Monday, October 14, 2024

Cuisinart Custom 14™

Cuisinart Custom 14™ Review

Food Processors

Product Grade
Report Card Grade
0 Reviews
Best Feature:
Large capacity with quiet, powerful motor
Worst Feature:
Hard-to-clean feeder tube
Best Uses:
Kneading, whipping, and slicing/shredding fruits & veggies
Pricing:
$199.00
Manufacturer:

Where to Buy

Store Name
Price
$172.99
$192.84
$199.00
$199.99

Overview

The Cuisinart Custom 14 is a great all-around food processor for a large household. Although it struggled slightly with chopping onions and parsley, it performed well in all of our other tests from slicing tomatoes to making nut butter. The base felt solid and is designed in the classic Cuisinart style with easy-to-use paddle switches.

The Cuisinart Custom 14 Food Processor
The Cuisinart Custom 14 Food Processor
Credit: Mary Griffin

You can compare the Cuisinart Custom 14 Food Processor (DFP-14BCN) to other food processors in the Food Processor Review.

Photos

Unpacking the Cuisinart Custom 14.
The Cuisinart Custom 14 Food Processor.
Here you see the simple paddle control system.
The Custom 14 only comes with basic attachments.
The Cuisinart Custom 14 feeder tube.
We had to trim our russet potato to fit it into the feed chute.
Chopped onions.
Chopped parsley.
The smaller feed chute allows for continuous processing.
We shredded carrots quickly and easily with the Custom 14.
Pulverized parmesan.
Yummy whipped cream!
Making almond butter.
Making pizza dough.

 
This Product
Overall Winner
Overall Score
65%
93%
93%
Our Awards
Date Reviewed
January 2016
January 2016
January 2016
Pros
excellent for slicing & chopping; quiet; large capacity; versatile
excellent performance; 25-year warranty; 8 attachments; blade storage; wide feeder tube; large and small work bowls; timer; good customer service
excellent performance; quiet; two work bowls; great warranty; wide feeder tube; blade storage; good capacity; efficient; versitile
Cons
difficult to clean feeder tube system; relatively low liquid capacity; feeder tube positioned at back
expensive; heavy base; difficult to clean; poor emulsifying capability
expensive; poor performance with whipping; difficult to clean; no cord storage; heavy
Functionality (30%)
Processing Quality (30%)
Ease of Set Up & Clean Up (30%)
Storage Options (10%)
Type
Full-Size
Full-Size
Full-Size
Capacity (cups)
14
16 and 2.5
16-cup and 4.5
Liquid Capacity (cups)
3
5
7.75
Price
$199.00
$399.99
$299.99
Warranty
5-year motor warranty; 3-year limited warranty on unit
25-year motor warranty; 1-year limited warranty on unit
20-year motor warranty; 3-year limited warranty on unit
Product Depth
9.75"
10.25"
15.75"
Product Height
15.75"
17.75"
20"
Product Width
7.5"
8"
13"
Motor Power (watts)
720
1,200
1,300
Base Weight (our measurement)
11.6 lbs
15.4 lbs
15 lbs
Control Panel
Two Paddles
Touchpad
Touchpad
Speed Settings
On/Off and Pulse
Continuous and Pulse
On, Off, Dough, or Pulse
Attachments
3 attachments: 'S' blade, slicing disc and shredding disc
8 attachments: 2 'S' blades, dough blade, adjustable slicing disc, reversible shredding disc, julienne disc, French fry disc, and whisking/emulsifying disc
5 attachments: 2 'S' blades, dough blade, adjustable slicing disc, reversible shredding disc
Large Tube
4.5" x 3"
5.75" x 3"
5.75" x 3"
Small Tubes
2" circular
2" circular
3" x 2"
Cord Storage
No
Yes
Yes
BPA-Free Plastic
Yes
Yes
Yes

Product Background

The Cuisinart Custom 14 features a BPA-free work bowl with 14 cups of dry capacity and 3 cups of liquid capacity. It comes with 3 stainless steel attachments including a 4mm slicing disc, a medium shredding disc, and a universal 'S' blade. On the back of the lid, there is a large feeder tube that measures 4 1/2" x 3" and a smaller round one that is 2". The Custom 14 has a classic Cuisinart look with easy-to-use paddle switches. It also features Cuisinart's standard safety locking mechanism and has rubber stoppers on the base of the unit to help stabilize the machine during use.


ProductReportCard Editors' In-Depth Review


Specifications

Performance Comparison

Functionality

With 14 cups of dry capacity, we thought the Cuisinart Custom 14 was a good size for bigger household cooking projects. Its liquid capacity is only 3 cups, which may be an issue depending on how you plan to use your machine. We liked the easy-to-use paddle switches on this machine as well. However, we found these paddle switches slightly less responsive than the singular paddle switch on the Cuisinart Pro Classic 7 Cup.

