Dear Kitchen,
I have a 7-cup classic Cuisinart, which is 7 years old and whose work bowl is slowly cracking. The plastic shaft on the grating disc also just broke. A new disc is $26, a new workbowl is $30. I also read that the dough blade should be replaced every few years, and that's another $30.
Should i just get a completely new food processor?
Thanks!
Jill in Boston
Dear Jill,
The one thing that Cuisinart food processors are known for are their great motors. If your motor still works well, don't toss it! We have one of the original models; it must be 25 years old. We've replaced the bowl and the disc once, and it is as good as new. As for the dough blade, we hardly ever use it, so it's never been replaced.
These days, so many appliances are made to be cheap, with parts that are not replaceable. Toaster broken? Toss it out and buy a new one. That is the kind of thinking the manufacturers want you to follow.
We'd rather not add more junk to the landfills - that's why we always advise to buy appliances that are the best quality you can afford, and to keep them tuned up. That means replacing broken parts.
Secondly, I'm not sure where you're getting your prices, but the Cuisinart parts website sells the workbowl for $29.50, the grating disc (they call it a shredding disc) for $19, and the dough blade for $12.
Good luck!
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Hi Jill,
I wouldn't get a new processor. I would replace the grating disc, since that is no longer functional. From my limited experience in kitchens, I have learned that the doug blade is seldom use (it's not necessary, since the regular blade can also be used for kneading dough.) Change the grating disc, and appreciate that you have a great machine.
it's actually $26 for the grating disk with shipping; and I actually meant the chopping blade.
thanks for the advice so far!
Been here, and done this. I have a Cuisinart DCL-7. I first replaced the bowl, and quite recently the lid and tube dingus. I don't like the way the new machines look - perhaps I don't take change gracefully. But why toss what can be repaired? The bits and bobs were still less costly than a new machine, and the motor on this old workhorse machine allows it to chop and shred very nicely.
Toasters, on the other hand, I look for the $10 model in my grocery store, use it till it dies, then pitch and replace. There's a big difference between a toaster and a food processor.
There was a piece in the New York Times about this very question within the past 3 or 4 months. I'm sorry I'm spacing on the name of the column right now, but it's that one where the woman tells you about various holy grail shopping quests, this time Cuisinart parts and/or replacing the whole thing. It had sources and prices. You could do a search on their website.