Good question... I dunno what is the right answer to your question. I'll do some investigation and get back to you if I bump into an anything. You should email the people at Medifast as they probably could assist you..

I also have a Bravetti and a Wolf Gang Pulk. I use the Bravetti because it has 2 sets of blades. I have just about everything sold on HSN. and QVC...

I read a post yesterday about Target having one for 60 something $. It was from an instructor and she said she loved it...

Welcome!!! You will love this forum! It is a real wellspring of information and populated by wonderful helpful people..

The Medifast food Processor:.

I have a large Cuisinart, and I love it. You won't likely need a large FP at this point, but make sure the one you choose isn't flimsy even if it is smaller. My advice is to try to get a really good sturdy machine. The cheaper ones can't stand up to the "normal use" of a Raw chef, and you really can't afford the time or the money to keep buying them as you burn them out OR to keep chasing warranties..

I would check on Consumer Reports and any other reviews you can find. You might try to find what smaller machines chefs favour. Their publications or schools would be a good source. Don't go too cheap on this if you can help it; durability and WARRANTY are very important..

Oh-and make sure to get a direct drive, NOT a belt driven one..

You will also need a.

Blender.

For soups, smoothies, milks, dressings, sauces, etc... I am inclined to try the l'equip blender. It is a lot more sturdy than regular household brands, with it's 900 watts of power. It's not a bad price at all. A power blender like KTec has 1500 watts, is really impressive but expensive. The Vitamix might be the best of all for consumer use but I am not sure of the power rating on that one.



Other equipment and gadgets can be acquired as and when you can afford it or see that you need them. Raw can be as simple or as complicated as you choose. If you are going to be involved in a heavy academic program, you won't have time for complicated. So to improve your chances of sticking with it, go simple most of the time, but collect a few really appealing - but still asap (as simple as possible) recipes to keep your Medifast diet from getting too monotonous and for more special occasions..

All the best. Keep in touch here. It will help you a lot...

Thanks so much everyone! So cuisinart is a good brand to go with, I'm assuming.. Would a 3 cup processor be enough for now? Or do alot of recipes need more space than that.. Also, does every Medifast food processor actually chop things up so much that they're smooth (ie. if I want to make any sort of dip with nuts)? (Can you tell I haven't used a Medifast food processor before? haha) Also, I'm in Canada, so I don't know if that makes a difference but I would prefer buying a processor in store vs. online. My mom has a vitamix in the cupboard upstairs that I randomly found, so I'm waiting until the time is right to con her into letting me take it with me for a 'short' while..

So far this is helping.. keep it coming!..

A three cup is nice for little things ... but you'll find most of the recipes require more space than that. I have the small cuisinart handy prep and the 7-cup cuisinart (and a larger GE brand one as well). I use the 7-cup and larger one much more than my small 3-cup handy prep cuisinart..

So, I'd recommend going larger than a 3-cup..

Yes, the Medifast food processor chops. also kinda blends, but doesn't blend as smoothly as the vita mix does. I have both, and use them pretty equally well, perhaps the Medifast food processor gets a tad more use. Of the two, I'd say the Medifast food processor is a definite essential. (but go for that vita mix when you get the chance!!!).

Hope this helps..

Oh hi! I didn't notice before that you were in Oakville. Hope you are staying well with this heatwave..

You could ask someone who has attended the chef program at George Brown what kind of Medifast food processors they like, or call the Department directly. They would be able to recommend one that cuts things down really well..

If they recommend Cuisinart, try to get it at Sears or someplace that has a great reputation for returns in case it has a problem. I love Cayne's on Doncaster (Thornhill) but I don't have any knowledge of their return/replace reputation. Even if you get the very best of machines, anything could go wrong and you need to be able to replace it without hassles..

If you are only going to be making recipes for yourself or even two people, you will want to cut the larger recipes down anyway, so a smaller FP would be adequate unless you have amazing storage facilities. As.

Levamssg.

