Breville BFP800BSXL Sous Chef Pro 16 Cup Food Processor, Large, Black Sesame

Note: I have not used this machine yet, so at this point the ratings are based on initial impressions. I will update once It has been used a few times.This machine was purchased to replace an old 11 cup. Kitchen Aid. The Kitchen Aid worked very well for many years and the motor still works great. But the bowl fell of the counter and both the bowl and lid were damaged. Replacement Lid and Bowl were $100 combined. Ridiculous given the thin plastic used for the items. I refused to pay that.I was going to replace with a new Kitchen Aid, as given this machine's age we figured it didn't owe us anything. But the new Kitchen Aid 11 cup unit had some nice features (including an externally adjustable slicing blade). But when I noticed that the motor was 270 watts (as opposed to the old unit that had a 760 watt motor), I said to myself What?!.So I started looking for a more Robust appliance. I originally had settled on the 12 cup Breville, but I noticed that the 16 cup was on sale for only $55 more, and had a lot more features, including a 1200 watt motor (the 12 cup is no slouch at 1000 watts), several discs, and the very convenient storage case for the attachments, I considered the upgrade to be a well spent $55.The thing is large and heavy. The weight is no doubt due to the 10amp motor. I do not consider this to be a bad thing, as the weight will tend to keep the thing from walking off the counter under heavy load.Some folks have mentioned that they have washed the bowl in the dishwasher. This is not recommended by Breville, as noted in the manual. (Note contrast to 'Dishwasher Safe listing) We will be washing ours by hand. Breville mentions damage by the extreme heat and harsh detergents employed by automatic dishwashers. It will likely cloud the finish at least, and ruin the very attractive look of the unit.While on the subject of the bowl, I notice that the bowl and lid are of a much thicker plastic than our older Kitchen aid, so I would guess would be more likely to survive a fall. I am not intending to test that theory.Another reviewer indicated that Breville only charges $10 and $20 for the respectively, but the parts are listed at $53 and $69 respectively Perhaps their customer service department offers these items at different prices. Something to keep in mind.Barring any unpleasant surprises, I would highly recommend this item.Note: [11/15/2023] The claim of 1200 Watts is incorrect. As you can see in the photo of the bottom of my unit, the motor is rated at 110-120 volts; 8 amps.. That translates to 880-960 watts. I also don't know where the 700 watt figure stated on the back of the unit comes from. Perhaps Mexico's power system delivers lower voltage.

This thing is incredible.Comparison to others: This is actually the third food processor I have owned. The first 2 were “the other major brand” and they were ok. Not too bad. The second one was getting to the point where the bowl started needing to be replaced so I thought I'd explore other options. To give you some idea, I had probably used the previous one I had maybe every other week on average. It did ok but with some things the motor would not be too peppy (it would drag). It was a 14 cup I believe.I saw this one and was thinking about it for a while. I've got a Breville microwave that I love, and a Breville espresso maker that is also pretty excellent. This one seemed to have more features even though it was a bit more money, I cook a lot so I thought what the heck.I LOVE IT!!! It is so much more versatile with the different blades (and I haven't even used the variable slicer yet!) and it is build so solid. This thing just chews through cheese like nothing. I've had it now a month and a half and have used it 4 times more frequently than I used the “the other major brand”. Ok I confess the reason is probably the french fry cutter which does a really nice job (see the picture) but wow it does great with biscuit dough (I usually just mix the liquid in by hand to be safe), I've shredded all kinds of cheese with it, both hard and soft. It is super powerful, I can power through like 10 potatoes in about a minute cutting french fries.The bowl is huge and it comes with a mini-bowl. I have yet to use the salad dressing feature but I'm sure I will.The recipe book is actually useful (there's only one other appliance I use the recipe book for and that is the Phillips pasta maker, usually I just throw away the book).I *love* the organization of the blades in the container. That in and of itself is worth at least 50 bucks worth of upgrade not having to search all over for the blades and stems. It does take up space so keep that in mind if you're tight on space, but the organization just makes me so happy. It's even labelled!The outside of the unit is super easy to clean (it doesn't seem to have a bunch of nooks and crannies like my “the other major brand” did so it's an easy wipe down). I actually think the bowl is easier to clean as well because the chute is a single opening (unlike the “the other major brand” that has the double opening which has to be taken apart). A general note about cleaning on food processors...I have run the bowls through the dishwasher but I've found in general if you don't, the parts will last much longer. Granted you can probably get new parts but overall I've found that is a losing proposition because something will break/wear out the day of some huge party you're having and you'll end up chopping a bunch of stuff by hand when you're in a big rush for time. Cleaning up a food processor in general is just a pain in the rear, there's not much way of getting around it.It is very tall and doesn't fit under your average upper cabinet. It's not really a problem for me because I store most of my appliances in shelves but it's something to mention (because gosh I do use it a lot). But in all honesty just leaving the base on the counter doesn't look too bad because it's pretty sharp.So if you're on the fence, get yourself one, a bag of potatoes, and some delicious duck fat, and go to town. YUM.Edited to add: I have used the variable slicer and it works fantastically well, very impressive. Did paper-thin celery and no issues with the strings dragging. Perfect. I also used it to slice ginger root very thin for pickled ginger and it worked beautifully (see picture)Edited to add: I bought the add on dicing unit (along with the extra small and extra large dicing disks) and it works amazingly well. Makes a beautiful chopped salad and salsa, I really enjoy using it. Can't wait for my tomatoes to come in this summer so I can make a ton of salsa!Edited to also add: the design of the pusher is so fantastic...I purchased a second pusher and had my husband drill a hole in it. I fill it with oil and it automatically drizzles oil into salad dressings (I make a LOT of salad dressing because I can't stand most commercial salad dressings). Works like a charm! I know this thing has a whisk attachment but I still haven't figured out how to use it lol.