blades (mixing, slicing, shredding). I got it for $100 on sale at a department store that sells small appliances. It’s totally uncomplicated, cleans up easily and makes a few cups of mayo at a time with no problem. I highly recommend it. 
I have a Krups food processor that I also got on sale (around $80, I think). I think it’s the basic model. It has three or four speeds, and blades for chopping, slicing and grating. I love it – it’s been nothing but wonderful. Easy to clean, nice big buttons.
Definitely get a food processor, though. Making pesto in the blender is the worst! (I had a friend grate the tip of a wooden spoon right into the pesto, while using a blender. He picked out the big pieces, but it was still very woody tasting – I don’t recommend it.)
I second the Cuisinart. I bought mine on sale at Williams-Sonoma. I paid $105 for the DLC-10, which came with a 7-cup bowl, and all the attachments (discs for shredding & slicing, a chopping blade, and a dough blade), plus an extra bowl, a spatula, and an extra large chute in the lid - big enough for a block of cheese for shredding. Full price, I believe, was $150. But if you want something a little cheaper, they have similar models of the Cuisinart with the smaller sized chute and the chopping blade, disks, and spatla for $100 full-price.
There’s really no matching the power of a Cuisinart. I get a rush every time I use it. It’ll be a good investment, in the long run, too.
good luck
I’m getting a rush just reading about these! And mmm, pesto! Thanks. - Jill
Yeah, geez, Jill, if you want a cuisinart, buy a Cuisinart.
You don’t buy Puffs Brand Facial Tissues when you’re shopping for kleenex, do ya?
Ike! I love obscure brands. And if you recommended one, I’d buy it. That’s how I am.
I have a handi-chopper from “The Pampered Chef” that I use for chopping fresh herbs. Less clean-up, too.
My food processor is a Philips, and it’s a food-processor and blender, both on one base. You can’t use them both at the same time, though.