How many speed settings does the BLACK+DECKER 8-Cup Food Processor have?
Three: low, high, and pulse, set from the touchpad panel on the base. Low suits gradual mixing, high handles fast chopping and pureeing, and pulse lets you stop short so a nut butter or salsa doesn't run past the texture you want. BLACK+DECKER classes it as a manual machine, so there are no programs or timers: you choose the speed and decide when to stop.
Is the work bowl and its parts dishwasher safe?
Yes. BLACK+DECKER rates it both dishwasher safe and hand-washable, so the bowl, lid, S-blade, and shredding disc can go through a dishwasher or be washed by hand. Buyers rate cleaning positively, and the lid-lock assembly (bowl sets onto the base, lid becomes the lock) comes apart as easily as it goes together. The one caution is heat: the plastic parts can warp after months of frequent dishwasher runs, so keep them on the top rack.
Can it make nut butter, hummus, or salsa?
BLACK+DECKER names salsas, nut butter, and hummus as jobs the 8-cup bowl and S-blade are built for, and the pulse setting suits that work since it lets you check texture between short bursts. BLACK+DECKER also lists blending, chopping, and mincing among its intended uses. Most of the praise from owners, though, is for chopping and shredding cheese, so that is where it has proven itself.
How does it compare to a Ninja food processor?
Think of it as the no-frills alternative. Buyers who have used pricier machines, a Ninja among them, report that it handles the same everyday chopping and shredding for far less money. What you give up is range: it comes with one S-blade and one reversible slice/shred disc, with low, high and pulse settings, so anyone who wants dough kneading or a large set of discs should look at a bigger machine.
What blades and attachments actually come in the box?
Two: a stainless steel S-blade and a reversible slice/shred disc. One side of the disc slices and the other shreds, so you flip it rather than swap in a second attachment. There is no dough blade, whisk, julienne disc, or extra bowl in the box, so if a recipe calls for kneading dough or whisking egg whites, this isn't the machine for that job.
Do the plastic parts hold up, or do they warp over time?
The body and bowl are plastic rather than stainless steel or glass, and they can warp with heavy dishwasher use. An owner who put the parts through the dishwasher once or twice a week, on any rack, found them too warped to fit together after about a year, yet still bought a second unit for the time it saves. Keeping the parts on the top rack is the simple precaution.
