# Pepperoni



## vilasman1 (Oct 30, 2004)

Usually I get the little cheap packets of sliced pepperoni from the grocery store... but I figured I'm a big boy now, I've got this jumbo sized Kitchen Aid Food processor to play with, Let me buy some fresh pepperonie or whole pepperoni or how ever it comes slice it up and see if I can tell/ taste the difference.
Well the first thing I am seeing is that it's so hard I could play baseball with it.
Is it supposed to be hard. 
Taste test comes later...I am waiting for dough to rise.


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## spryte (Oct 30, 2004)

Yup, it's supposed to be hard.  I'm sure it will be tasty... Pizza is my FAVORITE food!!


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## MJ (Oct 30, 2004)

spryte said:
			
		

> Pizza is my FAVORITE food!!



 Spryte, you rawk! Have a recipe? I live for pizza


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## spryte (Oct 30, 2004)

Sadly I don't   

My aunt makes the BEST pizza in the whole world.... but she never shares recipes   

I hope there's some top secret file somewhere that contains all of her recipes, she can't possibly ever leave this world without passing them along.


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## buckytom (Oct 30, 2004)

vilasman, get yourself to a good italian deli, or better yet a salumeria, and try different types of dried or cured sausages, called salume. pepperoni is only 1 kind of salume. there are dozens of different kinds, like salami, cappicola, sopressata, coppa, mortadella, and so on. you could make a meal out of a few pieces of salume, cheese, roasted peppers and olives, a hunk of bread, and a glass of wine. i do it once in a while as a treat.


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## debthecook (Oct 30, 2004)

White Bread, Peanut Butter and Pepperoni Sandwhich.


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## Psiguyy (Oct 31, 2004)

I hate to ask you this, but what are you going to do to the pepperoni with the food processor?  

If you're going to slice it, I'm not sure how well that would work, since pepperoni is so hard and is usually sliced thin.


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## scott123 (Oct 31, 2004)

I'm going to have to echo Psiguyy. There are certain things food processors can do (even really expensive ones), and slicing pepperoni is definitely not one of them. In fact, you might even do in your processor's motor just trying.


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## choclatechef (Oct 31, 2004)

The pelican head slicing attachment or the roto type slicing attachment on your kitchenaid mixer can handle slicing pepperoni.  

So can the motors on the 20 cup Cuisinart or the Robot Coupe food processors.


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## vilasman1 (Oct 31, 2004)

Actually my 11cu kitchen Aid 670 went right through it. I'll never make pizza dough in it again... that gummed it and slowed it down pretty good, maybe my pepperoni wasnt hard enough. And it sliced thin too. All of the slices were thinner than what I get from the store, most of them were consistent but a few were thin, thinner and thinnest. Thin enough to see through. To me it went through the pepperoni just as easily as it does squash and Zucchini


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## Psiguyy (Oct 31, 2004)

I guess I'm still living in the dark ages.  Slicing discs must have improved greatly.  I may have to start looking at new processors.


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## vilasman1 (Oct 31, 2004)

I dont know about the dark ages thing, I do know that the slice blade on my food processor is so sharp that if you look at it to hard you'll get a cut.


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## scott123 (Nov 1, 2004)

I probably should have said "There are certain things food processors can do and slicing pepperoni 'to the right thickness' is definitely not one of them."

Pepperoni, because of it's high fat content, loses a lot of volume during baking.  Thin pepperoni is great for sandwich making or eating, but when you put it on a pizza it practically melts into thin air.  I've tried to compensate for thin pepperoni by doubling/tripling and the end result is never as good as when the pepperoni is the right thickness to begin with.  1/8" seems to be the magic number. There isn't a non commercial food processor on the planet that can do that.

I do take my pizza pretty seriously.  Maybe a little too seriously.  You may be okay with wispy pepperoni.  I'm not.


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## vilasman1 (Nov 1, 2004)

this slices that i made yesterday, the regular sized ones didnt disappear into the pizza. I will try the thickest  slicing blade that  I have for the food processor and see what comes out. And better yet, I will go over to the kitchenaid discussion board and ask the question... can this food processor comfortably make 1/8 slices Now of course I will agree with you that if it is mechancially possible for the machine to slice the pepperoni with out immediately catching on fire, they will probably say that their machine can do the job. 
And i would have to ask you, when you say that there isnt a non commercial machine on the planent that can slice 1/8 pepperoni are you taking into consideration a 6 qt k/a mixer with slicing attachment?

But in any case... if K/A claims that their machine can do it and my machine actually does it...
It might be time for you to consider a new food processor. 
And the new 12 cu k/a has just as big of a feed tube as a cusinart.

