Love of Cuisinart

I'm addicted to Cuisinart products and I blame my mother. Since I can remember, she has always had a food processor (called a "koose-in-art" in our household). It chopped, it grated, it sliced, and it had a futuristic acrylic rack that hung in a most pristine manner next to the clutter of pots and pans on the wall. Clearly, it was the appliance among appliances.

Specialty blades were later added to the collection. Then she branched out to professional-looking pots and pans of the same brand. I think she might own a hand blender, as well.

I received a Cuisinart coffee grinder as a gift, likely from her. I have not only a full-size food processor, but also a mini processor/blender. I can't imagine giving these items away, even those the mini processor receives minimal use. I have a small blade organizer that shuts out the dust. I have a couple of Cuisinart saucepans and a larger covered pan. Again, these are the favorites in my kitchen. I think I even have a waffle iron.

Recently I came to the conclusion that my life would be better with an automatic rice cooker; I figure if I throw my healthy grains in the timed pot at the start of the day, I'll be three-quarters of the way to a complete meal by the time my tummy starts growling for dinner. As with any major purchase consideration, I headed to Costco.

Past the office supplies and luggage comes the small kitchen appliance aisle. I first found a specimen far down on the left. Cuisinart. SCORE!

For $70 I can have an Electric Pressure Cooker. Sure, it's not a rice cooker, but it seems like an expected function. And it's a Cuisinart, and oh! how wonderful those products are! I took notes on the model number, determined to research its timed rice capacity from home.

I continued down the aisle. Further up, on the right, was an Aroma digital 10-cup rice cooker for $30.

Now, common sense says I should save $40 and buy what I came for. But, it's Cuisinart! Perhaps it's just their good marketing department, but there's a voice telling me I shouldn't settle for just the rice cooker, but I should find my way to make a Cuisinart investment. Darn those voices in my head!

So now I'm at at the Cuisinart website, trying to make a pitch to myself for the pressure cooker. It's like a kid with a sweet tooth trying to read labels in a candy store!

Imagine the delicious poultry I make with a vertical rotisserie!

I could take the edge off Mondays with a programmable espresso maker!

A programmable slow cooker? Oh, that would nicely replace my 1970's Crock Pots!
Aren't we always saying how nice it'd be to own an electric knife?
Lunches would be 10x more interesting with a panini press!
We would be the hit of the alley parties with a soft serve ice cream maker.
An egg cooker, while not essential, sounds neat!
We have, however, talked seriously about a countertop filtered water dispenser.
And look! They do have a rice cooker (um, for $150).
OK, now that that's out of my system, I'll take a closer look at the capabilities of the electric pressure cooker (as seen on Jacque Pepin's PBS series!). And, if I haven't then determined that it fits my rice-cooking needs, hopefully someone will have talked me out of it.

Cuisinart played no part in this blog. Again, I blame my mother.