The Cuisinart Original Food Processor DFP-7BC is a bit of a misnomer. Although it bears the name "original," this unit is far superior to the models that came before it. It still retains many of Cuisinart's staple design features, however, including the large three-position control switch.

The Original Food Processor comes with a sturdy rectangular base, a 7-cup clear Lexan work bowl with cover and expanded feed tube assembly, stainless-steel chopping, slicing and shredding blades, plastic dough blade, and spatula and instruction/recipe booklet. Styled in brushed stainless steel and black, this unit has received a facelift from the traditional white housing of its counterparts. The black and silver tones give it a contemporary, sophisticated appearance that blends well with today's modern kitchens.

This unit speeds through everyday tasks, such as chopping onions, garlic or tomatoes. The stainless-steel chopping blade has a razor-sharp, serrated edge that cuts cleanly through hard and soft foods. As with any processor, some advance prep work is still required, such as peeling, removing large pits or seeds and pre-cutting foods into reasonable size pieces. The manufacturer recommends 1-inch pieces; however, we found that simply quartering an onion, carrot or tomato did the trick. This allows the blades to come in contact with more of the food. Smaller foods, such as garlic or cherry tomatoes can be processed whole.

For slicing and shredding, the Original Food Processor is a dream. Not only will your slices be completed in a fraction of the time, but they will all be of an even thickness so potato casseroles will cook more evenly and platters of sliced fruit will be more presentable. Plus, an entire block of mozzarella cheese can be turned to beautiful even shreds in seconds.

The standard three-position control switch is simple to master. Flip the switch up to turn the motor on for continuous processing or press down and release for pulse-like chopping. We found the two speeds to be more than adequate for completing all sorts of tasks.

The only feature that we found to be complicated was the expanded feed tube. The benefit, of course, is you can obtain whole slices of potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers apples and onions, which you can't do with smaller feed tubes. The tricky part is inserting and removing the large pusher, which as it happens also determines whether you can twist lock the cover in place. Once we figured this out, we were home free.

We were impressed not only with the unit's power and performance, but also with its smooth, quiet operation.


Pros: Powerful 600-watt motor, expanded feed tube, simple to operate
Cons: Assembly/disassembly complicated due to safety features of cover

Warranty
3 years, limited; 5 years, motor