Here you see the simple paddle control system.
Here you see the simple paddle control system.
Credit: Mary Griffin

In terms of attachments, the Cuisinart Custom 14 only has the basics - an 'S' blade, 4mm slicing disc, and medium shredding disc. However, these should handle most processing projects. The "extra large" feed tube was great - not as wide as some of the other models we tested, but it can still fit a whole tomato. Its position on the back of the lid though, is slightly less convenient. We also found that the feeder tube system didn't lock in smoothly, making it a bit difficult to process a lot of ingredients quickly. Like with other Cuisinarts, the safety mechanism doesn't allow for a continuous feed in the big chute, so you'll have to pare down foods like we did with our russet potato below.

We had to trim our russet potato to fit it into the feed chute.
We had to trim our russet potato to fit it into the feed chute.
Credit: Mary Griffin
Processing Quality

The Cuisinart Custom 14 performed well in the majority of our tests. It has a base weight of 11.6 pounds and remained relatively stable even when we pushed the 720-watt motor to the max. It has very sharp blades that made fast work of everything from whipped cream to almonds. The slicing disc even did a good job of slicing something very delicate like a tomato.

Using the Custom 14's slicing disc.
Using the Custom 14's slicing disc.
Credit: Mary Griffin

The shredding disc was excellent at shredding vegetables like the carrots below.

We shredded carrots quickly and easily with the Custom 14.
We shredded carrots quickly and easily with the Custom 14.
Credit: Mary Griffin

We were less happy with our results when we shredded parmesan. We thought there was a lot of waste and inconsistent shreds.

Pulverized parmesan.
Pulverized parmesan.
Credit: Mary Griffin

The Custom 14 also had trouble chopping onions and parsley. The parsley emerged wet and bruised.

Chopped parsley.
Chopped parsley.
Credit: Mary Griffin

The onions, as well, were not consistent in size.

Chopped onions.
Chopped onions.
Credit: Mary Griffin

However, this machine did a great job making whipped cream. It came together nicely and was really yummy.

Yummy whipped cream!
Yummy whipped cream!
Credit: Mary Griffin

It also excelled at making almond butter. It didn't overheat, didn't shimmy on the counter, and produced a decent result.

Making almond butter.
Making almond butter.
Credit: Mary Griffin

Our pizza dough test also went well. It was a taxing project and the unit shook slightly at the end, but the dough came out perfectly.

Making pizza dough.
Making pizza dough.
Credit: Mary Griffin
Ease of Set Up and Clean Up

The Cuisinart Custom 14 is relatively easy to set up and clean up. Everything fits together smoothly. Initially, we had trouble fitting the disc attachments into the spindle, but, once we figured it out, it was simple to assemble. The most difficult part to clean is the large feeder tube and sleeve system. We did all the cleaning by hand, but its parts are top-rack dishwasher safe if you prefer to go that route.

Storage Options

The Cuisinart Custom 14 is a mid-size food processor that will fit easily on a countertop or in a cabinet. It doesn't have cord or blade storage.

Best Uses

We thought the Cuisinart Custom 14 did well slicing and shredding fruits and vegetables. We were also impressed with its ability to handle more challenging projects like dough and nut butter.

Value

At $200, the Cuisinart Custom 14 is one of the more expensive food processors we tested. It didn't come with a lot of bells and whistles, but we thought it performed well and felt durable. It also comes with an excellent warranty that covers the entire unit for 3 years and the motor for 5 years.

Conclusion

Overall, we thought the Cuisinart Custom 14 performed well and was exceptionally quiet. It did a fine job shredding and slicing fruits and vegetables, easily handled dough and nut butter, and also made nice whipped cream. That being said, we didn't think it did quite as well shredding parmesan or chopping onions and parsley.

If you don't think you need this much capacity, we'd suggest checking out our Editor's Choice Award winner, the $100 Cuisinart Pro Classic 7 Cup. Its processing capabilities were similar and we found it much more user-friendly. If you are interested in a lot of capacity, you might want to consider the Cuisinart Elite Collection 2.0 16 Cup. It has 16 cups of capacity, a 2nd small work bowl, and additional blade/disc attachments. For a high capacity machine however, we like that the Cuisinart Custom 14 is relatively compact and efficient. We also really like the old school design of the base.

Alternatives

Cuisinart Elite Collection 2.0 16 Cup

- $300

- More liquid capacity

- 1300-watt motor

Cuisinart Prep 11 Plus

- $180

- 625-watt motor

- 11-cup dry capacity and 2.5-cup liquid capacity

- 10-year warranty on motor

KitchenAid 11-Cup with ExactSlice System

- $200

- 360-watt motor

- 11-cup dry capacity and 3-cup liquid capacity

- Adjustable slicing disc

- Only has a 1-year warranty

We suggest that you check out our Buying Advice for Food Processors to get an idea for what machine will best suit your needs.

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