Do you subscribe to Consumer Reports? Last December they put together a nice article explaining which appliances are best for what purposes.
Personally, I have a low-end Cuisinart (DLC-5, about $100) that suits my needs just fine. (Part of the reason it was cheaper is that it has a narrow feed tube. I grew up with one that had the huge one that can fit a whole orange or tomato, which is great…if you really need to slice huge quantities of oranges or tomatoes.) It’s perfect for grating, slicing, making spice mixtures, chopping onions and a few other things. I don’t use it all that often, but there are times when nothing else will quite do the trick, at least without taking a lot of time.
I’m a bit of an appliance fanatic, and like essvee I’ve never seen one with a glass bowl. One advantage with Cuisinart is that their plastic bowls are very durable - I know folks who’ve had theirs for twenty years of solid use. They don’t shatter - the most that will happen is that they’ll scratch a bit, if you use your processor on really hard items.
The Cuisinart I have was the cheapest model CR rated “Excellent.” There was a Black & Decker for $67 rated “Good,” but they said it was also very noisy.
Note that a food processor will not replace a blender, especially if you puree liquids a lot. Because of the way food processors are designed, they really can’t handle liquids in any quantity. Unlike a blender, where the base is sealed, a food processor bowl has a tube in the center through which a spindle turns. That tube is only a couple of inches tall - any liquid over that will spill as soon as you lift the bowl off the base. So, if you puree soups, make smoothies or ice-based drinks, or make thin batters (like for crepes), the food processor simply won’t work - you’ll end up with soup all over the counter.
Do you have a Lechter’s Housewares near you? They’re going out of business so are having a sale. Right now the prices aren’t that great yet - “everything 10% off,” yes, but 10% off the highest price Lechter’s has ever charged. Wait a few days for the %-off to go up, and then drop by. Otherwise, these things are constantly on sale, so there’s no point ever paying regular price.
