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Review on ๐Ÿฝ๏ธ Enhance your KitchenAid KSM2FPA Food Processor with the Silver Dicing Kit Attachment by Antonio Taveras

Revainrating 5 out of 5

I was ready to hate it. . .

I had the opportunity to purchase a KitchenAid Stand Mixer Attachment using some of the discounts from a previous KitchenAid promotion and when I saw that this attachment was on sale I decided to give it a try . I had my eye on it for a while because it was the only item on the market that could be diced and not just sliced into objects like my Cuisinart. I've looked at the various videos KitchenAid has posted online, as well as independent reviewers, and have seen some really impressive results as well as some very negative comments. It turned out that people who bought or reviewed the app either found it very useful or completely hated it. As an engineer, I was curious to look at the design and wonder about the quality of the movement. So when I got the attachment, I had to test it. The first thing that struck me was how heavy the attachment was. This is not light equipment! The first thing that bothered me was the stress that the weight can put on the mixer. I still worry about it after a few hours of use. Like any other KitchenAid nozzle, it makes a little noise when in use and you can feel vibrations. I attribute this to some reviewers who say the attachment "fell off" the blender. I don't think this is an issue when you consider that vibration in all appliances tends to loosen fasteners over time, especially friction fasteners like KitchenAid that attach their attachments to blenders. My advice? Check the fastener for signs of loosening if you intend to use it for an extended period of time. So let's get to the exams. The first was a twenty-pound sack of russet potatoes, peeled and cut into the size of a funnel. I found various tips for setting the speed. What I've found is that generally, the more complex the item you're cutting, the faster you'll want to set the speed. Potatoes took seven to eight adjustments, while larger carrots took ten. Apple's worked well on lower settings. Tomatoes (I used Roma) worked well and seemed to work better at medium speed. This surprised me at first, I was expecting them to work better at lower speeds due to their harshness, but I think it's the leather. I haven't tried skinless tomatoes - that might be a different test. Cucumbers were best at low temp (note: I've peeled cucumbers in my batter, and the softer they were, the worse the results - English cucumbers were best for dicing). Another thing I found interesting was that I got the best dice results when I did NOT use a pusher to push the veggies into the container - using my own weight and the angled blade to pull them in worked really well. Big WARNING - don't try to use the meat cutter - it was a disaster! Haven't tried the cheese yet and if (when) I do I'll update this review. So the cube aspects worked better than I expected. Since this was my main reason for buying it, I was very satisfied. I moved on to slicers and was curious to note the adjustable thickness of the slicer (KitchenAid calls this their ExactSlice system). It's an interesting touch and I wonder how long it will last. Endurance is just as important to me as functionality as I try to keep my technique until it runs out! I would have preferred a metal mill, but that would have required a price increase, which would likely have made the overall cost unfavorable. It worked well, as did the chaff and straw discs. I usually prefer my Cuisinart for these functions (so many other blades and options), but if I want to dice as well as cut and julienne, my choice is KitchenAid. Next up was the cleanup. How hard will it be? I found that cleaning was actually easier than my Cuisinart. I have to say that I clean my tools immediately after use, regardless of brand or device. I learned my lesson by letting the trash dry in hard to reach places! KitchenAid was just as easy to disassemble as it was to assemble. Most items were cleaned with a splash of warm water, a brief dip in a soapy bath, and a rinse. A good cleaning brush can easily remove just about anything, and KitchenAid has the foresight to provide a small tool to remove food stuck in the grid of cubes so you don't end up with bloody fingers. I also like that there is an insert that slides out to protect the mechanism from food or liquid particles getting in with the blades. This was a feature I didn't think was important until the cleaning - then it made things easier. The included storage bag is good, but I have two problems. The first is a little finicky, but I had trouble getting the blades back into the case for it to close properly. Turns out the cut needs to be placed in a storage box with adjustable thickness, with what I call a plastic flip-tab rotated so it's to the right of the case or it will interfere with the closure. A picky concern, true, but I thought I'd lost my mind when the case wasn't closed the first time. Second, due to the position of the case in the open position, the case hinge does not lie on the surface but is slightly raised. I've seen the same design on other occasions and the failure mechanism occurs if left in that position for too long or if hit it damages the hinges. A very small design change would reduce the probability at no additional cost in materials or manufacturing. Overall I think this is a winner! Fears? Well, as with all bladed kitchen tools, it makes a big difference how sharp they are. I'm concerned about how well the cube mesh will hold its edges as there's really no way to sharpen it. I haven't looked at the replacement cost but I suspect it's not cheap! Other blades? Well they appear to be of the same quality as Cuisinart's and I've been using these blades for at least a decade with no problems.

Pros
  • Great for me
Cons
  • No instructions