This food processor is very easy to use. It has the on-off switch on the back of the processor. You have all your vegetables and fruits in the first place, otherwise you're going to have a big mess! Yes I made it happen first. I put frozen strawberries in the processor while it was on .. . I had strawberries all over the kitchen! What a mess that made. Even with the feed tube! Food spurts out when you pull the plug. So it is best to turn it off and then put the food inside The food processor is very light in weight compared with most other processors. It is about four pounds. This makes it easy for my oldest son to use. He can easily pick it up and put it on the counter for me. It also has a five foot plug in cord. That is about normal for most small appliances.
The food processor can also hold a lot. It can contain up to eight cups of dry ingredients, and up to two cups liquid. This is a reasonable amount for a full size food processor. The processor is all see-through plastic. That's great because you can tell when your food is processed it! Plastic is also a lot lighter and easier to clean. The processor also has a clear cover, and food pusher which is also easy to remove. The processor comes apart in about five pieces. All the pieces come apart very easily. It makes the processor is easy to clean as well. One thing tho, I would not let any small child clean processor. The knives that come with the CPU are very sharp. They could easily cut your fingers on the leaves. Even adults have to be careful. The leaves are also removed for cleaning.
The Hamilton Beach 70550 Prep Star also has stainless steel chopping blade and a reversible slicing and shredding disc. As I said they are very sharp. In the five months of using the processor, they have not lost their sharpness at all. Processor has a two speed dial and a pulse dial. Speed dial icon has a low speed and high speed. The low-speed dial for softer products such as mushrooms, fresh peaches and other fruits. The higher rate is for harder forward as carrots, potatoes, and beans along with other hard foods. A lot of food processors say not to treat the ice. This processor is not a problem. I added ice to many of my fresh fruit to make smoothies. The pulse dial for short bursts of power - good for breaking the ice. The food processor is very powerful. It has a 350 watt motor!
This food processor is also very durable. I accidentally dropped the processing bowl on the floor while drying it. It did not crack or break! I was not surprised tho. The bowl is a very thick plastic, and it is light. The processor is also dishwasher safe! This is a good thing. You can take the processor out and put it in the dishwasher - but do not put the base motor in the dishwasher. My youngest son did it once with my juices!