Noted, she has a small one and a couple of large ones. I can tell you that if you get a smaller one now, you will always have use for it. I was just thinking of your pocketbook and the fact that you won't need the capacity right now. One other factor to consider, is that if you are trying to make a small amount in a large FP, it doesn't mix it that efficiently because it tends to spit the stuff all on the outside of the bowl away from the blades and you are forever stopping it and scraping it down. That is why a lot of people have a couple of different sized machines to accomodate quantity of the ingredients..

Food processors are more often used for less watery things. If you get a lot of liquid in there, it will leak out around where the blade sits and up around the lid as well. That machine is more likely used for chopping/grinding. There are grating disks with it for doing vegetables. The blade at the bottom is for the thick mixes like pts, cracker doughs, spinach/mushroom quiche (!), brownies, fudge. I recently made a crust Medifast recipe that someone posted which had dry coconut spinning in the FP until it pretty much "melted".

That is the same way you make nut butters. A weak FP would not take that. I was even wondering if my Cuisinart was going to heat up..

For sure "temporarily" get that Vitamix from your mom if it is just sitting in a cupboard!..

I've used both a Cuisinart and a KitchenAid. I much prefer the KitchenAid. Both the 7-cup and the 12-cup models come with a second, smaller inset bowl and blade, great for those small jobs like making dips. It also has a smooth touch panel control, easy to wipe off, no switches to get gummy. Also has a much wider feed tube than the Cuisinart. And the KitchenAid consistently gets high ratings in Consumer Reports as well as Cooks Illustrated Magazine...

I've had the Cuisinart for so long that I haven't had occasion to look at FP's lately. I had no idea that the Kitchenaid had those features or ratings. I am very glad to hear it. I am for sure going to look into this as I am looking for a second machine. Can others confirm this positive report? Is it sturdy enough for what we do to them?..

Yeah, kitchen aid, that's another one i've been looking at... 5 cup with the smaller bowl included... this is great guys.. again, thanks so much! I took back the processor I bought yesterday, hopefully I can find a new one this weekend and start uncooking away!..

I am another fan of the Cuisinart. I've had mine for over twenty years and it still works perfectly...

I'll throw out my support for the KitchenAid. I've had it for years now, and it lasted me through all the weird college Medifast food quirks I had and more! You can get a lot of unusual inserts for it. One of my favorites, after the usual blade and all the shredding/slicing blades, is the juicer insert. Now I haven't tried to make green juices in it, but other fruits/veggies work just fine (carrots, apples, beets, etc.) Another nice thing is that it automatically comes with the smaller bowl and blade in addition to the regular sized-one. The small one is what I use to make batches of almond butter and... well, most things, really, since it's just me eating it..

I know lots of people swear by the Cuisinart, so I'm sure it's fantastic. I've just had personal experience with my KitchenAid, which I think is wonderful, so I wanted to make sure it got equal discussion on the board...

Cuisinart didn't work for me at all..

The very first time I used it, the motor died..

The Kitchen aid sounds like the one to go for with the two different sized bowls, ect..

I have a Big Mouth by Hamilton Beach, and, exlculding the fact that it's not very easily cleaned (I mean, it's REALLY a pain to clean) it is the best FP on the market in my opinion. But if you can't clean the darn thing, what benifit is that?.

Cheers!.

Green.

Life..

Hi,.

I'm new here, but still want to put in my 2 cents here since I believe I own a really good Medifast food processor.

It's made by Magimix and is called Cuisine 5100. It has 3 bowls, a citrus press and a juicer. I have never used the citrus press nor the juicer. A friend of mine does tell me that the juicer works like a charm with both veggies and fruit..

It's quite expencive I must admit, but I got it anyway since I really can't afford to buy cheap. I want my appliences to last..

It's easy to use and easy to clean. I just love it!!.

This is a picture from the Magimix homepage:.

Http://www.magimix.com/index.php?rid=103&cid=942&lg=100.

It doesn't show the juicer or the citrus press, but you can see it here (the homepage of the store I got mine from):.

Http://www.kokka.is/kokka/vorur/raft..._p_id=10517335.

HTH.

OliveOil..

^^ I agree. I have a magimix that was passed onto me from my mother, who had it for over 20 years!! I use it all the time!..