Cuisinart Elemental 13-Cup Review

Performance Comparison

Chopping

The Elemental ranked about average in our chopping metric. In our test kitchen, we chopped carrots, almonds, and onions to assess its performance, comparing the final product to the other food processors. We evaluated how long it took for the blade to stop, demonstrating the level of control the device has. It did very well at chopping onions, earning the second-highest score of the group.

Unfortunately, performance plummeted when chopping carrots, with this model tying for the lowest score. The carrots weren't very uniform, and we could not chop the large residual pieces without over-processing a significant portion of the carrots.

The Elemental was about average at chopping almonds, similar to the Black+Decker 8-Cup in chop quality, but created much, much less pulverized almond dust. This model took a brief moment for the blade to cease spinning when the button was released.

Mixing

The Elemental did better in our mixing metric, tying for the second-highest score of the group. We compared the quality of the mayonnaise, pie crust dough, and pizza dough produced by the machines to come up with a final score, particularly looking for consistency and any signs of struggle. It successfully made our one cup mayo recipe without difficulty and produced a high-quality finished product, earning it full marks. This model also did a great job making pizza dough, only shaking a tiny bit while mixing. It did well at making pie crust, though not quite as well as pizza dough. The pie crust actually got thrown against the side of the bowl and stuck there, resulting in a dough that had some dry spots and some overly sticky spots when we rolled it out.

Pureeing

The Elemental's performance dropped slightly on our pureeing tests. We had a panel of tasters rate and rank the hummus, applesauce, tomato sauce, and nut butter produced by each food processor. We also tested whether or not each bowl leaked when filled with water to the maximum fill line, and the motor was run. The hummus tied for the third-best of the group with the Cuisinart Elite. The applesauce produced by this model featured some large chunks and was overall coarser than that of other models.

The tomato sauce wasn't great and was chunkier than other sauces we made. The Elemental also had a less than stellar performance grinding nut butter, taking around 25 minutes and receiving the second-lowest score.

Shredding

Shredding was another one of the metrics that the Elemental scored very well in. We did a careful shred analysis of the potatoes, cheese, and carrots that were sent through each machine to determine scores, as well as looking at whether or not you could adjust the size of the shreds. This model has both fine and medium shred settings. It performed well at shredding cheese, with a finished product that had very few crumbles and was primarily cheese strands.

We had to do some minor trimming to the two-pound block of cheese to get it to fit in the feeding tube, and no chunks were left behind in the gap between the lid and shredding disc. The Elemental continued its solid performance when it came to shredding potatoes, producing some of the highest quality shreds we saw during testing of our top-ranked food processors.

The shredded carrots weren't too shabby either, and we were impressed during this test.

The carrots didn't have any large chunks in them, but they weren't as crisp and as structurally sound as the shreds made by some of the higher performers.

Slicing

Delivering an above-average performance, the Elemental earned an above-average score. We sliced zucchini, potatoes, and tomatoes to assess the aptitude of each model, as well as if it was possible to adjust the thickness of the slice on the slicing disc. The slicing blade was easy to adjust, with the numbers corresponding to the desired thickness in millimeters. It did a fantastic job slicing tomatoes, though the feed tube wouldn't fit the largest tomato we had.

Quality dropped when it came to potatoes and zucchini, both ranking about average. There was a small degree of taper on all of the potato slices. The zucchini slices exhibited a wide variation in size, and there was some tapering, but it did alright.

Cleaning

This model was one of the more difficult to clean. The discs, blade, bowl, and lid are all dishwasher safe, though recommended for the top shelf only. The blade was easy enough to clean, especially helped by its longer length, making it easier to hold on to when washing manually. The bowl had some small raised points to act as stops for the smaller bowl that would catch food and be very problematic to clean. The lid was even worse, with some even smaller spaces that would trap food and cause endless frustration to clean.

Should You Buy the Cuisinart Elemental 13-Cup?

All in all, you probably wouldn't be disappointed in this model, but you might not be thrilled. It comes with a dicing attachment, which is a nice perk unique to this model. All in all, though, we think most people will be better served by models that scored similarly but were significantly less expensive.

What Other Food Processors Should You Consider?

This model scored on par with a couple much cheaper processors. The Hamilton Beach 10-Cup is our favorite inexpensive model, if you're hoping to stretch your dollars but maintain good performance. In the same price range as the Elemental, you can get the Cuisinart Custom 14, a higher performer. And if money is no object, the Breville Sous Chef 16 Pro takes the cake as the best overall food processor we tested.