KitchenAid KFP1318CU 13-Cup Food Processor

great product for a reasonable price. I replaces a Cuisinart 9 cup processor that had the activation rocker break off making it inoperable. The kitchen aid seems to be better built and attachments seem rugged. Most importantly the processor works great. The blades are very sharp its easy to assemble and the storage compartment feature keeps all the attachments in one place.

Had to replace my worn out Cuisinart. Much lighter, plenty of power, love the storage feature. Some of the part seem too lightweight to last very long. Like the way the lid works. Wish it didn’t require so many parts to use the basic blade. No pour spout is a downside as was the stem falling out as I was emptying the bowl. For the price it needs some tweaks.

I have been looking for a food processor that was easy to use and easy to clean. I also wanted something that does not take up too much counter space because I use it everyday. I have had it since Christmas and so far, the Kitchenaid is a tough machine that is easy to clean, assembles easily, and does a great job with whatever I make. The one exception is the dough paddle. It does not do well making pie crust or dough. Just use the regular blade. That works best.

This processor looks nice, the bowl itself is sturdy, the adjustable slicer is convenient, it has adequate power for most uses (except pizza dough). It has a leak-proof bowl, but that's where the flaw comes in. The work bowl has a shaft that is secured to a small, plastic gear underneath with a small screw. The part of the shaft that attaches to the gear is square-shaped which fits into a matching grommet embedded in the gear. In my case, the first time I tried to use this food processor with pizza dough (as I've done many times before on my Cuisinart that lasted 12 years), the metal grommet slid around the shaft, causing the blade to stall, and completely stripping the connecting surfaces of both the shaft and the grommet. When I took the screw out to investigate, a small pile of metal filings fell out onto the countertop. Additionally, the stack of washers used to secure this assembly was pathetic. One of the washers was bent, suggesting that the manufacturer attempted to secure two ill-fitting parts by over-tightening a screw. Horrible design, not worthy of the KitchenAid brand (though with the possible exception of the famous mixer, I don't think they're trying for quality anymore-- my KitchenAid refrigerator looks great, but it's handles keep working themselves loose -- I think it's just a Whirlpool with a KitchenAid label). Photos are included of the stripped shaft and grommet. I have not been able to find these particular replacement parts anywhere on the internet, so I tried to drill through the shaft and gear/grommet assembly to install a pin, but the shape of the bowl does not allow for the installation of a pin, so this thing is toast. For the first time almost ever, I got rid of the original packaging right after I received it, so I now have a new electric paper-weight.

Got this a year ago and haven’t used it much, relatively, because the unit isn’t that great for a wide range of applications. We got it to facilitate food prep, but setting up and washing the equipment doesn’t justify the results. My spouse does most of the cooking and prefers to do everything by hand because he doesn’t like dealing with extra equipment, but also because the processor doesn’t do what we thought it would/could do. We’d never used or had a food processor before, so, we were unfamiliar with the limitations. The most basic thing we hoped the unit could do was “dice” vegetables, not realizing that that can only be achieved by a special attachment or by pre-cutting the food before running it through - that’s too much work! And what’s worse, I attempted to find the dicing kit for purchase soon after learning of the limitations and I had no luck on the KitchenAid website or a second-hand marketplace. The part existed as in it was manufactured - but to my dismay, the part was discontinued! What horrible luck and what a bad impression that gave us as first-time food-processor owners/users. Such an experience is enough to avoid food processors in general OR this specific brand - rightly or wrongly so! When I contacted KitchenAid for assistance, I had a ridiculous wait time of 45+ minutes - another bad impression that they make it so hard to get in touch! The representative I spoke to was lovely but in the end, she offered no satisfactory solution. (She gave a suggestion that was feasible, but not convenient.) Since my spouse opted to continue prepping by hand, I have attempted to make use of the device. I’ve had some luck processing the food, but I’ve largely not been thrilled with the results. The shred disc has a fine and medium side - I find even the medium side produces a fine shred. Slicing veggies produces uniform cuts - but whether slicing or shredding, the last bits of veggies get caught up between the disc and lid and you’re left with pieces you still have to manually process. We use lots of onions and prefer them diced, not sliced - and if you want them in small pieces, it over-processes them and you end up with onion juice. I tried the bread blade for the first time for two different dough recipes and it was a mess. I had to do lots of unsticking and scraping. The shape of the bowl also means dough gets caught in the “corners.” And there was more cleaning to be done as the dough get stuck in the attachment/inserts and managed to climb up to the rotating part of the lid. The unit is low, high, and pulse speeds. I haven't figured out which one is best because they all seem pretty intense. When I choose low to take it easy, it seems it has a lot of power. Pulse has shorter duration, but the speed is still there. Maybe it's supposed to be that way, but when low doesn't seem so low, not sure what to do. The processor at times is more of a macerator given the power when using produce with a higher liquid content. The only thing good I can say is that despite the work you have to do to set up and put away, the motor unit is pretty straight-forward to use. I like the east of use of removing the lid and the bowl from the base. The individual parts are easy to clean. (Although, sometimes a small particle gets caught in a crevice of one of the discs.) It takes getting used to put everything together on the caddy that conveniently fits inside the bowl, which is great that it does not take up more space than it needs to. A picture shows you where the pieces go, but lacks detail. I struggled with inserting the pieces or making them stay because it some pieces, like the blades, require a certain insertion angle that the diagram does not convey. This product could be boon for certain folks depending on their specific needs. Unfortunately, it is not what we hoped it would be. I wonder if the dicing kit would have made this unit worth using/having and should we ever be in the market for a food processor in the future, we will also explore other brands. (Too bad KitchenAid did not try to source a dicing kit for us to create trust in the company. Instead, they have discontinued this model and the part and their current model that comes with a dicing kit does not have interchangeable parts - so said the phone representative. In fact, the solution offered to me was to simply by the current model of processor! 😒)