I bought a Cuisinart 30 years ago and with it I was able to try recipes I would never have tried--mayonnaise for instance--now I always make it fresh. The Cuisinart makes it with ease and reliability--it always turns out right. Making fresh pasta from family recipes would have been another rare undertaking since it takes a lot of muscle power to make from "scratch." Again, effortless in a Cuisinart. Home made salad dressings are another favorite. With attachments, the Cuisinart will do just about any job. I especially appreciate its ability to remove the lumps from my gravy or cream sauce. The motor is very powerful and the cutting blade is very sharp, but the Cuisinart has built in safety features--the machine won't operate unless the lid is properly in place. I decided to buy a new one even though my old one is still functioning just fine. The new machine is the most well thought out kitchen appliance I have ever used. First, it addresses all the criticisms of the original: when pouring the contents of the bowl, previously the blade had to be held in place. No more. The blade locks in. You can turn the bowl upside down and it will not fall out. The biggest criticism of the original was all the washing up. The new version has 3 nesting bowls in graduating sizes that lock in place so that the cook can work on multiple tasks without the interruption of stopping food prep to wash the bowl. There are many other improvements, including a caddy for the blades and slicing disks, which have been simplified from about a dozen to just two with reversing sides rendering different slicing/shredding capabilities. Best of all, besides a book with diagrams and listing of parts, this version includes a video so it is easy to understand out how it works. Definitely worth all five stars!