I do spend a lot of time in the kitchen baking pies and although I have used my FP often to cut in the fat, I never add the water in the FP. Tried it and didn't like it. I prefer to finish the pastry dough by feel. And more often then not when I want to make a pastry dough I just cut the fat in using the old fashion pastry cutter. Quicker than getting out the big FP. Gardenlad. I make all my own breads and four cups of flour nets me two nice size loaves. Most of the breads I make the French or Italian artisan types, and last year I got into making sour dough as well. Since my FP will handle 6 to 7 cups of flour easily I usually end up with 3 large loaves. Check out Julia Child's simple French Bread recipe in her "The Way to Cook" book. The recipe calls for 3 1/2 cups of flour and will make three 18 inch baguettes or two fat long loaves. Or a couple of large rounds. Since my stone is only 16 inches wide I make slightly smaller baguettes and a third loaf or two larger loaves. I do agree with you though that the dough blade has limited use and unless you do use your FP to make bread dough then you could do without it. Ann

You know, I spent a lot of money on a Cuisinart food processor- its an 11 cup, so decent capacity. I'm a bachelor, so when I cook, I make REALLY BIG batches, and it entails A LOT of veg prep. I typically make 10-11 quart batches of soup, chili, etc. At first, I was severely disappointed with the peppers/onion chopping. I mistakenly used the S- blade for things I shouldn't. Somebody on this site said that "it takes practice". So true. I am now chopping with my food processor with decent results; I would dare say almost presentable where it matters. I basically use the disc (round) slicing blade (not the shredding blade), and I sort of crowd the small round feed tube on top of the lid to keep the vegetables together and unable to move around. For example, I put half a small bell pepper cut into four pieces plus half of the top, pushed it down quickly, and got a nice chop. So, it's possible to cut down (haha) prep time with decent results. If it works, I am attaching a pic of a chop I just did. I am making chicken, peppers, onion, and black beans with cilantro lime rice (basically Chipotle at home). YUM! :) So yes, food processor is your friend. Happy cooking all!

I have a 7 cup capacity. It makes bread with 4 cups of flour, 2 pie crusts, pesto with 2 cups basil and 4 oz parm 2/3 cup oil. It grates 2 cups of carrots at a time and 1/2 a small head of cabbage. Slices 2 or 3 cukes without dumping, and 3 good sized onions for soup. It's the size that suits me best. I have cooked at other people's houses who have a larger one, and a larger one won't mix a small amount as well......won't ealily process bread of only 4 cups of flour nor just 2 cups or pastry dough. ( I put cubes of frozen butter into the processor with the flour and salt...mix in bursts and add the liquid too...) Ideally, I would like 2!! A 14 cupper for big batches of slaw and a double recipe of pesto....but in reality, one is enough and the small one fits the way I cook better than the larger one....and the smaller bowl fits into my dishwasher more easily. I very VERY rarely use the FP for anything that could be considered "liquid"....for that I use the blender or the "boat motor". Linda C

To dehydrate kale: Wash thoroughly. Remove stems (save to use in another dish, stir-fry, or soup). Cut the kale leaves (kitchen scissors work well for removing the stem and cutting the large leaves into smaller portions) or tear the kale into manageable-sized pieces. (After you've made dried kale once, you will decide what size/s of pieces work best for you and fit in your dehydrator.) Dip the cut pieces in an acidic water bath (1 t. citric acid powder, OR vitamin C powder,OR Fruit Fresh per quart of water). This aids in preventing bacteria growth, helps maintain color, and adds a little vitamin C. Drain (I give the cut pieces a gentle spin in my salad spinner). Place same-sized pieces together in a single layer on a dehydrator tray - or on one side of a tray if you mix sizes on a single tray. Equal-sized pieces will dry in approximately the same amount of time. If you put a combination of large, medium, and small pieces together on the same tray, the small pieces will finish drying first, and you will need to remove them so they don't over-dry - so keep the same sizes together as much as possible. Dry between 105-120-degrees F. until crispy dry (or about 4-6 hours). When crispy, allow the kale to cool to room temperature while on the trays (20-30 minutes). Don't let the dried kale sit in high humidity or it can rehydrate, and if enough moisture is absorbed, it can mold in storage. As soon as it is cool, store in an air-tight container and keep in a dark, cool place. This is a great way to "save" some less-than-perfect kale you forgot in the crisper drawer. -Grainlady