Cuisinart DLC-5 DLC-5 Manual - Page 6

PRACTICING WITH FOOD Try chopping some food to get a feel of how the processor works. (You might start out with a soft fruit or vegetable like an onion or a zucchini.) First, cut it into 1-inch (2.5cm) pieces. Insert metal blade in work bowl and put in food pieces. Put on cover and lock it. Press control switch down to PULSE, then release it. Repeat two or three times. Each time blade stops, let food pieces drop to bottom of bowl before pulsing again. That puts them in path of blade when motor starts. Watch what happens to food. (New users are often surprised at how fast the processor works. You will quickly get used to the speed.) With pulse-chopping technique, you can get an even chop without danger of overprocessing. Check texture by looking through work bowl. For a coarse chop, pulse only a few times. For a finer chop, continue pulse/chopping until texture is the consistency you want. Onions and other food with a high water content turn into a smooth purée very quickly. Do not over chop - look at food through work bowl after each pulse. These are some conditions that affect results: • Size of pieces you put in bowl - all should be about the same. • Amount of food you process - don't add too much at once. • Type of processing you choose - continuous or pulse/chopping. ADDING FOOD WHILE PROCESSING When you want to add liquid while machine is running, pour it through open feed tube. This is especially useful when making mayonnaise, bread dough, cakes and many other recipes. See Index for recipes. When you want to add small pieces of food like cheese, meat or garlic cloves while machine is running, drop them through open feed tube. REMOVING PROCESSED FOOD Before removing processed food, wait for blade to stop spinning. Then remove cover by turning it clockwise. Never try to remove cover and work bowl together; this can damage work bowl. After processing liquids, remove work bowl from base of processor before removing metal blade. Turn handle of bowl clockwise to unlock bowl from base and lift bowl straight up. It is important not to let blade fall out of work bowl when you empty it. Here are three ways to prevent this: 1. Before tilting bowl, use spatula to remove food from around blade. Carefully remove blade by finger grips on each side of center plastic knob. 2. Hold top of blade in place with finger or spatula while pouring out processed food. 3. Make sure your hands are dry. Insert finger through hole in underside of bowl and place thumb on rim of bowl. Grip inside of blade shaft firmly to hold blade in place. TECHNIQUES FOR CHOPPING AND PURÉEING WITH THE METAL BLADE To chop raw fruits and vegetables: First cut the food into 1-inch (2.5cm) pieces. You get a more even chop when all pieces are about the same size. Put no more than the recommended amount of food into the work bowl (see table inside front cover). Lock the cover in place. Press the PULSE button at the rate of 1 second on, 1 second off, until the food is coarsely chopped. For more finely chopped results, hold the PULSE button, letting the machine run continuously until the desired consistency is reached. Check frequently to avoid overprocessing. Use the spatula to scrape down the sides of the work bowl if necessary. To purée fruits and cooked vegetables: First, cut the food into 1-inch (2.5cm) pieces. You get a smoother purée faster when all pieces are about equal in size. 5