Both Kitchenaid and Cuisinart are excellent. They have slightly different pluses and minuses but generally you can't go wrong with either.

Don't consider anything smaller than 11 cups.

I love my Cuisinart but others swear by KA.

Don't overthink it -- you can't go wrong either way.

I've had the Kitchen aid 11cup with the smaller insert bowl for about 15 years used it heavily, even for kneading bread/pasta dough. The engine has never bogged down.... The design is also very easy to clean... Ive even bought many of the accessories over the years, like the juicer, with good results.

I like Kitchenaid for the extra bowls and Cuisinart for the little pinhole in the pusher cup that drizzles oil at the perfect rate for making mayonnaise. When (if) my 19-yr-old Cuisinart dies, I'd be tempted to switch to Kitchenaid for the extra bowls - but I'd sure miss the mayo-friendly feature of the Cuisinart as I do make all of my own mayo.

Akonaut -- That is exactly the analysis that Cooks Illustrated had -- They liked the pinhole on the Cuisie but the multi bowls on the KA.

I have a little Cuisie which sits on the counter for small jobs so I love my larger Cuisie which doesn't sit on the counter and I take out for those times when I need a large food processor.

I wouldn't want the large food processor on my counter all the time so I wouldn't get the KA since the small bowl wouldn't help me.

From a quality point of view, both the KA and Cuisinart are great -- you can't go wrong with either one. If you have a lot of kitchen space and don't contemplate making sauces, then you would probably be fine with the KA out on the counter. Otherwise, you might be happier with a large Cuisie and a small Cuisie (the small Cuisie is only about $30).

Don't spend a lot of time worrying about your decision - they are both great makes.

If I could find a funnel with a small-enough opening, then I should think I'd be able to make mayo even with the Kitchenaid.

I'm not a mayo maker (very rarely use it), but what's wrong with the hole in the KA feed tube? Or is that one of the advantages of having the top of the line Pro model, in addition to a little extra power and the gorgeous copper color of mine? I just looked at mine and the smaller black part of the feed tube has a pinprick hole that looks to me as if it would work for dribbling oil.

Jan -- Per CU, the KA Pro model is the only one more highly ranked than the Cuisinarts. The Cuisinarts are ranked more highly than the other KA models. -- Could be the pin prick and other factors. I'm not familiar with the difference between the various KA models.

I make mayo in my Cuisinart all the time. The little hole in the bottom of the feed tube insert allows oil to dribble in by drops, just for such a purpose. I use the same process to make Hollandaise sauce...because there's no place like home for the Hollandaise.

Does anyone have anything to say about the new Viking food processor? I'm considering one as a gift. It's pretty new, so I'm guessing there is not much of a track record out there. It appears to have the same accessories as the KA 11 cup (mini bowl, main blade, dough blade, 3 discs & storage), but is 12 cups. It also has a split feeder tube to allow lquids to be poured in while running. I think the knob to operate it is a nice touch and, of course, it has a striking look. It is more expensive ($300) and probably not worth the extra $$, but I am curious to see if anyone has one and how they like it.