Cooties in the Cuisinart?
April 9, 2012 11:12 AM
How can I get all the black gunk out of the handle of my Cuisinart?
My wife is of the persuasion that I am the only cook in the world who is messy enough to have this problem. I maintain that I do not do anything with this appliance that is not done in other kitchens. But there is this back crud inside the hollow handle of the mixing bowl, which is only partially accessible. I have tried pipe cleaners, small brushes, and have tried to take the thing apart but do not want to break it.
I am no happier about this than she is, and I feel that it's pretty unsanitary to have it like this.
Has anyone else had this problem? We do not have a dishwasher, other than my wife (since I do most of the cooking, she does most of the dishes).
My wife is of the persuasion that I am the only cook in the world who is messy enough to have this problem. I maintain that I do not do anything with this appliance that is not done in other kitchens. But there is this back crud inside the hollow handle of the mixing bowl, which is only partially accessible. I have tried pipe cleaners, small brushes, and have tried to take the thing apart but do not want to break it.
I am no happier about this than she is, and I feel that it's pretty unsanitary to have it like this.
Has anyone else had this problem? We do not have a dishwasher, other than my wife (since I do most of the cooking, she does most of the dishes).
I wish I had a picture to see what the handle looked like, but I was able to clean the black gunk out of a completely inaccessible transparent shower knob in our apartment by squirting blue gel toilet cleaner in there for a few minutes and then rinsing it out. The stuff kind of does the work for you when you can't get to the spot to put the elbow grease in yourself.
posted by Sayuri. at 11:16 AM on April 9, 2012
posted by Sayuri. at 11:16 AM on April 9, 2012
I had this same problem with my Cuisinart food processor. It's a terrible design. I solved it by soaking it in bleach, and then running water through the handle to flush out the black gunk.
posted by squid in a people suit at 11:17 AM on April 9, 2012
posted by squid in a people suit at 11:17 AM on April 9, 2012
Read the Amazon reviews. This complaint is very common.
posted by jon1270 at 11:21 AM on April 9, 2012
posted by jon1270 at 11:21 AM on April 9, 2012
Food processor, EmpressC. There is a hollow handle that is the same clear lexan that the rest of the bowl is made out of.
posted by Danf at 11:21 AM on April 9, 2012
posted by Danf at 11:21 AM on April 9, 2012
I mean the handle, yes, but this is not the exact model. I am at work and do not have a picture of it, but the safety mechanisms (the rods and levers which prevent it working unless secured) are incorporated in the handle.
posted by Danf at 11:33 AM on April 9, 2012
posted by Danf at 11:33 AM on April 9, 2012
We had this problem with the handle of our food processor bowl (is that what it's called?). Since the bowl is dishwasher safe we just put it in there. It took a few washing until all the gunk was gone.
posted by Confess, Fletch at 11:45 AM on April 9, 2012
posted by Confess, Fletch at 11:45 AM on April 9, 2012
Do you have a Water Pik? You know, like you'd use on your teeth? It's sprays water everywhere, but it's like a mini power washer. For extra cleaning power, use a healthy dose of baking soda in the water.
posted by notsnot at 12:05 PM on April 9, 2012
posted by notsnot at 12:05 PM on April 9, 2012
Food processor, EmpressC.
Gotcha - I have a Cuisinart slow cooker, so I was all, "buh?"
You may want to try a tip I heard once for cleaning a vase -- put a spoonful of raw rice in there, squirt in some dishwashing liquid, add some water, put your hand over the hole on the top and shake the whole thing up good. Repeat.
(Fletch - check the question again, they don't HAVE a dishwasher.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:06 PM on April 9, 2012
Gotcha - I have a Cuisinart slow cooker, so I was all, "buh?"
You may want to try a tip I heard once for cleaning a vase -- put a spoonful of raw rice in there, squirt in some dishwashing liquid, add some water, put your hand over the hole on the top and shake the whole thing up good. Repeat.
