Vitamix - 12-Cup Food Processor Attachment with SELF-DETECT - Black

We were in need of a food processor, and found this on accident after doing an internet search. Since we already had an Ascent 3500, we gave it a shot. Wow! This thing is just as good as a stand alone machine, if not better. All the blades and things store very nicely inside (see picture). Would definitely recommend if you already have a Vitamix Ascent series.

============================= >>>>> Bottom Line Up front: <<<<< ============================= The Vitamix 12-cup Food Processor attachment allows you to make your Ascent series blender deliver an even LARGER variety of foods and recipes and will simultaneously help to unlock a new range of options that wouldn’t be possible without it. The attachment will allow your Ascent blender to slice, dice, shred, and mix in ways that a standalone blender can’t. Like everything Vitamix makes, the Food Processor attachment has super high build quality all around, offers convenient self-contained storage for cutting blades – and delivered exceptional results in every recipe I threw at it. =============================================== >>>>> Detailed Observations after a regular usage: <<<<< =============================================== Prior to introducing the Vitamix 12-cup Food Processor attachment into my kitchen, I was making due with an off brand standalone food process for my chopping/slicing/shredding/ and mincing needs. While it succeeded in doing those things on a basic level, it took space on my counter (which in my kitchen is a premium) and was a pain to clean out sue to its cheap design (I often found myself cutting my fingers on the blades inside of it as a result). I was delighted that the Vitamix Food Processor was wide and very easy to work with right out the box. You can obviously tell they put thought into how the food processor attachment would integrate with Ascent series blenders, particularly how they match perfectly when used together in function and appearance, in addition to how nicely the unit can be stored together as one unit … especially if you find yourself short on counter space often, as I often do. The unit comes with 2 round “reversible” cutting blade discs – that allow you to fine tune your shred type/size as well as your slice “thickness” or “thin-ness”; along with a vertical “multi-use” blade (or spike as I like to call it) – that handles your chopping, mincing, kneading and mixing duties. While this was more than enough for my uses in the recipes I make, I can’t help but feel more fine tuning or adjustment would be appropriate to really get that perfect grate or shred that you’re looking for. As it stands, the “few sizes – fits all” they include in the box worked for me and will most likely work the majority of your recipes as well. I liked the fact the cutting discs had finger holes in them (that helped me to reduce my accidental cuts that I was complaining about with my old processing unit). The “Self-Detect” base has worked as described the entire time. This feature is important to me as I have 3 little ones, my youngest being 2 – that has recently started discovering how to use chairs to access the counters and get things out of kitchen drawers. The base unit itself has worked flawlessly with the Ascent 3500 series blender I have in kitchen and never failed to detect it. Despite the obviously heavy plastic build of the work bowl, lid and base - I REALLY like the fact the main drive contacts and components are METAL – giving a high level of confidence that it will last for many years to come. I though the self-contained storage section was a brilliant additional to help reduce clutter AND ensure all the parts of the processor stay with the unit while in storage, I know I have lost more than a few pieces the countless appliances that have graced my counter tops over the years. Arguably the most important part of this review is the Food Processor’s actual performance. I started with a nice homemade salsa recipe to see how the “multi-use blade” would handle the mix of whole Roma tomatoes, red onions, and garlic cloves along with soft leafy cilantro and canned jalapeno peppers. Sadly, it didn’t turn out as well as I’d hoped – I wound up basically liquefying the first batch as I was adjusting to the learning curve/speed/sharpness of the multi-purpose blade. I’ll chalk that up to mastering the digital pulse button on the Ascent 3500 in addition to underestimating the cutting/chopping power of it (especially compared to my old inferior/dull unit). Fortunately, armed with that knowledge I expertly was able to produce the creamiest guacamole I have ever made at home thanks to this attachment! I make a fairly large amount of homemade soups, and the Vitamix Food Processor is noticeably more precise in its cuts now that I have had the chance to use more. This has saved me a tremendous amount of time in my prep work for the soup bases (particularly in mincing my garlic and onions), along with saving a lot of time and effort in my coleslaw and salad prep nights. Although there may seem to be some minor function overlap between the Ascent blenders and this food processing attachment, trust me when I say if your cooking for more than just yourself – the Food Processor’s larger and wider work bowl is significantly easier to clean and work with when your making certain foods like spreads, soups, dips and salads. I personally think the 12-cup capacity is the perfect size for a family of 4-6 for most recipes, but can be a little small if your making large amounts of prep for a family party or get together (not that we are supposed to be doing in these “pandemic” times). Personally, I am going to give making my own pizza dough a try in the near future to see how this Food Processor can make that happen. If I had to say there are some areas for improvement, I would say that much like the Ascent Series blenders, I am not overly fond of the all plastic “clips” / “lips” on the work bowl tops. If your hands are wet, they can get slippery and somewhat difficult to work with, and the food pushers can collect some of your finer minced or chopped ingredients a little to easy do the recessed way the sit inside the work bowl. Additionally, as much as I appreciate the added safety of the “Self-Detect” base, they way the long plastic piece insert into each other can potentially be a point of failure after rough use or over many years of repeated insertion into and out of the unit on a regular basis. ========================= >>>>> Closing thoughts: <<<<< ========================= Just when you think your Vitamix Ascent blender can’t get any better – this 12 cup Food Processor attachment comes along and redefines your expectations. You might tell yourself that your blender can handle some of these functions, along with a generic food processor as I did – but I found myself to be very wrong about that. The Vitamix 12-cup Food Processor attachment had made my prep time even more effortless and consistent, while simultaneously reducing clutter and saving me cleaning time at the end of the day. In my honest opinion, Vitamix does not make low quality products – and this is no exception. I mentioned this previously in my Vitamix Ascent 3500 review – but these products are investments into your kitchen that will enhance your cooking techniques and style that can be difficult to quantified into a “price”, so to speak. If you are Vitamix owner with a compatible Ascent series blender, this high-quality food processing unit will last for many years to come and allow you to do more with your blender. You can’t go wrong with this product.

