If your health-focused resolutions are waning, don’t despair. Let us introduce you to the Cuisinart Easy Prep Pro, which could be the ideal thing to help put you back on track. We were invited to review this innovative kitchen appliance, and in this feature, we’ll tell you what we thought of it.
The Machine
If you’re not after something too fancy and are looking to use a food processor from time to time, then the Cuisinart Easy Prep Pro is the machine for you.
Measuring just 20 cm wide and 41cm high, it won’t take up excessive space on your worktop. And it has an impressive appearance – particularly the soft curves of the metal base and the simple, chunky control buttons.
The machine comes with two bowls. The large bowl has a 1.9L capacity, making it the perfect size for the family whilst still being small enough to stay out on your worktop. The inner bowl, which sits atop the larger one, is ideal for smaller tasks like chopping and mixing.
The bowl is fully sealed, so you won’t get any nasty leaks into the large bowl beneath, meaning there is no unnecessary washing up to do. A thoroughly practical food processor, its motor won’t start without the mixing bowl properly attached. It’s a real plus from a health and safety point of view.
In a day and age when most of us are time-poor, the Easy Prep Pro speeds up tasks like slicing and dicing vegetables, grating cheese and salad ingredients, and mixing sauces, dips, batters and cake fillings. And if you fancy yourself as a baker, you can also use the processor to make dough for pizza and bread.
Performance
Considering this machine has just a couple of bowls, slicing and grating discs and two blades, it’s easy to think that the relatively simple processor may pale when it comes to its strength and performance. But after using the gadget, I concluded that its simplicity is its strength.
My first test was to create a cake batter and buttercream. With its three speed settings – high, low, and pulse – I was able to mix the ingredients according to whether I wanted to speed up or slow down the process at any given step. It was very useful when adding eggs for the main batter and when I was whizzing up the buttercream ingredients.
As the weather was still cold, I was inspired to whizz up an immune-boosting soup. When I’m feeling lazy, I opt for pre-chopped vegetables from the supermarket, but this is often costly, and I don’t feel the vegetables look very fresh. But as I knew I’d save time with all the chopping and dicing, I was happy to purchase the freshest produce I could find for my potato and leak soup.
And dare I say, I had lots of fun popping the veg through the feed tube and watching it work its magic. The power of the appliance proved impressive, and within seconds, the veg was chopped and diced. Once cooked, I set the blender on a high function and watched the concoction blend into a smooth consistency.
As someone who is always on the go, I tend to have crudites on the go to keep healthy snacks on me. Carrots, cucumbers and peppers are my go-to favourites as they are easy to transport. Using the large bowl and the slicing disc, I produced a massive pile of vegetables in a fraction of the time it would have taken me. The blades and discs are impressively tough, and its chunky motor unit is clearly built to last.
Verdict
I’ve yet to test the appliance out for its dough-making abilities (my Italian housemate is haranguing me to make a pizza!), but all things considered, the Easy Prep Pop is an ideal choice for those who prize simplicity and effectiveness over novel functions and features.
Granted, it doesn’t come with many accessories – there’s no dough blade or egg whisk – and there aren’t any accompanying storage boxes for the ones that it does have. But what this no-frills machine does is a great job on the whole.
So, if you’re looking to be an expert in your kitchen and keep healthy foods at your fingertips, this stylish, powerful, versatile food processor is sure to take your food prep to the next level.
Specifications at a Glance
- Components: base unit, small (0.7L) and large (1.9L) mixing bowls, feed tube, Slicing/grating discs (fine and medium), Small and large chopping blades
- Functions: slice, shred, chop, grate, knead, mix, blend
- Speed settings: high, low, pulse
- Item weight: 3.1kg
- Colours: silver, frosted pearl
- Recipe book
Cuisinart Easy Food Prep Pro – Where and How?
The Cuisinart Easy Food Prep Pro retails at £140. For more detailed information on what it is capable of, visit www.cuisinart.co.uk.