I see that the old ones, that were made in France by Robot Coupe, and the not-quite-as-old ones made in Japan, can be found on eBay and elsewhere for rather less than a new Cuisinart.

Being a sucker for old stuff - vintage, if you will - I wanted to ask if there is any reason to prefer a 1970s Cuisinart, a later one, or a brand new one. Were the old ones built better, more solid, better blades, more metal, or anything like that? Did the old ones have less safety interlocks (less would be good, as far as I'm concerned). Are the new ones better designed, did they fix weak spots?

I also suspect that if I hunted long enough, I could maybe find a used Robot Coupe for a price that is not prohibitive, though still a heck of a lot more than a Cuisinart. I realize Robot Coupe makes many different models, but in general what is the advantage, if any, for a home cook? This may sound silly, but isn't the opaque bowl of most Robot Coupes an inconvenience? You can't see what consistency the food has achieved.

Planned use: I'd like to use this to shred potatoes and vegetables when I need a lot, to julienne (matchstick) veggies, to cut french fries, and to fine dice (small cubes, brunoise) if it can do that. To chop meat. I don't own a stand mixer, so the food processor will be used for any dough tasks that it can manage. As well as emulsions, sauces, pesto, nuts, etc. Hopefully it will be the last food processor I buy.

I have a 20 year old Braun now, which still works fine, but it only has a couple of blades, no ability to julienne or dice. And it is rather light duty - last time I made lobster bisque, I tried to grind up the shells and my Braun could barely turn.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Cuisinart was a US license name for the Robot Coupe initially but when sales took off the then owner (now deceased) moved the production to Japan because the French close their factory in August every year for grande vacances and he couldn't get enough machines to the US market in time for Christmas.

The Japanese made machines, the DLC7 in particular, are considered to be the best of the lot. The Cuisinart owner was a French-born engineer as well as a cook and made many of the changes himself. I actually have those and have been told by the replacement parts people to keep them. One of my bowls went recently and I need to purchase another and they are obnoxiously expensive and have IMO a bad design but those are the only replacements available.

If I had to purchase a fp right now, I'd like just buy a Robot Coupe and bite the bullet on the price -- unless you can get one of the Japanese-made machines in really good condition and don't mind spending $125 or so on the replacement bowl. The Lexan seems to fail after 30 years, which is reasonable.

Before purchasing a used fp on ebay I'd try to figure out how much bread-making the original owner did (bread doughs were tough on the motors). Also, whether they have a full set of disks with the machine -- those were optional. The French Fry cutter is great for cutting brunoise fairly quickly (though that can depend on your knife skills).

If you can get a DLC 7, it's a great machine. In not, I'd go for an RC. Wouldn't buy a Cuisinart brand now.

From what I understand Robot Coupe continued to make food processors for the home market only in Europe when they quit selling home machines in the US. They were sold under the MagiMix by Robotcoupe label in Europe. The RobotCoupe label was only commercial machines here in the US and MagiMix wasn't sold here.

Then a couple of years ago, MagiMix became available in the US!! Several mail order places offer them: Chefs, Williams Sonoma etc. They are called MagiMix by RobotCoupe are made in France and still have the great features of the original machines.

If my old workhorse ever dies, its what I'll be going with!

Here's a question. I've only used a Cuisinart a few times. I recall being a little irritated at the safety mechanism that requires the pusher to be inserted in the feed tube before the motor will turn. I understand requiring the lid to be locked on, but I think I can remember to not shove my hand through the feed tube. I had to cut things (carrots, potatos, cucumbers) to short lengths so they'd fit in the feed tube. Do the older/Japanese Cuisinarts have this pusher interlock? If so, is it easy to defeat?

Also, I see that the '70s Cuisinarts (CFP-XX) don't have on/off buttons. I guess turning the lid to lock switches the motor on, and turning the lid to unlock switches the motor off. That seems quite inconvenient - do you think so?