Just so we are not comparing mini apples with jumbo sized apples, the pepperoni I have was about as big around...somewhere between a quarter and a 1/2 dollar


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## scott123 (Nov 1, 2004)

Vilasman1, 

Yes, quarter/half dollar diameter pepperoni. My favorite brand is Hormel Rosa, which is pretty hard to slice, even by hand.  I'll still apply my claim to any brand with that diameter.

My statement applies strictly to food processors. The K/A mixer attachment may be able to do it, I'm not familiar with how it works. 

Although I can picture a K/A or Cuisinart food processor shaving off pieces of pepperoni, I just can't see it having the necessary momentum/torque to hack off a 1/8" chunk. Honestly, I hope I'm wrong, because that would be a good sign that I can go out, buy the thicker slicing disc for my cuisinart and slice pepperoni. From the physics involved, though, I'm skeptical.


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## vilasman1 (Nov 1, 2004)

i will go to k/a discussions and post question now , i will post here when i get answer


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## choclatechef (Nov 1, 2004)

scott123 said:
			
		

> Vilasman1,
> 
> Yes, quarter/half dollar diameter pepperoni. My favorite brand is Hormel Rosa, which is pretty hard to slice, even by hand.  I'll still apply my claim to any brand with that diameter.
> 
> ...



I bet you cash money, the Pelican head or the rotor slicing attachments can handle pepperoni of whatever thickness!  I would also be willing to bet the 20 cup Cuisinart or the Robot coupe food processors can handle the thick slices also!


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## vilasman1 (Nov 1, 2004)

Here is the text of the reply from one of the kitchen aid furom moderators, they didnt see any problem with it slicing pepperoni. In reply to this I directly asked if the machine would have a hard time with slicing it. I should get a reply sometime tonite or tomorrow  


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Vilasman

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Posted - 11/01/2004 :  2:26:12 PM  Show Profile  Email Poster  Reply with Quote
I have a kp fp670, is there a disc/ will that food processor make 1/8inch slices of pepperoni from a quarter sized stick of pepperoni?

kitchenaidkelly01

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Posted - 11/01/2004 :  3:35:12 PM  Show Profile  Email Poster  Reply with Quote
Hello..the medium slicing disc slices at 1/8 inch..it's the 4mm one included with your model processor..Have you tried it, but found it too thin?

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Vilasman

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well the slicees werent consistent through the whole piece of pepperoni but i can live with that. The reason i asked is a compadre was of the opinion that there wasn't a non commercial food processor made that could slice pepperoni. I told them that mine did and they couldn't believe it. So I figured maybe I ought to ask to see if I was pushing my machine beyond it's limits. And then they said if it is true, if your machine can slice pepperoni, well they might just have to trot right down to their local Kitchen Aid dealer and pick out a shiny new one for themselves.
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## vilasman1 (Nov 1, 2004)

The last reply from K/A HQ 

   
 Hi "Vilas", KitchenAid Rita here....

You might get even better results if the pepperonni is very well chilled or partially frozen. Kudos to you for persuading your friends!! We would love for everyone to be a KitchenAid fan!!

KitchenAidRita


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## MJ (Nov 1, 2004)

vilasman1 said:
			
		

> i will go to k/a discussions and post question now , i will post here when i get answer



 Hi vilasman1. Did you happen to mention www.discusscooking.com over at the K/A BB?


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## vilasman1 (Nov 2, 2004)

nope not yet, since their board is , how do you say, nothing gets posted until they read it and approve it, I will have to find a way to mention it that they cant help but let the message go through


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## scott123 (Nov 3, 2004)

Vilasman1, as grateful as I am to you for taking the time to post my question to the KitchenAid forum, the replies recieved so far are not exactly conclusive evidence against my argument.  I'm still waiting and watching in the hopes that some solid proof is posted.

In the meantime, are you willing to run the pepperoni through the thick disk and see if it works? Any plans on making pizza?


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## choclatechef (Nov 3, 2004)

scott123 said:
			
		

> Vilasman1, as grateful as I am to you for taking the time to post my question to the KitchenAid forum, the replies recieved so far are not exactly conclusive evidence against my argument.  I'm still waiting and watching in the hopes that some solid proof is posted.
> 
> In the meantime, are you willing to run the pepperoni through the thick disk and see if it works? Any plans on making pizza?



What do you mean, not conclusive?  I have said it!  Don't you believe me?


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## scott123 (Nov 4, 2004)

Choclatechef,

Quarter/half dollar diameter pepperoni
A kitchen aid food processor (not a mixer)
4 mm blade
1/8" thick slices

If you want to break out your processor and perform the experiment, I welcome your results.


