Food processor cup capacities help

[Deleted]

Does anybody have suggestions on how to decide what size food processor you need, i.e., how many cups of food the bowl can handle at once? It's just me and DH and we don't do a lot of entertaining so we don't need a huge one. But I do enjoy cooking and also I would like it to be large enough to handle making dough for pie crusts (but I realize this has more to do with motor size than bowl size). There are so many options out there that it makes it hard to decide - 3 cup, 5 cup, 7 cup, 12 cup, 14 cup..... I will say that a mini food processor is not an option - I had one of those when I was single and hated it - it was too small to really be of use. Any advice? TIA ladies!

[chanteltbarrett]

Always buy one bigger than you think you will need. I have a 12 cup one and don't find it too large. It's only me (and my pets, ha!) in my household, but it's great when you have more people for dinner. I use mine for a lot - mixing things for baking, slicing veggies, etc.

[kaylie]

We have a 12 cup, but I wish I had gotten the 14 cup. The 12 cup was on sale for $200 a couple days before Christmas last year so I went for it.

This is ours: www.williams-sonoma.com/products/cuisinart-elite-die-cast-12-cup-food-processor/?pkey=cfood-processors|4294966746&group=1&sku=1402916&cm_src=food-processors||FN-Brand-_-FN-Cuisinart-_--_-

Even though it's just me and H, I still make big things with it sometimes and it's not hard to fill. It comes with a four cup bowl for smaller jobs.

[wawa]

I have a similar one to kaylie - 12 cup with a 4 cup smaller bowl. I wouldn't go smaller. (just me and MH - but I do a lot of big batch cooking)

Pie crust is definitely my favorite use of the FP though. so yay for that! You shouldn't need a heavy duty motor for that though - it's a quick job.

[mrs.jacinthe]

I've been ogling the new KA one with the adjustable slicer blade and regretting my boring KA. LOL

And based on experience with just R and I - 12 cup is the smallest you should go. It fills fast.

[boiler717]

I have a 2, 7 and 12 and use them all! 12 is used most though.

[Deleted]

I think mine is a 14 or even 16 cup by cuisinart. I couldn't imagine anything smaller because when I use it it is for baking or salsa, etc. More than just dicing an onion or something small.

[kaylie]

And I would recommend at least 1000w for power. Pie crust would be fine with less but if you ever want to do bread dough, a weaker motor would probably die (which was the fate of my first food processor).

[auntie]

I have a 28 year old Cuisinart Custom 11- it will be replaced with larger. I make pizza dough, but only a 3 c flour 1/2 recipe at a time.