I'm still thinking about a Robot Coupe too. I don't think I can justify $800 (R1) or $1,200 (R2). Actually, I know I can't. Maybe if I find the mythical $40 garage sale Robot Coupe.

There's a Robot Coupe MagiMix for $350. 14 cup. It looks to be the equivalent of the DLC 7.

The 7 has a pulse button at the bottom and an an/off button.

The lid of the 7 was made with a chimney opening of a size sufficient to insert a whole lemon, or a whole potato. It's fairly big. But it's about 2" tall and the machine won't won't start without the lockdown/pusher mechanism that fits over it. Food rests flat on the disc. You cut it to length, insert the pusher, twist it into place and slice/shred/cut.

It becomes automatic.

The beauty of these machines is chopping of, say, mirepoix ingredients. So easy. Grinding meat or fish. Pastry dough. Bread dough. Slicing chores.

It's possible to dice but it takes a few steps. First slice, gather it together, insert it crosswise and then cut again. I'd actually do that by hand as it's easier.

I'd suggest going to a MagiMix demo at a Sonoma store near you and see if they'll let you try it out.

Thanks for the ebay tip about the parts.

roccocgurl, I love your atticmag blog by the way. I'm getting sweet on gray.

I did some investigation on the '70s era Cuisinart CFP-5 and -9 models too. Just posting in case anyone is interested in these even more vintage models - you know, to go with your '70s kitchen, cateye sunglasses and bellbottoms.

No-one seems to want these. It looks like parts can be found, though not cheap and you really have to hunt. I think (not 100% verified) that some Robot Coupe (RC1, RC2) and Magimix discs, bowls, lids, etc also fit - how well I am not sure - and they are rather pricey.

The Cuisinart 5 was the original white metal machine which was directly modeled on the original MagiMix which RC made for the home market. That had the taller, simpler feed tube and had to be twisted to lock down so the cutting action was less precise.

Still cooking from that book kd even though it doesn't have recipes for tomato water, verjus and foam sauces. Or anything sous-vide. LOL

The R100 "light duty" is reasonably sized and not crazy price-wise ($575). Judging purely by horsepower, it doesn't seem to be in a while different league than the higher-end consumer food processors, and it lacks a continuous feed attachment.

The R2 looks like the cat's meow - this is the model that Cooks Illustrated said was head and shoulders above any of the consumer processors they tested - but in addition to costing >$1,000 it is very large. Not really meant to live on the counter under an upper cabinet. Maybe I can find space for one in the remodel but right now, it is a no-go.

Had a good time checking out the Hobart mixers, three-station espresso machines, and other toys.

They don't appear to have changed the commercial style machines (maroon) for 40 years -- they look the same as they did in the 70s.

Comparison:

The French-made CFP-5A
- This machine is hella powerful, noisy, even slightly scary.
- The motor is switched on by fully closing the lid to the latched position, and switched off by turning the lid about one-eight of a rotation to the unlatched position. I found this irritating, so I drilled a hole in the case and installed a $4 ON-OFF-MOMENTARY ON switch to turn the motor on and off. This makes for easy pulsing - just press the switch, instead of repeatedly latching and unlatching the lid. I kept the safety microswitch, so the lid must be closed for the motor to operate - I like my fingers.
- The bowl is smaller than the DLC-7. The slicing and shredding discs are a bit inconvenient to store since the stem is integral to each disc. On one disc, the stem split in half - I don't know if that was a fluke or if the plastic on these is getting old. Discs and blades show up on eBay fairly often and are cheap. Bowls and lids show up too. You can buy these parts new-old-stock from a couple of vendors, but they are expensive if purchased that way.
- The standard lid has a narrow tube with a pusher that fully removes, so you can leave the motor running and continuously feed in food, pour in oil, etc. This tube is narrow enough that a large russet potato won't fit through - you have to cut it in half - but then again a long leek or carrot can be dropped into the tube without being trimmed to length. Yes, you could wiggle your hand in there and cut off your fingers, but it would be hard to do. There is also a ''wide-tube'' lid which has a sleeve and integral pusher that must be inserted for the motor to operate, so you have to open the lid, place food in the tube, place the sleeve and pusher on the tube, close the lid, process the food, and open to repeat. I find that batch process inconvenient and the food must be cut short enough to fit fully in the tube - but the wide tube will accommodate a fat potato - or a fat hand, hence the extra safety mechanism.
- These machines are inexpensive on eBay - $20 or so, plus shipping. The case is all steel, they have a nice shiny nameplate and a shiny label on the bottom that says ''Robotcoupe'', I like the retro look.
- The CFP-9's take all the same blades, discs, bowls, etc but are even cheaper. These have plastic cases and are less cool-looking.

