KitchenAid KFP740WH 9-Cup Food Processor, White

Comment: I've owned several food processors over the years, and this one is by far the best I've ever owned. It's amazingly fast, efficient and purrs rather than roars. Even though it is more expensive than others I have bought in the past, I am confident that this one will last due to its quality. I wish I'd have bought a KitchenAid years ago. I love this kitchen tool, it saves so much time!

Comment: After burning through several less expensive Wahl Mart type food processors, I decided the time had come to get serious about food prep. I tend to obsess over these things, and, as is usual for me, began an intense investigation into quality (within affordable reason) food processors. I eventually narrowed it down to either Cuisinart or KitchenAid. Both seemed pretty good and had reasonably good reviews. I finally decided on the KitchenAid KFP740 (9 cup), and I've been pleased with my purchase. I've owned it just over a year now.

Following are a few comments from my personal experience with this machine that might be of use to you.

First of all, the comments about the design of the bottom opening is correct. It is quite shallow. This simply means that if you want to get the full 9 cup capacity this unit offers, you will have to use more-or-less dry ingredients. Veggies, meats, etc. You get the picture. If you try to process something down to the puree or liquefied stage, you risk leakage from the bottom center opening. It is pretty obvious to me that KitchenAid simply doesn't want you to use this machine for liquefying. That is a job they feel, rightly or not, best left to a blender. Now don't misunderstand me. The processor is more than capable of pureeing or liquefying. The motor is so powerful I believe you could liquefy a tree in it. But it could turn out to be a messy operation.

Secondly, I purchased the optional wide mouth lid and pusher (sold separately, for some insane reason). They make a huge difference when shredding, slicing, etc. I've also added a couple of extra blades, although the ones that come with the processor do the bulk of the work. For whatever it is worth, I found the french fry blade to be rather worthless. The wide mouth feed tube allows me to place a medium sized whole potato in horizontally, exposing as much area as possible to the blade. Regardless, while the processor makes astonishingly fast work of the potato, the blade renders thin, shoestring-like strips.

I've used the mini bowl several times, and it works fine for chopping small items or small amounts. Removing it from the large bowl takes some practice.

Comment: It is a KitchenAid so it weighs as much as a small tank and costs as much.
That said, it is sturdy, does the job. I don't think it will break even if I tried.
Some at times will say in their reviews that it didn't work out of the box or that they had problems after a short time. As many of these as they sell and make that will happen form time to time but it has been my experience that KitchenAid is quality stuff and the processor is the right size for us and does the job.

Comment: This food processor was purchased to replace an aging Hamilton Beach 5 cup processor from the late 1980s that was spinning off balance (but for $[...], it did a decent job for twenty years). It's used twice a week to process three to four pounds of vegetables at one time. The nine cup capacity allows one to shred, for example, two pounds of carrots in under 20 seconds. Its basic performance is amazing. The two accessory wheels (grating and shredding attachments) work fine. Have not had the opportunity to try the dough blade yet.

The chute is not huge, so some vegetables might be too thick to be used without first being sliced longitudinally with a knife. However, extra-wide chutes are more the province of 12-15 cup processors, and I would not expect a machine of this size to have an extra-wide chute. All pieces are dishwasher safe (top rack only if you have an exposed heating element; either rack is ok with a concealed element, e.g. Bosch) and easy to clean.

While I am delighted with the machine's performance, there are several factors to keep in mind:

1. The four cup mini bowl and blade are great as an extra work bowl for smaller jobs. Bear in mind that the mini bowl can only be used when inserted INSIDE the main bowl, and the lid of the main bowl serves as the lid for the mini bowl. As a result, if your large bowl is in use, or filled with processed food, you cannot use the mini bowl until you've emptied and replaced the main bowl. Either one has to plan very carefully the order in which various ingredients are processed, or else one still needs a separate small processor such as a Cuisinart MiniPrep.

2. Some machines in this size range, notably Cuisinart, include a separate flat lid (no chute) for use with the main chopping blade or dough blade. Even my old Hamilton Beach machine from 1988 had two lids. The KA has only one lid, with the chute. This means washing a larger lid than is needed for a non-chute chopping job, and it also means you have to keep a finger on the chute pusher (which needs to be inserted in the chute when chopping with the main blade) so it doesn't fall out of the chute and crack when removing the lid. A second flat chute would make a great addition to this machine and would also make clean up somewhat easier, as the chute lid takes up a lot of dishwasher safe.

3. I purchased the model in white at $[...] with a $[...] mail-in rebate, for a net cost of $[...]. It was also offered in black-and-silver for $[...], also with a $[...] rebate, and at $[...] net cost there is no other machine that comes close at this price level. Cuisinart offers a somewhat flimsy seven cup model for $[...], but at this larger nine cup size, a Cuisinart would cost at least $[...] more, and that company has lost its reputation for making rugged products that last a lifetime.

4. This machine is fairly large, and quite heavy. Unless you have an abundance of cabinet space, consider giving this appliance a permanent spot on your counter. Not as big or bulky as a KA stand mixer, but perhaps heavier than most people would want to lug out of a cabinet for use. Some newer kitchens have appliance "sheds" at counter level to store large/heavy appliances out of sight when not in use, and a "shed" would be a better place to store this than overhead or under counter.

Would give the machine's performance six stars if I could, which makes up for the lack of a second lid (see #2 above). Overall, this machine deserves each of its five stars.

Comment: Big fan of KitchenAid products. This is unbelievably quiet and very powerful. The only 2 negatives that I see have been on previous reviews--1)the inside stem is way too short which severely limits the amount of liquid that can be in the bowl without leaking all over the counter; 2)the slicer width is too narrow, and I am not about to spend big bucks to buy the additional disc package. Overall, it's a fine product but I don't understand why these problems have happened. My previous processor was a KitchenAid, and these problems didn't exist on it.