I've had the same problem with the food processors, but a friend who has the real "Cousin Art" (her name for it) seems to use it for nearly every meal and just tosses all the parts that need cleaning into the dishwasher. The cheap ones I've had all said they were "dishwasher safe" - and I'll admit they didn't destroy the dishwasher, but about 3 times through the dishwasher and the plastic was pretty well destroyed.

That may be a place where buying the "premium brand" is worth it, although I haven't really investigated how much difference there is in the various kinds.

Cooking utensils in general are an area where it's extremely difficult to find anything functional, although everything looks really flashy on the rack at the sellers. Spatulas, serving ladles, etc invariably have handles that fall off. Bowls won't stack, so they take exhorbitant space in the cabinets. ... I've been looking for a usable pastry rolling pin for about three years now, with no success in local markets.

An article in the local rag this morning comments on how the publishers of recipe books can't use instructions like "saute," "fold in," etc, because "modern cooks" are so ignorant don't know what the terms mean. The old editions used to explain what those "exotic terms" meant, but I guess the new generation can't read big words either.

John