By Cheri Sicard
I am so happy I found the Cuisinart Mini Prep Plus: It’s the perfect combination of form and function for RVing cooks.
As I cook a lot in my RV, I have been missing the convenience of my food processor while on the road. It makes all kinds of tasks from chopping onions to making sauces to mixing doughs so much easier.
The problem is that food processors are usually large. Too large for me to justify taking up that much cabinet space in a small RV kitchen. And while mini food processors are terrific for some small tasks, they’re just too small or flimsy for others.
With a 4-cup capacity, the Cuisinart Mini Prep Plus is small. But not too small.
Four cups is substantial, so for a lot of kitchen tasks, it’s more than adequate. I have yet to have an RV food processor job that I was not able to achieve in this gadget by dividing it into two processing batches that take just seconds each.
The medium-sized food processor doesn’t take up too much cabinet real estate either, as it’s just 9″ deep X 11″ wide X 6″ tall.
Winner!
What I especially like about the Cuisinart Mini Prep Plus 4-cup food processor
- Unlike most mini food processors that come with flimsy blades made to only handle small tasks, the Cuisinart Mini Prep Plus is heavy-duty enough to handle most any job its full-sized counterparts can do, albeit in smaller capacities.
- I love its small overall footprint compared to the size of its work bowl.
- It has a chop and a grind function.
What can be improved?
So far I have had no problems. However, Cuisinart makes its lid-locking mechanisms with plastic parts and tabs that fit together. Over time and with washings, those parts have a tendency to break or snap off with use.
This has not happened to me with this food processor as it’s new, but I can see the potential is there. It works fine—just be aware and handle with care.
I had the exact same issue with my full-sized Cuisinart food processor at home. Twice. Yes, you can replace the lid, but it’s about half the cost of the entire unit, so not ideal.
From an RV perspective, the only other possible negative is that you have to have an AC power source. But with inverters, generators, solar power, or portable power stations, these days that is not the issue it used to be. Even while boondocking.
The Cuisinart Mini Prep 4-cup food processor draws 250 watts of power. But you only use it for seconds at a time. Therefore, the typical food processor kitchen task shows no impact whatsoever on the level of my portable power station.
Conclusion
As long as you handle the lid with care in order to not break any parts, this is a great medium-sized food processor with decent power and capacity.
Check out the Cuisinart Mini Prep Plus 4-cup food processor here.
##RVT1122
Finally ordered Dave Solberg’s RV Handbook. What a gem! I wish I’d had this book years ago, but am glad to have it as a resource now. It’s clearly written with photographs that illustrate the explanations. Thanks, Dave.
Dave is the best!!!