I own and cherish a Kitchenaid Food Processor I bought years ago. I was not going to part with this machine even though it has chips and cosmetic wear. It has been a faithful work horse and one of my most prized possessions. I only bought "new" because my daughter asked me for my old one. Here are my other observations:

1. For years now, I have had my eye on KitchenAid products, namely their prominent stand mixers. So when the need for a GOOD food processor became a reality for me, I first looked at KitchenAid, and not much further.

2. The bowl is AMAZING in how solid it feels. It locks onto the base with a quick spin to the right. The handle lines up on the center of the base and the bowl will no longer continue to turn once it is locked into place. Again, same as the lid, the bowl only locks on from one direction.

3. The base is again, very solid and well weighted. The button pad is completely covered so there is no chance of food leaking into the buttons. There is an On, Off, and Pulse button. I use the pulse button frequently as the engine is so powerful, you won't need extended food processing times as you might with other food processors to accomplish the same goal.

4. Bravo to KitchenAid for scoring an A+ with such a simple, yet delightful and highly functional kitchen tool that is sure to please the most demanding chef in each of us. A bit on the pricey side, but worth every penny!

5. Pizza dough - It says to stick to around 3 cups. My recipe was slightly over that and not only did it handle it perfectly but it mixed it so thoroughly and quickly, I was amazed. Much faster than my Kitchenaid Mixer.

6. Salad dressings. This works very well, though I used the big bowl when I should have used the small. I didn't think I would use the small bowl much but it's great. One handy feature when making salad dressings is that you can pour oil into one side of the plunger and it will drizzle into the bowl slowly. Very handy!

The machine has now been in my kitchen for a full year. Looking back, I could kick myself for making me so miserable in the kitchen with cheap stuff. You will enjoy cooking with the right equipment. I did several days worth of research on food processors before deciding to buy the Kitchenaid. This is a reliable machine.