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## choclatechef (Nov 4, 2004)

scott123 said:
			
		

> Choclatechef,
> 
> Quarter/half dollar diameter pepperoni
> A kitchen aid food processor (not a mixer)
> ...



I do not need to scott!  

When this question first arose, you made a statement, that "no food processor on this planet can handle thick slices of pepperoni".  At that time, there was no mention by you of any specific model.  Only now, after vilasman1's statement about his Kitchenaid, are you mentioning a specific brand.  

I am not about to go out to purchase pepperoni I do not need in order to "prove it to you" because obviously you would not believe my posted results anyway.  Otherwise, after my previous statements, you would not have continued to express doubts about the accuracy of my statements.  

Now, I stated previously that either a Cuisinart DLC-X or a Robot Coupe Food Processor will be able to handle this task, as will a Rotary or a Pelican head attachment for a Kitchenaid mixer.  Anyone with any knowledge of these machines and attachments would accept my statements without question.  Apparently, you have no knowledge of them.

So for the record, so I won’t have to hear further doubts about there being “no food processor on this planet that will handle, I will give you the results of my online search for “proof” of the power and the ability of the Cuisinart DLC-X, and the Robot Coupe.

“The Cuisinart DLC-X Plus Food Processor provides unmatched performance and durability. The extra large 20 cup capacity Work Bowl is perfect for catering and restaurant use. Direct drive 1-1/2 horsepower induction motor delivers the ultimate in strength and efficiency and consumes less electricity than some smaller food processors.”  
You will find this on this site:  http://www.cuisinart.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi/en/help_faq.cgi?item_id=DLC-XP&cat=food_processors  a statement that this model cana slice pepperoni!

The Robot Coupe R2N was found on this site in my search: http://www.robotcoupeusa.com/d2a1b.html it is a Commercial/Restaurant machine!  I own a Robot Coupe also, although I do not own a instruction manual!

“Specifications

Standard Model: Includes motor base unit with "On-Off" switch, 2 1/2-quart cutter bowl with stainless steel "S" blade, continuous feed unit with discharge plate, one medium 5/64" grating plate and one 5/32" slicing plate.

Electrical Requirements: 120V, 60Hz, 7.0 amps, single phase.

Motor: 1/2 HP, capacitor-type, fan-cooled, 1725 RPM.

Switching: "On-Off" push-type switch will not operate without bowl lid or feed locked in place.

Bowl Capacity: 2 1/2 quarts.


Please, in the future, when I say something emphatically -- believe it without all this fuss.


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## scott123 (Nov 4, 2004)

Chocolatechef, take it easy.

If you have a 20 cup Cuisinart and a thick slicing blade, that definitely meets the 'non commercial, non mixer' criteria that I've been talking about.

If you do eventually get around to buying pepperoni/making pizza, I would have no skepticism whatsover with the results you present. I welcome all feedback on this matter.

I know it's a lot to ask, but I want firsthand experience with pepperoni and processors.  Hearing it 'will' do it, is not the same thing as  it 'does' do it and "I've seen it do it." I truly believe that this could be pushing the machines parameters. Until I hear otherwise, I'm not budging.  It's nothing personal.


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## choclatechef (Nov 4, 2004)

As long as you keep changing horses in the middle of the stream, you will never be convinced of anything -- regardless of evidence.  Now you are saying "home food processor".  

Yes, the 20 cup Cuisinart is large -- but it is not a "commercial" food processor, although it can be used in a commercial establishment.

But be that as it may, I am through telling you what you obviously refuse to hear.  I notice you went on the Kitchenaid forum, and they also told you that their food processor will slice pepperoni.  

Since nothing anyone can say can budge you, and you are happy in your rut .....  see ya.


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## scott123 (Nov 5, 2004)

Changing horses? The follow quote is from the very beginning of the discussion four days ago.



			
				scott123 said:
			
		

> There isn't a *non commercial* food processor on the planet that can do that.



And yes, I did go ask my question on the KitchenAid forum and so far, the only person who's replied has experience with thin slices. But I'm waiting and I'm watching.

As far as you being through 'telling' me anything, that's wonderful news. From the very beginning of this discussion you've been pushing the commercial processor/mixer angle, being completely oblivious to my "non commercial food processor" comment.  If you want people to listen to you, listen to them first.


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## buckytom (Nov 5, 2004)

what? lol, just kidding, couldn't resist


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## debthecook (Nov 5, 2004)

What are you making, a salami bread?  If you are, please give me the recipe.