(Fletch - check the question again, they don't HAVE a dishwasher.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:06 PM on April 9, 2012
I thought the interior of the handle of mine was inaccessible, but one day I realized there was a vertical seam in the plastic on both sides. I tugged, and it came open, and now I can open it for cleaning and close it for use (to be clear, this seems to be the purpose of the seam; I didn't break the handle). Does yours have a similar vertical seam on both sides?
posted by ocherdraco at 12:22 PM on April 9, 2012
posted by ocherdraco at 12:22 PM on April 9, 2012
Does yours have a similar vertical seam on both sides?
Yes it does. I have pulled it apart almost, but the last little separation seems harder and I would be loath to break it. But I might try harder to get it apart. There is a screw on the bottom with a weird head. you need a two-pronged screwdriver head to open it, but tweezers might work in a pinch.
posted by Danf at 12:54 PM on April 9, 2012
Yes it does. I have pulled it apart almost, but the last little separation seems harder and I would be loath to break it. But I might try harder to get it apart. There is a screw on the bottom with a weird head. you need a two-pronged screwdriver head to open it, but tweezers might work in a pinch.
posted by Danf at 12:54 PM on April 9, 2012
Does water get inside, when the whole assembly containing the handle is immersed? If so, soak that assembly in a bleach solution. If not, I can't understand how any filth gets inside, to begin with.
posted by Rash at 1:47 PM on April 9, 2012
posted by Rash at 1:47 PM on April 9, 2012
It's not unsanitary if it goes nowhere near the food. I mean, your garage is probably unsanitary but neither it nor the inside of the Cuisinart bowl handle come in contact with the food.
(Unsightly though.)
Anyhow, I just pulled out my Cuisinart bowl and a narrow bottle brush went right down through the handle. Mine's a decade or two old, though, so maybe they've changed the design, but what part can't you get at? Can you take a photo with a brush in the handle to show where it doesn't reach?
posted by mendel at 5:45 PM on April 9, 2012
(Unsightly though.)
Anyhow, I just pulled out my Cuisinart bowl and a narrow bottle brush went right down through the handle. Mine's a decade or two old, though, so maybe they've changed the design, but what part can't you get at? Can you take a photo with a brush in the handle to show where it doesn't reach?
posted by mendel at 5:45 PM on April 9, 2012
I wish I had a picture to see what the handle looked like, but I was able to clean the black gunk out of a completely inaccessible transparent shower knob in our apartment by squirting blue gel toilet cleaner in there for a few minutes and then rinsing it out. The stuff kind of does the work for you when you can't get to the spot to put the elbow grease in yourself.
If you do this, be really, really, really careful to keep the toilet cleaner away from your skin. I have gotten nasty chemical burns cleaning things with toilet cleaner, and not only does that shit hurt immensely and mess up your skin, it will leave lasting scars. I learned the hard way that the toilet brush is not just to keep your hands away from gross poop, but also to keep your hands away from terrifying caustic chemicals.
posted by dizziest at 5:46 PM on April 9, 2012
If you do this, be really, really, really careful to keep the toilet cleaner away from your skin. I have gotten nasty chemical burns cleaning things with toilet cleaner, and not only does that shit hurt immensely and mess up your skin, it will leave lasting scars. I learned the hard way that the toilet brush is not just to keep your hands away from gross poop, but also to keep your hands away from terrifying caustic chemicals.
posted by dizziest at 5:46 PM on April 9, 2012
I too had this problem... We're definitely not alone! Since the handle is sort of sealed, it's not like you can really deliberately introduce cleaning solution--you just have to get it in there passively through the cracks in the seams. I got mine clean by immersing the whole container in a large bowl filled with a solution of bleach and water, making sure that some of the bleach solution is getting inside the handle space. I think it may have taken more than one or two immersions.
posted by gubenuj at 7:12 AM on April 10, 2012
posted by gubenuj at 7:12 AM on April 10, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:15 AM on April 9, 2012