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Melba's Jammin' at wrote on 7/10/05 8:48 AM:

> In article >,
> wrote:
>> I don't have a dishwasher. Will I be needing bottle brushes, etc., for
>> cleaning the parts? I guess you have to clean it the very second you get
>> done "processing" your foods.
>
> I rinse the parts as I'm done using them and sometimes put them into the
> dishwasher and sometimes do not. I don't think you need anything
> special for cleaning. JMO.

I'm with Barb on this one.
I have never had difficulty cleaning my Cuisinart.
When I'm finished using it, I just plop it into a dishpan with soapy water.

I'm not a "clean-as-I-go" person, though I usually will tackle the "prep"
dishes before dinner and then the dinner dishes after the meal. I suppose
it doesn't really need the 10-20 minute soak, but it surely doesn't hurt--by
the time I'm ready to wipe those prep utensils/bowls, etc down with a sponge
and rinse them, they are pretty much clean. The soak has gotten into all the
"nooks and crannies".

I merely wipe the FP bowl down with a non-scrubbing sponge, give it a good
rinse under hot running water and let it air dry.

Once, after grating potatoes for latkes, I let it sit until after the meal.
That did require a soak, because the starch had fused onto the plastic walls
of the bowl. No biggie. I set it down in the sink to soak once all the
dishes were done. I let it sit for about an hour in hot soapy water and it
cleaned up beautifully with no effort whatsoever.

I guess if you're one of those obsessve/compulsive people who can't bear the
idea of having something soak in the sink for a little while, you might need
to invest in some sort of specialized cleaning equipment for your FP bowl.
But then again, someone who was obsessively and or compulsively clean
wouldn't let the thing sit for 10 minutes so the starch would stick to the
side, right?

Cleaning a FP bowl is no more or less an effort than cleaning anything else.
I really don't see the big deal people make of it. I'd rather wash an extra
bowl than futz with a knife, when there's a lot of prep work to do.

I have knife skills but I find the prep work boring and monotonous. For me,
the joy of cooking is not in the chopping and other prep work, it's in the
creation. Some people really enjoy the prep-work, they find it relaxing.
More power to them and they might feel a food-processor removes the fun out
of cooking. That's not the case for me and so I use my FP all the time. To
each their own.

And I have a Cuisinart because at the time I got it, (maybe 8-9 years ago) I
could afford it so I figured, "why not?". Before that, I had a small Black
and Decker and I have to say, I was pleased with its performance, it just
was small and I had outgrown the size. If I had to buy one now, I'd
probably go to Target or Walmart and get either Black and Decker or Hamilton
Beach. After spending over $100 on the Cuisinart, I wouldn't expect to
have to buy another FP the rest of my life. If I bought a $40 Ham.Beach, I'd
expect it to last me 10-15 years. Still not bad. Also, i think there are
probably more attachments for the Cuisinart than the Hamilton Beach....but
frankly, except for the fine shredding blade I bought specifically for
potato pancakes, the basic blades do pretty much whatever I need.

Which reminds me--I have a julienne blade that I don't even know how I wound
up with--for the 14 cup Cuisinart FP. (I have the 11 cup). It doesn't fit
my machine at all. If someone has a 14 cup machine and they want this
blade, email me. It's brand new.
No charge--but maybe we could trade something.

Let me know.