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## choclatechef (Nov 5, 2004)

scott123 said:
			
		

> Changing horses? The follow quote is from the very beginning of the discussion four days ago.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Here’s your first post on the thread scott:


31-Oct-2004 08:02 AM Post subject: 
I'm going to have to echo Psiguyy. There are certain things food processors can do (even really expensive ones), and slicing pepperoni is definitely not one of them. In fact, you might even do in your processor's motor just trying.





Here’s my post right after yours:


Posted: 31-Oct-2004 08:42 AM Post subject: 
The pelican head slicing attachment or the roto type slicing attachment on your kitchenaid mixer can handle slicing pepperoni. 

So can the motors on the 20 cup Cuisinart or the Robot Coupe food processors.

--------------
So you can see, you have changed horses in the middle of the stream.




Here is copied and pasted copies of the Kitchenaid conversations thread.  


http://forum.kitchenaid.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1122

Vilasman:  I have a kp fp670, is there a disc/ will that food processor make 1/8inch slices of pepperoni from a quarter sized stick of pepperoni?


Kitchenaidkelly01:  Hello..the medium slicing disc slices at 1/8 inch..it's the 4mm one included with your model processor..Have you tried it, but found it too thin?

KitchenAidKelly

Vilasman: Well the slices were'nt consistent through the whole piece of pepperoni but i can live with that. The reason i asked is a compadre was of the opinion that there wasn't a non commercial food processor made that could slice pepperoni. I told them that mine did and they couldn't believe it. So I figured maybe I ought to ask to see if I was pushing my machine beyond it's limits. And then they said if it is true, if your machine can slice pepperoni, well they might just have to trot right down to their local KitchenAid dealer and pick out a shiny new one for themselves.

Kitchenaidrita03:  Hi "Vilas", KitchenAid Rita here....
You might get even better results if the pepperonni is very well chilled or partially frozen. Kudos to you for persuading your friends!! We would love for everyone to be a KitchenAid fan!!

KitchenAidRita


scott123: Howdy folks! I'm the skeptical 'compadre' 

I'm looking for people that have successfully sliced thin diameter pepperoni with the 4mm blade.

If anyone was successful, were they able to get 1/8" slices from it? Does it take extra downward pressure to get this thickness? Did cutting thick slices of pepperoni put any undue stress on the machine?

My experience working with food processors has shown me that the thicker the material to be sliced, the more torque the machine needs to cut through it. I think that all food processors have limitations on what the blade can achieve per pass. It is my belief that 1/8" pepperoni surpasses those limitations.

I could be wrong, though. I'm hoping someone's experience working with thick slices of pepperoni disproves my theory.

Any pizza makers out there?


scott123: Uh, Kelly, do you get nice thick slices with it?
Does it take a lot of downward pressure?

Kitchenaidkelly01:  You'll want to keep a light pressure against the feed tube pusher as the disc spins. If you press too hard you'll get uneven slices because the disc is tipping. When you put the disc on the support, make sure the blade portion is just to the right of the feed tube..that way the disc builds a little momentum before it hits the pepperoni the first time around.

KitchenAidKelly


scott123:  Kelly, I know I'm being a bit repetitive here, but the thickness of the slice is crucial to my goals. Isn't light pressure going to equal thin slices? Does the pepperoni have enough time to drop that 1/8" between passes?

The position of the disc for the most momentum is a great idea, btw.


Kitchenaidkelly01:  Hi Scott, 
Light pressure should be good enough..if you don't press at all the pepperoni will probably bounce up and down, and you'll have nicked uneven slices. Have you had a chance to watch the video from our Canadian site? There's a live demonstration on pizza making..here's the page:
http://www.kitchenaid.ca/english/videorecipes/recipes_main.php
This should give you a really good idea of what you can expect from your processor. Let me know how things turn out..

KitchenAidKelly




When you are wrong, you are wrong.  Why not admit it?


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## scott123 (Nov 5, 2004)

Choclatechef, for not talking you sure have a lot to say 

From the very beginning the thread revolved around a home food processor.  When you presented commercial processors/mixers in response to my initial statement, I clarified my position by immediately stating "non commercial food processors".

KitchenAidKelly, if she is applying light pressure, isn't getting thick slices.  The video that she's directing me to has no pepperoni in it. Sure thick slices of zuchini, no problem.  My concern is not with zuchini.

I have absolutely no problem being wrong.  I'm wrong all the time.  I just need some conclusive evidence here.  My cuisinart is a $450 machine.  Before I jump in and start slicing pepperoni with it, I don't think it's too much to ask for some solid proof that this treatment isn't going to cause it damage.

These types of machines can't handle anything.  Would you put a 3" diameter genoa salami in one? Of course not.  There's a limitation here and I think thick slices of pepperoni might be it.


