Cuisinart Food Processor DFP-14BCN 14-Cup Review
For a review of the Cuisinart Food Processor DFP-14BCN, we called on several sources, and ultimately came away with the understanding of one undeniable truth. Every kitchen-body’s dream is a solid, reliable, time-saving food processor. And, according to most online reviewers, Cuisinart sets the bar high for all of the other food processor manufacturers.
But what is it about the Cuisinart DFP-14BCN that has made it such a successful product for several years running? Consumer Crutch sifted through the research, and here’s what we found.
The Basics
The heavy duty DFP-14BCN is coated with a brushed stainless chrome exterior, an update from the older, white plastic models. Cuisinart made this change with the idea that the table-top food processor could fit in well with other modern stainless steel appliances in your kitchen.
The square-shaped body is a throwback to food processors of old. The buttons are rectangular-shaped, veering away from the typical rounded button-style seen on most of the more recent processors. Reviewers say the squared buttons do not feel as “cheap” as other variations.
Intuitive On and Off/Pulse Buttons
This Cuisinart food processor is not cluttered with an assortment of buttons. In fact, there are only two – an “On” button, and a “Off/Pulse” button.
The pulse control allows the operator to dictate the degree of fineness when chopping and puréeing foods. You might notice there is not a “Dough Mode” button featured on the DFP-14BCN. However, the “pulse” functionality was intended by Cuisinart to be a replacement for such a feature.
Power
This Cuisinart food processor is built around a 720-watt motor, an upgrade over older (and even more recent) models. There are more powerful motors in the industry, such as the 1000-watt variety, but the DFP-14BCN’s motor appears to cater towards efficiency rather than brawn.
Some reviewers have commented on how it might actually take longer to clean the appliance after use than it would to actually chop, grate, or slice anything with it. This is a testament to the fact that a food processor’s effectiveness is not solely reliant on how much electricity its motor draws.
Several Discs Included
Prepackaged with your purchase comes a stainless-steel slicing disc, stainless steel shredding blade, a large chopping blade, a dough blade, and a kneading disc.
Reviewers comment on how the machine can handle various tough dough’s, including some that have nuts (occasionally, nuts can cause food processors to stall or burn out). Almonds by themselves can be chopped into small enough pieces to resemble flour.
The chopping/mixing blade is quite large, and can reach to all edges of the bowl. By utilizing the pulse button, this one blade can perform different cuts on command.
As an extra bonus, if you owned an older Cuisinart food processor model, like the DLC-7, your old blades may also fit with the Cuisinart DFP-14BCN.
Where to Buy?
Consumer Crutch found that most reliable retailers, like Target, Sears, and Best Buy, offer the standard Brushed Stainless DFP-14BCN for $220 on average, including shipping & handling. However, Amazon offered the best price at the time of this review at around $175 with free shipping & handling.
Note: this model also comes in Black Chrome and Red. The Red model is currently around $190 on Amazon (free shipping), and $220 (with shipping) elsewhere. The Black Chrome model can also be had for around $190 on Amazon, and averages $225 elsewhere.
Large Workspace
The large capacity 14-cup Lexan work bowl provides ample real estate for making soups that require multiple ingredients to be tended to at once for mixing and puréeing. Bowls this large are also ideal for making large (or small) portions of dough.
An appealing feature large work bowls provide as opposed to smaller, “mini” bowls (i.e. 7-cup, 10 cup, etc…), is that the cook does not have to worry about emptying the bowl in between slicing separate vegetables, for instance, if a meal requires a variety of veggies.
Safety
One feature many reviewers of this Cuisinart food processor mentioned as a selling point was its innovative safety mechanism. Before the motor can be turned on, the processor’s bowl must be locked into place. Instead of making it “easy” to set the bowl in place, Cuisinart designed the DFP-14BCN motor to only engage if the bowl is positioned in a very particular spot – in other words, there is not much room for error.
The operator of this machine must not be afraid to put a little elbow grease into locking the bowl into place. It does take a little push to get the bowl into its operable position.
Warranty
Included with this Cuisinart 14 cup food processor is a 3 year limited warranty on the entire product, and 5 year warranty on the motor.
Two Feed Tubes
The DFP-14BCN includes both a small and a large feed tube. The large feed tube is better classified as “extra-large,” and is big enough to handle an entire potato. With the large tube, you would no longer have to pre-chop vegetables before you place them in the Cuisinart food processor. A compact cover is packaged with the machine for use with the large feed tube is not needed.
Understandably so, some reviewers had trouble locating the tube feeder on the device. The feeder is positioned directly across (on the opposite side of) the handle.
How-to DVD
A 30-minute how-to DVD comes with the purchase of a Cuisinart DFP-14BCN. This DVD includes tutorials on how to use the food processor, as well as how to clean and care for the appliance after use. The tutorials are presented by professional chefs who prepare various recipes using the DFP-14BCN.
Each of the recipes are designed to walk you through how the machine works. The DVD is especially helpful for first-time food processor users, but may also be informative for more those who are more experienced.
Other Notable Features
- A custom-contoured spatula
- A booklet containing operating instructions and recipes
- All parts and components are dishwasher safe
- The base of the motor wipes clean
- Measurements: 7.5 inches by 9.75 inches by 15.75 inches
What Reviewers are Saying
Over 180 people have reviewed this Cuisinart food processor on Amazon with an average rating of over 4.5 stars. We highly encourage you to head on over to Amazon and read what those reviewers had to say.