The Story of Cuisinart

Dismissed as a lifestyle fad when it appeared in 1973, the Cuisinart home food processor quickly revolutionized attitudes about cooking. The simple combination of a stainless-steel chopping blade and a wide-based, 7-cup mixing bowl opened a shortcut for cooks to prepare complicated meals quickly. A company formed around the device; its inventor, Carl Sontheimer, headed the company until 1987. (Prior to devising the food processor, Sontheimer invented a microwave direction finder used by NASA on a mission to the moon.) Today, the food processor is just a small part of a kitchenware empire that extends from the stove across the countertop to the farthest reaches of the cupboard--from toaster to towel to teakettle. Cuisinart cookware in particular performs nicely; the company's Everyday Stainless line features products that are lined inside and out with 10/18 stainless steel and have copper bottoms to spread heat quickly and evenly.