It's with much regret that I write to inform you all of the passing of a much beloved family member. The Cuisinart that we all grew up with, and that had a part in so many of our meals, the very Cuisinart that Mom and Dad got as a wedding present 41 1/2 (?) years ago, that has blended countless cheesecakes, buttercreams, and doughs; chopped endless fruits and vegetables; and pureed plenty plus whatever else was asked of it, has had enough. When Mom got her new Cuisinart several years ago, I adopted the old one with the understanding that it probably wouldn't last much longer. In the years since, I've used it for everything we always used it for. All of the pieces (except the base) have been gradually cracking. The bowl has little cracks throughout, but none all the way through or big enough to be an issue. The locking part on the top sometimes has to be forced down to lock and then held in place to keep the motor running. In the last year or so, there's been a growing gap between the blade and the lid, so thicker and thicker chunks of vegetables get left behind. And a year or two ago, I had to stop making frosting in it because the motor was too hot and was melting the butter. So I've mostly just been using the Cuisinart to chop nuts and vegetables.
Last night I was grating some cheese to make The Christmas Cheeseball, and the blade piece got jammed on the motor shaft. So the motor was still running and trying to spin, but the blade wouldn't spin, so the plastic pieces were just grinding together. By the time I realized what was happening, the blade was completely stuck on the shaft, which meant it was also stuck in the bowl, since the shaft sticks up in the bowl, and all the cheese I had grated was stuck under the blade. With the help of my magic fingers, I got the cheese out, and then I pulled and pulled, and thought I got the blade off, but actually pulled the whole shaft off the base. And it's still all stuck in the bowl, since the bottom of the shaft is bigger than the hole in the bowl. So sad. So sad. I finished making the cheeseball in my Kitchenaid (it may not be as blended as we're used to since it was mixed with a paddle instead of a blade), and am mourning the loss of a trusted kitchen friend. Let's all have a moment of silence.
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| The base - the metal piece sticking up normally has a plastic shaft on it, which the blade pieces connect to through the bowl. |
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| The blade, stuck in the bowl |
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| The bottom of the blade piece, poking out through the bottom of the bowl, and clearly jammed and broken around the now-disconnected shaft. You'd think with a crack like that I could just wiggle it off the shaft, but it's not budging. |
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| And happier thoughts- This was what Andrya's cake looked like before all the caramel dripped off and pooled around the edges of the plate (and my fridge). |
