Does The Cuisinart Food Processor Julienne, Spiralize, And Puree?

Cuisinart food processors are all the rage in the market and for every right reason. This jam-packed food processor is versatile, offering up to seven blades, each one more efficient than the last. The real test lies in whether it can accurately perform the three classic culinary cuts; julienne, spiralize, and puree. We did the work to bring you the answer.  

Yes, the Cuisinart Elemental food processor is equipped with features to julienne, spiralize and puree food:

  • To julienne vegetables, you may utilize the shredding blade or attach a separate 3x3 millimeter julienne disc. 
  • To spiralize vegetables, Cuisinart has its own accessory kit that offers three different kinds of spiral cuts.  
  • If you want to puree vegetables and fruits, you need to use the Cuisinart metal chopping blade.

Curious about learning how to master each of the techniques with your Cuisinart food processor? Keep reading to find out all the dos and don'ts of spiral cutting, what to do with julienne vegetables, and why Cuisinart processor is great to puree vegetables.

A food processor on top of the table with fruits, Does The Cuisinart Food Processor Julienne, Spiralize, And Puree?

The Julienne Cut 

Each of the Cuisinart food processors comes with a medium to fine shredding disc. You can utilize this piece to achieve thinly sliced vegetables, similar to that of a julienne.  

However, to achieve a precise cut, you must attach a julienne disc along with your processor. The discs are available for the different Cuisinart models and are infamous for their 3x3 millimeter strips.  

Click here to see the julienne disc on Amazon.

What Do You Do With Julienne Vegetables?

Apart from their aesthetic appeal, julienne vegetables always cook evenly and take up less time to marinate. Thus, they save up on resources, time and add great texture to your dish. 

Lightly sauteed julienne vegetables make a great stir fry, add up to meat dishes as sides, and you can also include them in sandwiches and wraps. 

Most importantly, their tempting nature could very well be the motivation to get on with any diet you may be putting off. Just add your favorite seasoning to an assemblage of julienne vegetables and enjoy a beautiful, healthy salad.

What Can Be Julienned?

Julienne is simply a knife cut that produces long, thin shreds of a vegetable. It is vastly similar in structure to matchsticks. Thus, you can cut any vegetable into julienne. The vegetables include carrots, celery, or even potatoes. With the correct cutting technique, each can achieve the perfect strip form.  

Fortunately, the Cuisinart food processor is convenient with all vegetables as long as they are clean and fit into the feeding tube. 

How Do You Julienne Carrots With a Cuisinart Food Processor?

Winter carrot cut in julienne

Assemble the food processor by putting the bowl, the stem adapter, and the julienne blade disc in place. Ensure that the disc is pushed as far down as it goes to maintain adequate distance from the lid.

The Secret to the Perfect Cut

Now, here’s a trick. If you lay down your carrot, or any vegetable, vertically into the feed tube, each shred would only be as long as the diameter of the carrot. That is pretty short and takes away the appeal of a julienne cut. 

To avoid that, cut your carrots down to match their length to the width of the feed tub. Now, stack as many cut pieces into the feed tube as it can hold. The pattern should resemble that of a log cabin. 

Final Processing 

Once stacked up, turn the machine on and press down with the food presser. For firm vegetables, like carrots, the pressure would be relatively high. You want to be consistent with the force you apply on the presser as it will directly affect the uniformity of the julienne. 

Remove the julienned carrots from the bowl, and there you have it! Thinly shredded carrots that barely took a minute to cut. 

The Spiralizing Blade

With the Cuisinart Elemental food processors, you get to benefit from three spiral disc blades. Each provides a unique spiral cut, allowing you to cut vegetables and fruits into diverse shapes and sizes. 

Angel Hair Disc 

The angel hair disc is the finest of the three, giving you extra thin and narrow pieces of food. 

Spaghetti Cut Disc

The blade name is self-explanatory. It gives out long strains of vegetables and fruits that resemble the structure of spaghetti. It is the blade infamously used to make zoodles. If you're not familiar with it, it's spaghetti made into noodle form!  

Ribbon Cut Disc 

Although perfect with the spiral shape, the ribbon cut disc produces relatively short and wide pieces than the other two discs. 

To see it in action, here's a YouTube video demonstrating it: 

For more information on spiralizing, check out our post here.

How Do I Use My Cuisinart Food Processor With a Spiralizer?