The Japanese-made DLC-7:
- Is more ''civilized'', quieter, seems to start up a bit more gently. I don't know that it is any less powerful but it is a bit less scary.
- It has the familiar ON and PULSE buttons.
- The bowl is larger, and the discs separate from the stem for easy storage. The blades and discs are similar to the CFP5A/9 parts as far as the cutting edges go, but don't quite interchange - diameter and height is just a bit different.
- The most common lid is the wide-mouth, of design similar to the CFP-5A's optional wide-mouth lid, with the same batch operation that I find kind of fiddly. There is a narrow tube lid too (called the ''standard tube''), but you don't run across it that often.
- Everything for these is fairly cheap on eBay, except the machines themselves which go for $50-60, plus shipping makes $80-90. (I got mine for $5 plus shipping because the seller mistakenly listed it as a CFP-9.) The case is plastic so they aren't as vintage-cool looking.

So, there's the rundown. If someone wants a vintage Cuisinart, I'd say the DLC-7 is the easier choice, as it comes with the ON and PULSE controls standard and the discs are less cumbersome to store. Personally, I'm yet not sure which one I'll keep.

I need a new bowl and lid assembly for one of my 7s -- glad to know the stuff is on ebay because Cuisinarts wanted $100 for some new design that I thought looked awful.

The former feels true, the latter I can't tell. The 5 also seems to spin down more slowly, while the 7 stops rotating more quickly.

I have not investigated the circuitry of the 5 closely, but I see that it has a capacitor and a module in addition to the safety micro-switch and the motor. The capacitor is presumably used to deliver extra current at motor start-up. I think the module may be a soft-start circuit, but am not sure. Possibly Cuisinart changed either or both, or the motor itself, to make the 7 more civilized. I haven't taken my 7 apart so am guessing.

It may be possible to transplant some of these parts from the 7 into the 5, to tame the 5 a bit. If I run across a cheap 7 base, I may combine it with the extra 5 base sitting in my garage to make a franken-Cuisinart with the retro look and metal base of the 5 but the smoother starting of the 7. SWMBO will be displeased. She's getting grouchy about all these old food processors sitting around.

He was an avid cook and an engineer. When the brand took off and the demand grew, he went to Japan for manufacturing because the French were not open to making the modifications he was looking for -- like an on/off switch so that food could be positioned in the tube and pressure on the slices could be more even.

The other issue was supply. The French close down everything for the month of August and the company could not get enough product shipped each year for the Christmas market. Japan wasn't an issue in that regard and they solved a lot of the torque problems, made the blades more precise, the heads detachable etc etc for the 7. They also did the double feed tube with the hole and while I don't like that latch especially, it's a more practical tube than the smaller single on the 5 which required more cutting.

All of this is ancient history, of course and I've no idea whether parts between the 2 would be interchangeable. Obviously the 7 was a copy and modification. As I recall though, it had a more powerful motor. The original would slow down with bread dough and switch itself off. The 7 handles up to something like 3 pounds of bread if I recall correctly and the stubby bread blade does a good job of kneading.

Perhaps bread dough would knead better if the motor weren't turning at full speed? Just wondering.

The new version allows you to use the pusher for the wide mouth without unlocking the lid, the way I had to with the DLC-7. I've used it for bread dough as well as shredding potatoes - it's wonderful as was my old DLC-7.

