Maine Voices: “The one kitchen appliance that would change my life”

Hey, Maine Course readers! Today, reader Leslie Lavender of Stockton Springs shares her quest to get the one cooking appliance she truly wanted. It also includes a photo of a Cuisinart, which isn’t Leslie’s but is cherished as well. Enjoy!

Do you have a favorite dish? A favorite cooking tool? If you want to share a short ode to your favorites, drop me a line at scaron@bangordailynews.com. 

Why I Love My Food Processor

By Leslie Lavender

Photo by the lovely Sonja Zinke, who writes: "This is a photo of my grandmothers Cuisinart. It was one of my most treasured of her possessions. I love it and use it weekly and she has been gone for 15 years."

Photo by the lovely photographer Sonja Zinke, who writes: “This is a photo of my grandmothers Cuisinart. It was one of my most treasured of her possessions. I love it and use it weekly and she has been gone for 15 years.”

About 30 years ago I was a young wife and mom living on my husband’s school teacher salary. We lived on a small plot of land with a garden, fruit trees and some chickens. I had learned how to can and preserve from a lovely neighbor. The one thing I wanted was a food processor. I drooled on them in stores, read about them in magazines and was totally convinced this was the one kitchen appliance that would change my life. But I didn’t want just any food processor; I wanted a Cuisinart. I wanted the heft of that metal motor that would last forever.

I saved my pennies. When I got birthday or Christmas money, I socked it away. One day, I saw that our local department store was having a Saturday-only sale on all kitchen appliances. I’m pretty sure I didn’t sleep that Friday night. I was up, bright and early for the trek into town to be waiting when the doors opened as I was sure that every other lady in town would want to lay claim to “my” food processor. Well, they didn’t and I did.

Fast forward to the present day. My trusty Cuisinart has been with me through major life changes, moves across town and half-way across the country. No one in my family is allowed to touch it until they have passed through my extensive training on the care and use of the Cuisinart.

I still love it. It pulverizes, kneads, grinds, grates, shreds, slices — you name it. The lexan bowl has one small chip, but otherwise it is almost showroom perfect. I have seen the bowls for sale on eBay, and periodically think about buying one, just in case.

It is absolutely my favorite appliance (and I have a KitchenAid mixer or, as my family calls it, the world’s most expensive whipped cream maker), and unlike a couple of men, my food processor has never let me down!

Sarah Walker Caron

About Sarah Walker Caron

Sarah Walker Caron is editor of Bangor Metro magazine and senior features editor for the Bangor Daily News. She is the author of "The Super Easy 5-Ingredient Cookbook," (Sept. 2018, Rockridge Press) and the co-author of "Grains as Mains: Modern Recipes Using Ancient Grains" (March 2015, DK). Her recipes have appeared in the BDN, Betty Crocker publications, Glamour.com and more. She also writes about food at www.sarahscucinabella.com.