Zucchini zodles vegetable healthy pasta

To begin with, you must set up the food processor itself for work:

  • Attach your work bowl to the gear. 
  • Place it onto your kitchen top or any solid workspace. Into the center of the work bowl, insert the stem adapter. 
  • Now it’s time to choose your spiralizing blade. Based on the working of each cut, decide which disc you’d like to use. For instance, a spaghetti cut disc is the go-to for a classic zoodle dish. 
  • Insert the blade into the disc holder. Put it in and turn it to the right so that it clicks in place.
  • Stick this structure right over the stem adapter. To do so, pass it through the hole, and by supporting the working bowl, it’ll attach into place. 
  • Reassure that the structure is well-fitted and then close the lid. 

Preparing the Food 

Thoroughly wash the vegetables you want to cut. Trim the ends off so that you have a flat top and bottom. Notice that there is a full line on the feeding tube. Thus, cut your vegetables to fit the space in the tube only. 

Turn the processor on and choose between high or low speed for spiralizing. Fill the feeding tube and gently press down the vegetables with the food pusher. Be sure to avoid being violent and apply consistent pressure to achieve smooth and uniform veggie noodles. 

Be mindful of the working bowl, especially if you have a large number of vegetables to cut. Once it gets full, you must empty it before letting more food come through. To do so, turn the power off, lift the lid and empty the bowl. Before reusing, make sure the disc or stem contains no food scraps. 

What Else Can I Use My Spiralizer For?

Thinly sliced vegetables and fruits sure are any salad lover's dream. But that is not the only thing the spiraliser is good for! You can use it to fancy yourself a bucket of handsome-looking fries, sweet-potato pizza crusts, or even chocolate chip zoodle muffins. 

Honestly, take any vegetable or fruit dish and amp it up; by using the spiral blade to cut the ingredients. 

The Puree Blade 

For any food processor to qualify as a good means of pureeing, it must exhibit three core characteristics. Fortunately, the Cuisinart Elemental food processor meets all three. 

1. Power

You could get a well-chopped salad out of a 400-500 watt processor, but that is about it. The smooth, liquid consistency of a puree requires at least a 700-watt motor. The Cuisinart 14-cup food processor sits perfectly on the criteria with a 720-watt motor in its latest 14-cup model.

2. Capacity

A puree achieves its classic consistency only when a significant amount of fruits/vegetables are used. This means having to run a greater load on the blade. The Cuisinart processors come in different cup sizes like 8, 11, 13, 14, and more, allowing you to personalize your processor to the capacity you need. 

3. Blades

With Cuisinart processors, you’re getting seven working modes! Each type comes with its designated set of stainless steel blades that produce perfectly cut veggies on the go. 

What Blade Do You Use to Puree in a Food Processor?

Delicious marinara sauce is being mixed with rock salt inside a blender

To puree in your Cuisinart food processor, you use the metal chopping blade. This S blade begins with coarsely chopping up the food to mincing it and ultimately achieving the puree consistency. The process merely takes a few seconds, adding up to the versatility of the Cuisinart food processor.

How to Puree Using Cuisinart Food Processor 

Rule number one is to never pop the whole fruit/vegetable directly into the working bowl. Not only does that prolong the process, but it also puts undue pressure on the motor.

So, if you have a tomato at hand, cut it down into quarters. Similarly, separate cruciferous vegetables into florets or cut down cucumbers into vertical bars. 

  1. Set up the food processor by attaching the working bowl to the gear. 
  2. Attach the chopping blade into the center of the bowl. 
  3. Pour in all your vegetables. Make sure not to overfill the bowl. Leave out extra vegetables for another round on the blade. 
  4. Close the lid and turn the processor on. Let the blade do its job for a few seconds. 
  5. Stop the processor. Check the consistency of the product. It could be that it is only minced or perhaps contains chunks of the fruit. Anyway, you may stop the process whenever you're satisfied with the consistency of the puree.

Final Takeaway 

Having evaluated every aspect of the Cuisinart Food Processor, it's safe to say the rumors are true. It can julienne, spiralize, and puree vegetables and is a master in doing so. Thus, if you came here to find out whether the investment is beneficial, we say it is worth every penny. We hope you found the information above insightful. 

Before you go, do you have any other food processor concerns? Do you wonder how loud a food processor can get? You can find out more by checking out the post here. Until next time!

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