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## choclatechef (Nov 5, 2004)

You are correct.  I am putting far too much time on this thread.

I have a $700 Cuisinart DLC-X  which is a home food processor [albeit it is large and powerful] and I would not want to damage it either -- however genoa salami will not damage it.  The manual states quite clearly on page 29 it will slice salami.  

If the moderators on the Kitchenaid forum state their food processor will do something, and vilaman says he has done it in his own home....I can see no reason to doubt them.

After all, vilaman has no stake in the company and I respect his word.  The kitchenaid moderators must know that by posting that their food processor has this capability is a warranty of sorts that the company would have to honor.

Knowing all of this, I can't see why you still doubt.


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## scott123 (Nov 6, 2004)

First hand experience with thick slices.  That's what I want.

Vilasman1 was only able to get thin slices. Kitchenaidkelly, the same.


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## Psiguyy (Nov 7, 2004)

Aw hell.  All this talk.  Just buy one and see if it works.  If it doesn't?  Return it.  

Otherwise, just do what I did years ago.  I bought an electric slicer.  Cuts pepperoni, salami, balogna, bread, turkey, beef, and practically anything else down to paper thin depending on the hardness of the food.

P.S.  Can't wait for the day scott 123 tries to convince chocolatecheff to buy something that scott 123 swears is the best darned whatever that can do whatever to whatever whenever.   :?


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## GB (Nov 7, 2004)

I have a miter saw in my basement that would do a great job at slicing the roni. It has a laser sight so I could be sure to get the same thickness each time


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## MJ (Nov 7, 2004)

GB said:
			
		

> I have a miter saw in my basement that would do a great job at slicing the roni. It has a laser sight so I could be sure to get the same thickness each time


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## choclatechef (Nov 7, 2004)

GB said:
			
		

> I have a miter saw in my basement that would do a great job at slicing the roni. It has a laser sight so I could be sure to get the same thickness each time


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## scott123 (Nov 7, 2004)

Psiguyy said:
			
		

> Aw . All this talk. Just buy one and see if it works. If it doesn't? Return it.



Psiguyy, I own one.  4 years old.  If I used it for pepperoni and damaged it, I'd have a hard time taking it back the store.  Sure, I could probably mail it back to the company, but I'd like to avoid the potential shipping costs.

Just a few posts back you didn't think it could be done with an older food processor.  Let me tell ya, food processor technology hasn't changed all that much in the last 15 years. If an older machine is iffy, a newer one is as well.



			
				Psiguyy said:
			
		

> Otherwise, just do what I did years ago.  I bought an electric slicer.  Cuts pepperoni, salami, balogna, bread, turkey, beef, and practically anything else down to paper thin depending on the hardness of the food.



Now _that_ is the right tool for the job. You won't find me arguing with you there.


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## scott123 (Nov 7, 2004)

Psiguyy said:
			
		

> P.S.  Can't wait for the day scott 123 tries to convince chocolatecheff to buy something that scott 123 swears is the best darned whatever that can do whatever to whatever whenever.   :?



If I was attempting to impose my theories on another chef rather than my first hand experience, I would certainly hope that this person would fail to heed my advice. There's a huge difference between being 99.99% certain something will work and actually doing it. Until he does it, or anyone else does it, it's just theory.


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## choclatechef (Nov 7, 2004)




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## Psiguyy (Nov 8, 2004)

Scott123.  I based my first thoughts on my own experience with my 10 plus year old processor.  Maybe it's more like 15 years old?  

Seems clear to me that the new models are a heck of a lot better than the old ones and are a lot more capable machines.  I just may have to break one of my rules, that being don't replace something until it's broken.  Hmm.  I wonder what would happen if I carried it off the counter with oil on my hands?  

I try to keep an open mind, especially when somebody I respect tells me about their own experiences to the contrary.  When it comes to something new that I don't have?  Who am I to doubt another's experience with something I know little if anything about?  I may have a few questions, but that's just my curiousity.


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## choclatechef (Nov 9, 2004)

Hey Psiguy!  Don't "drop" your old food processor.  If you are serious about replacing it, give it to a friend or relative.  

If you wish to sell it, PM me with the particulars.  I have another friend who can use one.


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## Psiguyy (Nov 12, 2004)

I'll keep it.  If I need to slice salami or pepperoni, I'll just use my slicer.     

The only old, still working, appliance I ever threw away was an old Sunbeam electric hand mixer.  A green one.  With "Burst of Speed" or was it "Burst of Power?"  Got a Krups which was so much better, I dumped the Sunbeam in the trash.


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