Cuisinart BFP-703CH SmartPower Duet Blender and Food Processor, Chrome
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Cuisinart BFP-703CH SmartPower Duet Blender and Food Processor, Chrome
Customer Review: Above average but not fabulous
Summary: 3 Stars
I have had one of these Duet Blender/Food Processors for several (3 or 4 for sure) years. My primary motive in buying it was space saving--two appliances in the space of 1 1/2. That part has turned out to be true. I also relied on the Cuisinart brand to be reliable--maybe not so good on my part. I haven't used this appliance hard (maybe 6 times a year) and it has been fine. It's not huge but it can get the job done (the blender is actually just about normal sized I think!) However, as noted by other reviewers, one day last week the plastic motor locking ring just snapped right in half. There appeared to be no way to remove it to replace it, either. I am contemplating buying another one, despite the problem, because the space saving is good and it has worked well enough, but I hope that Cuisinart will improve this feature. I do believe that when you ask an appliance to do more than one job, it doesn't do either of them great; it's kind of a c+ for both jobs. If you are wanting a serious food processor, this is not the appliance for you. If you have space issues and don't use it a lot, it's probably fine.Customer Review: Blender melted!
Summary: 1 Stars
I have had this blender/processor for about 4 years and used it rarely until recently. I have been eating more smoothies in hopes to lose weight. It does not chop up frozen fruit - not even when i let it sit out and start to thaw. It smells like smoking plastic very often, but I saw nothing wrong. Then today I am making a smoothie with frozen cherries and all other foods at room temp. I could see the chunks of cherries spinning around and not getting chopped up. Then the power started to fade, there was a large POP! and then it sounded like it was supercharged. I immediately turned it off and then smoke stated billowing out from under the pitcher and up out of my smoothie!!! The bottom of the blender blade that has the notches that hook to the motor's notches. The notches on the blade where sheared off! Needless to say, I can't have my smoothie.
As for the food processor, I found it to be of a size that was not useful. Too small for 4 person meals and too large for 1 person meals. Never had any mechanical problems though.
I would not recommend this product.
Customer Review: Beware-good while it lasts, but...
Summary: 3 Stars
I was generally pleased with this blender. I used it about 4 to 5 times a week to make smoothies and I occasionally used the food processor for chopping vegetables. Just as other reviewers have written, it would leave an occasional lump of unblended fruit when I made a smoothie, but it was not unbearable-perhaps a blender with a narrower base would blend better if you're looking to liquify solids. It is also very loud, but again, not that big a deal. The real problem, very similar to others who have written reviews, is that after about 1.5 years of usage the black plastic disc that turns the blade began to disintegrate. Plastic shavings covered the entire blender after each use and it began to make an awful whirring noise, as if the motor were spinning but not the blade (which was in fact what was happening). If you purchase this blender you might consider buying the two year warranty/protection plan, because this seems like a fairly common problem. As for me, considering I put the blender through a lot of use, I think I am simply going to look for a different brand of blender.Customer Review: Excellent purchase
Summary: 5 Stars
This has to be one of my best buys of the year. I looked around at several different models of food processors and this one fared well in reviews and options.
We needed something compact, to fit into our small space, and we didn't want to trade power for size.
The size is perfect for cooking for two to four adults. My wife uses it to make a variety of sauces and chopping ingredients for dishes. It's relatively quiet (compared to our other kitchen appliances) and reliable. It's easy to use and it's compact so it's easy to store and retrieve. In fact, we store it in an overhead cupboard.
The dual use is brilliant. We can switch out when we need (but we mostly use the food processor). The blender glass is great for both hot and cold food. It's fast. I got to use it the other day for grinding hazelnuts and I had hazelnut gruel in moments.
A bonus for us is the chrome finish matches our other kitchen appliances.
I still use my immersion blender for smoothies in the morning because I can make them in the same container I drink them from and I do the dishes.
Customer Review: Ideal for the casual cook
Summary: 4 Stars
This appliance is ideal for me. I use the blender once or twice a week and the processor 2 or 3 times a week. And I don't have a lot of storage space in my kitchen, nor the desire to own 2 motors when one will do both jobs. I bought this to replace a very wimpy Oster blender/processor combo and I am thrilled with it. The blender grinds through ice cubes in no time, and the processor has delivered consistently good results with a variety of foods. The product design is excellent. The attachments fit securely onto the motor base without the need to twist or lock. The buttons are very easy to clean, and they have been thoughtfully arranged for ease of use. The motor unit is very compact, so it takes up about half the space my old Oster did. The glass blender jar is very sturdy and leakproof, but I wonder about the durability of the plastic processor attachment.
For a serious cook who deals with large quantities and frequent demands on an appliance, it's probably better to have separate pieces. But as a casual home cook for two, I love its design, efficiency, and power.