Rob Babcock
Head Chef
Hello, peeps! Been a while since I've been around, just been busy. But I thought I'd drop by to give a short review of my new Robot Coupe R-101 food processor. Anyone that's worked in a restaurant has probably used or at least seen a Robot Coupe, and their R2 has been one of the most popular workhorse machines for commercial use for decades. I've been a chef for over 25 years and always kind of wanted to get an R2 for home but but $1,200 is a lot of money for a machine to use in my home kitchen. But a year and a half or so ago they began to offer a new machine called the R-101! I think it's the same 1 hp motor of the R2 but paired with a slightly smaller 2.5 L bowl. This new machine is around $650, still not cheap but not insane, either. Well, recently Amazon did one their crazy sales where it was $500 even for about one day! Well, feeling like I would never find a better deal I jumped at it! I've only been using it for a couple weeks but I'll give my initial impressions.
First off, the good: It's a Robot Coupe! It's hard to imagine anything this thing can't chop or mix. It's simply a smaller R2 (with one irritating exception I'll discuss later). It has just an S-blade and three buttons on the front (ON, OFF and PULSE). Dead simple to run but it does so much. I've done ham salad, mixed batter, blitzed pork panko and made mayo and this thing rocks. Just like a slightly smaller R2.
Well, except for one annoying flaw- the bowl! The R2 has a handle on the front of the bowl, and the safety/trigger is a spring loaded pin that ensures the machine will only run with the domed lid on. With a razor sharp S-blade powered by a 1 HP motor you can't be stickin' your fingers in it unless you wanna lose one! But the bowl of the R-101 doesn't have a handle at all which is frankly baffling! I mean, a $30 KitchenAid has a handle! The replacement bowl alone costs more than most home food processors all of which have a handle. Of course, the machine still works great but it's annoying to try to hold the chopping bowl in one hand while you scrape out the contents when there's no handle to get a hold on. In a way it's a small thing but a $650 machine should be essentially flawless, at least IMO.
Still, with this one annoying issue noted, I'm over the moon with my new Robot Coupe! It's a very serious piece of gear and will likely outlast me (I say this because I've used R2s in my work that were over 30 years old!). And virtually every part is available including the motor. If you're looking for a pro level food processor with the power to take on anything that fits in the bowl and if it's in your budget, this should be on your short list!
First off, the good: It's a Robot Coupe! It's hard to imagine anything this thing can't chop or mix. It's simply a smaller R2 (with one irritating exception I'll discuss later). It has just an S-blade and three buttons on the front (ON, OFF and PULSE). Dead simple to run but it does so much. I've done ham salad, mixed batter, blitzed pork panko and made mayo and this thing rocks. Just like a slightly smaller R2.
Well, except for one annoying flaw- the bowl! The R2 has a handle on the front of the bowl, and the safety/trigger is a spring loaded pin that ensures the machine will only run with the domed lid on. With a razor sharp S-blade powered by a 1 HP motor you can't be stickin' your fingers in it unless you wanna lose one! But the bowl of the R-101 doesn't have a handle at all which is frankly baffling! I mean, a $30 KitchenAid has a handle! The replacement bowl alone costs more than most home food processors all of which have a handle. Of course, the machine still works great but it's annoying to try to hold the chopping bowl in one hand while you scrape out the contents when there's no handle to get a hold on. In a way it's a small thing but a $650 machine should be essentially flawless, at least IMO.
Still, with this one annoying issue noted, I'm over the moon with my new Robot Coupe! It's a very serious piece of gear and will likely outlast me (I say this because I've used R2s in my work that were over 30 years old!). And virtually every part is available including the motor. If you're looking for a pro level food processor with the power to take on anything that fits in the bowl and if it's in your budget, this should be on your short list!