My old DLC-7 lives on in a friend's house.

Helene

My understanding always has been -- and honestly this goes back so far I hope I'm remembering it correctly -- it all has to do with the horsepower and torque. If you know how to use the machine properly if the discs are well designed (as the DLC7s are) the speed doesn't affect the results.

The normal chopping slicing tasks don't task these machines. It's when you get into choux paste or brioche doughs which are heavy and sticky or large quantities that the machine can get bogged down and even stop under the load, or travel. It just can't move it past a certain point. That's why the shorter, stubby bread blade and the larger taller container were designed. It created more kneading and less cutting action in the container.

Rococogurl, I've gained more insight into the machine from your half remembered bits than from anything else I've come across these last 35 years. Many thanks!

John, I want to see your Franken-Cusininart!

For the choux paste, I cook the panade -- butter, water, flour, salt -- until it films the pan. (This is for a 1 cup flour/4 egg/6T butter recipe.)

That goes into the food processor hot. I break eggs into a measuring cup, turn the machine on and pour in 1 egg every 2 seconds. Process 15 seconds, scrape down and process 15 seconds longer. Dough is beaten enough within 30 seconds after the last egg is added.

The 5 can bog down with this but the 7 won't.

I still use my pro daily...chop/slice/dice. Never knead anymore as my bread baking is all wild yeast and stretch and folds :) The DLC 7 pro holds 7 cups of AP or bread flour and will make 3 loaves in 3 minutes. I used to do 3 batches one after the other year in and year out. Never a problem. You won't find a better made machine than the " old ones". Don't tamper with speeds etc. They were perfectly designed and still are the best. can't speak for the newer ones though....old is way better....c

On the auction site there is a bowl and lid for a ''CFP 10''. It looks like a regular CFP-5/9 bowl, but it sits on a black ''base'' that is about 3 inches tall. The pictures are not good enough for me to tell much more.

Just curious.

Oh, the 7 and the 5 have both been retired from bread dough duty. I bought a Magic Mill. So the Cuisinarts are back to beating up vegetables and taking their lunch money.

Make sure there is no blade mounted, otherwise you will probably cut off your fingers.

That button is for a micro-switch that prevents the machine from operating if the bowl and lid are not correctly mounted and closed. If that does not work, look for another small button at the base of the bowl location.

I've been enjoying this discussion of old Cusinart FPs. Mine is a DLC 10E made in Japan, given to me by a friend when she decided to 'upgrade' about twelve years ago. It's going strong but boy do I need a new work bowl. I rarely see this model though. Anyone know anything about it offhand? Is it the same as the DLC X listed on the website recommended by Kitchen Detective?

len

Just for reference sake, I found the bowl assembly at a US place(CAL, I think) for $20 less than any other US site, including Amazon although my serch was not extensive. I thought it might be simpler in the long run to ship within the US, rather than the Canadian site from livebetter, although they did have the part as well.

Len

I don't know why the numbers don't make more sense but they never did. It's probably somehow related to metric measurements as the founder of Cuisinart grew up in France.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/261007842439?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid= p3984.m1438.l2649

About 6-7 years ago, the bowl developed a crack. I found a replacement on ebay, but as I was afraid that the FP would fail, I bought an entire new DLC7 as backup. Of course my trusty original continues to chug away nearly 30 years since I got it. I use it regularly, at least several times a week. It has some cracks around the top of the motor, but I still use the original blades.

Cheryl

I still own two 7s and a mini. But between the two there's only one operable bowl and food chute. The older chute survived better than the one with the small round pusher. But I really do need one new bowl and top assembly. I can't imagine anything working as well as the 7. Though I haven't tried the newest Robot Coupe,which gets great reviews on chow hound.

I expect the kids will put both of these in a house sale when I'm gone, along with the Kitchenaid I've used since 1970. Only the plug is worn. These are such wonderful friends and lifelong kitchen companions. Little wonder I have so little patience with what we should accept as ok in the kitchen today.