My favorite part about this attachment, apart from how well it works, is that it takes up so much less space in my kitchen than the full-size Cuisinart I've been using. Out of the box it comes with a fairly standard set of blades in a non-standard package. The storage box for the discs is just large enough for them to fit, and it tucks away neatly into almost anywhere you could think to put it. Or, if you're so inclined, the entire package can be assembled for storage, bowl, lid, and blades as a single unit. It performs as well as quality standalone machines on everything I've thrown at it so far. It's actually a bit more powerful than I'm accustomed to, and I've had to adjust for it. The included inserts include a standard muilti-use blade, and two discs, which cover large and small shredding, and thin and thick slices, which covers most uses. The work bowl itself can detach from it's base if need be, and has a pour spout, which is a nice convenience. It also feels easier to clean than my other food processor. Somehow, food doesn't tend to wind up in difficult-to-clean spots as much, or maybe it's that the vitamix just has fewer of those spots to contend with. And because it's easier to use and clean, I just find myself using it more often. If you have a Vitamix blender, I definitely recommend checking this attachment out.

The 12 cup Vitamix Food Processor Attachment is the perfect add-on to our new Vitamix Ascent blender. It expands on the already large variety of food items you can prepare with the blender alone. For those of us with limited countertop real estate, it is great to be able to combine two appliances into one. And when not in use, it is designed to stack in a way that makes it easy to store in a cabinet. The food processor attachment comes with all of the necessary parts and attachments to utilize it to its fullest extent. You get the self detect base which attaches to the blender motor base, the work bowl, a multi-use S shaped blade, the snap on lid, and the small and large food pushers. You also get two reversible slicing and shredding discs. These discs are labeled with numbers and descriptions so that you are always sure of using the correct cutting disc. They also come with their own storage container which attaches to the processor when disassembled for storage. They also have finger holes for easy gripping without cutting your hands. When assembled for use, all parts fit together snugly. There is no squeaking or loose parts when gripping or lifting. All parts except the self detect base are dishwasher safe, however I prefer to clean by hand which is quick and easy. When attaching the processor to the blender motor base, it will automatically detect the food processor. At that point you can only use the pulse and on/off buttons. All of the pre-set program buttons will no longer work. Also, the variable speed button will not work as the food processor will only work at one speed as intended. Vitamix also includes a small recipe book which is designed to show the variety of food that can be prepared with the food processor. The first ting we tried was grating cheeses and potatoes. It took seconds to produce perfect results. Finally I can get rid of my hand grater which has taken its toll on my fingers. Then we tried home made coleslaw, slicing red and green cabbage and carrots. It was quick and easy and far better than store bought. Slicing cucumber, zucchini, squash, carrots resulted in perfectly even slices. This is important because it allows for even cooking. Almost no pressure is needed when feeding food into the chute. Finally we tried something we never could have tried before. We made salmon burgers, using fresh salmon, with the multi-use blade. This product had opened our eyes to the possibility of making so many types of food that we never thought we would be preparing at home. We can’t wait to try our own pizza dough and a variety of breads. We will definitely be getting a lot of use out this product. It is well made, very thoughtfully designed and is fairly quiet to operate. I highly recommend this product to anyone who has the Vitamix Ascent blender.

This food processor add-on is excellent. You not only get quality that Vitamix is known for, but you also get the power your vitamix blender provides. Had one issue that caused me a little confusion in the beginning and this I believe applies to anyone who has a Vitamix Ascent 3500 and uses the app. When you insert this on your vitamix base, you see a message under the blender section that says Unsupported container placed on blender. I was going back and forth in the directions to see if I was doing wrong. What I realized is, I believe the message comes up simply because there are no recipes in the app associated with the food processor. I came to this conclusion simply because when you insert the food processor add-on, the image of the blender does show the food processor installed as shown in the pics I included in this review. The blade attachments are sharp so be careful when handling but know that this will have no issue slicing and dicing. I have used it to make a nice pico de gallo which was amazing not to mention an excellent cole slaw that hands down beat any store bought slaw. So far, this has exceeded our old food processor which we have now given away as this does what our old one did and then some. I highly recommend this add-on if you are in the market for a food processor.