Holiday Meals Made Easy! Cuisinart!

 I love Cuisinart. I loved them since I discovered small appliances and cookware back in high school. I have never had any problems with their products and they have always performed as expected. Recently, I was given the opportunity to try out two new products! The first is the Cuisinart Rice Plus Multi-Cooker with Fuzzy Logic Technology, and it will do everything except mix cookie dough. If you only own one appliance, this should be it. It's perfect for anyone with limited space.
Here are the features:

• Equipped with fuzzy logic technology for perfect results every time
• Pre-programmed menu options including White Rice, Sushi Rice, Brown Rice, Risotto, Oatmeal, Slow Cooking, Steaming, and Soup, as well as Quick Cooking and a Reheat function
• Automatically switches to Keep Warm after cooking is complete, for up to 24 hours
• Programmable Finish Time allows user to set when dish will be ready
• Makes up to 15 cups of cooked rice
• Non-stick aluminum cooking pot
• Easy-to-use/easy-to-read control panel and backlit blue LCD display for easy use
• Removable steam release and inner lid for easy cleaning
• All removable parts are dishwasher safe
• Includes steaming rack, measuring cup, rice paddle and spoon
• Basic to gourmet recipes included
• Limited 3-year warranty

I had a rice cooker for years and I loved it. It was ruined in our great flood. I never knew how much I depended on it until I was without it! We eat a lot of rice and it's nice to let a rice cooker do it's thing! I hate standing over a stove and I always manage to overcook my rice when I do. I'm also always left with a stainless steel pot with a stuck on layer of rice. I hate to clean those! Now I can multi-task without worry! My rice always comes out perfect and the non-stick cooking pot is a bonus! When I read that this rice cooker makes soup, I was very excited! We eat a lot of soup during the cooler months. I love a bowl of potato or vegetable beef soup and this smart appliance makes it possible. It's also a slow cooker! I can also slow cook a meal or my husband can make oatmeal for the kids! My family loves steamed veggies and we have found the Rice Plus Multi-Cooker easy to use. We haven't used it for risotto or brown rice yet, but we will in the near future. I'll keep you posted! I was pleased with this Rice Plus Multi-Cooker from Cuisinart. It's a little pricier than your average rice cooker, but the features and optional uses make this a great bang for the buck! It's a great value! It is easy to use and the rewards are great!
 I was also given the opportunity to try a Cuisinart Elite Collection 14-Cup Food Processor. I never thought I would want a food processor. I have a little gadget that chops my onions, and seriously that is all I thought I would use a food processor for. I thought it was a waste of space and a lot to clean up after use. Boy was I wrong. This appliance has earned a coveted space on my countertop. I won't say I use it daily, but I do use it often. It's not just for slicing carrots or potatoes or other veggies. I can shred cheese, and clean-up is easier than using my cheese grater. I use my new food processor to make dough for bread, which I make about every other day! That's right! I make all of our bread-no store bought for us! I can make homemade peanut butter or other delicious and healthy nut butters, dips, pizza dough (and slice or shred the toppings!) and killer homemade pie crusts from scratch! Smoothies, sliced beef or pork for sandwiches, and fruit purees! But food processors are expensive. How do you justify buying one? You will save time! If your brain has been trained to live without a food processor for years, it will take time to retrain your way of thinking. I still find myself wanting to pull out my stand mixer or a knife and cutting board. Each time I do, I stop. It helps having my food processor on my countertop at all times. I can whip up cookies in less than half the time. It beats pulling out my stand mixer and setting it up. Cake mixes, they are just as fast and easy. Clean up is about as time consuming as cleaning a mixing bowl and stand attachment, maybe less. The Cuisinart Elite Food Processor has dishwasher safe parts, so after a quick rinse, I toss them in. That's it. I was never around food processors growing up. My mom never had one. I do remember my grandmother dragging out a dinosaur of a food processor once or twice, but she didn't use it often. It was very noisy! That's about all I remember about it. That and it was a pain to clean! When I used my new Cuisinart Food Processor, I could not believe how quiet it was! It is heavy (maybe I should say sturdy and well built!), and it is sleek and modern. It is such a pleasure to use!
Here are the features:

• 3 Food Processors in 1!
• 14-cup Large Bowl, 11-cup Medium Bowl, and 4½-cup Small Bowl with Pour Spouts & Measurement Markings
• Exclusive Patent-Pending SealTight™ Advantage System –Seals Bowls and Locks Blades
• Easy On/Off Locking System with Push-Button Release
• Stainless Steel Adjustable Slicing Disc (1 to 6mm)
• Stainless Steel Reversible Shredding Disc (fine/medium)
• Large and Small Stainless Steel Chopping/Mixing Blades with BladeLock System
• Dough Blade• Cuisinart® Supreme® Wide-Mouth Feed tube and Cover Assembly
• Electronic Touchpad Controls – On/Off/ Dough/Pulse with surrounding Blue LED Lights
• 1000-Watt Peak Power Motor
• Retractable Cord
• Accessory Storage Case with Lock
• Spatula
• How-to DVD
• Recipe/Instruction Book
• All removable parts are dishwasher safe
• 20-Year Motor Warranty3-Year Limited Warranty
• Available in Die-Cast,White and Black

I have to say, the retractable cord is genius. Why can't all small appliances sport this feature??? I also love that the touch pad is smooth. There are no little gaps to fill up with food! The buttons wipe clean with ease! This powerful food processor is easy to use and the blades seem to stay sharp. I am always finding a new use for my new kitchen helper! Check out these great products and more from Cuisinart! They make quality products and offer them at reasonable prices. They also stand behind their products with great warranties and excellent customer service!

To Disclose: I was sent A Rice Plus Multi-Cooker with Fuzzy Logic Technology and an Elite Collection 14-Cup Food Processor from Cuisinart in exchange for these reviews. No monetary compensation received. If you have any questions not answered about either of these products, please send me an email! I'll be glad to answer them!