Accessories Reviews

Nice little set. Great for personal use or a house warming gift. Everything you need to start your wine barware collection.

I myself keep a pretty cheap, standard corkscrew at home, but have given this model repeatedly for events from engagements and housewarmings to Christmas. Easy to use, impressive to look at - a good gift for wine lovers.

Coming from a woman who loves to throw dinner parties, isn't afraid to cook just about anything and yet never quite is able to open the darn wine bottle, this product is superb!!! I have often poked corks down into the wine out of sheer frustration and this little number opens the bottle with ease in less than 30 seconds. It is amazing and makes a great gift to others or to yourself.

I have very little strength in my hands, and I have always found it difficult to open wine bottles. I used the Ah-So corkscrew for years, but it wasn't working for me as well as it used to. The "rabbit" does it all in seconds - easily, quickly and without muss or fuss. It's a great wedding or shower gift, too. I can't imagine what life like would be without it.

This is the best frothing (milk & steam) machine at an exceptionally low price. It took me 10 minutes to figure it out and its been producing superb cappucinos, lattes etc. It really works and in an unbelievable 90 seconds is ready to produce 170 degree steam and hot milk. All you have to understand is turning the rubber regulator knob slightly to the right to produce hot steam or you will get warm, not hot froth. Also, you must clean 3 small parts in the machine each time under running water ( it literally takes one minute) or used milk will clog it up. I have used $1,000 machines which produce worse steam (of course they give you expresso which this one does not do.)

All-in-all an exceptional machine. I loved it!

Someone told me about this frother, but she had not used one. I looked for reviews and was not entirely convinced by them. So I put the Capresso Froth Xpress on my Christmas list. I received a black one (wanted white but out of stock), have been using it for almost a week and I love it. All the things listed in the other reviews are true. I have not had difficulty with the temperature of the milk however, and we make mochas/lattes twice a day. My husband commented about so many little parts (there are 4), since you must assemble them and disassemble them each time to wash them, but I'm the one who does it.. and it literally takes seconds! I bought a little plastic mesh basket at the store for $1 and I just put them in it to drain-dry after use. My former frother/steamer was part of a coffee machine (not an espresso frother). It had only two parts but one had to be cleaned with a brush and the other was a milk tank which had to be cleaned with at least a sponge - it couldn't be simply rinsed out. Worst of all, the smaller part wore out twice a year and I needed to replace the entire tank assemblage. I bought the Capresso because DeLonghi no longer manufactures that assemblage!! My Capresso came with a parts replacement list and you can replace any small piece you need. Further, Capresso has a website with plenty of information. (I still think buying from Amazon is best though.. great price and reliable service.) The only thing I don't care about the Capresso is the Tupperware-like container that holds the milk to be frothed. It just seems too bulky to clean and use for only two people. But the machine comes with a small tube that can be placed directly into a carton of milk. I take that tube and place it a smaller container of milk. I've tried it in my stainless steel frothing cup (from my espresso machine days), in a regular coffee cup, and in a glass custard cup. All of these are easier for me than the Capresso container and take up less space, during use as well as while drying afterward. The custard cup works best... it holds exactly the amount of milk I use for the two of us. But any small container like a small bowl, measuring cup, etc. would work perfectly. It need not be heat resistant, since it will only hold the cold milk from your fridge. You need to experiment with the Capresso to see what works best for your situation, and to get to know how it works (especially since the steam continues after you release the steam button). Also, after frothing the milk, I fill another small container with water and flush out the frothing line before I disassemble and wash the parts. This is not the exact sequence for flushing the line as in the instructions, so be sure to read them. All in all, I am delighted with this little machine and much more satisfied than I expected to be. I hope my comments help you make your choice.

I love steamed milk with foam in my coffee. Years ago I had an attachment for my tea kettle that was a copper tube that you put into a pitcher of milk, steaming it. Then I had a manual frother, which was good for the arm muscles but not much foam. THEN I received the Capresso FrothXpress, and I could not be more pleased. I had a little difficulty at first with the button not engaging, but a quick call to Capresso solved the problem quickly, all parts have to be FIRMLY attached, and though I thought they were, they weren't. One day,I just got steam and no milk....this time, the milk adjustment lever that was raised a bit. When I pressed it down, the machine worked like a charm. It's easy to adjust it to get the perfect combo of steam and milk. It is simple to clean, just takes a few seconds. I find the milk plenty hot. It also looks great on my counter.

After a month of use I've had no problems with my new KitchenAid coffee grinder. In my household, where three generations still enjoy kitchen privileges, we cope with a variety of personal preferences about the strength of coffee (with three different pots going most of the time to accommodate everyone - no kidding!). This grinder allows my family to easily change the setting to their preferred tastes, grind their coffee and get out of the way for the next person in line. I've had absolutely no problem with clogging (I grind on the finest setting), and, when using the equipment properly, only small amounts of grind ever escape - far less than other brands I've owned. I haven't experienced any "cloudiness" or "moisture" build up in the bean jar either. I love this grinder, would never consider owning any other, and highly recommend it.

We've had our KitchenAid coffee mill now for several weeks and couldn't be happier. No more fumbling around pouring beans in every morning, just place the glass under the door and flip the switch. Unlike our Cuisinart blade grinder, this mill makes perfectly consistence grinds EVERY TIME on any setting, and along with our Bunn BT10, results in the perfect brew. More impressive than the great grinds is the overall quality of the mill itself. Now I can see why KitchenAid decided to reintroduce the product unchanged from the original version. It ranks up there with their legendary quality similar to their counter top mixers. Everything about the mill is heavy duty. The hopper, lid, switch porcelain finish and even the measuring cup are first class. Need I mention classic looks also adds a retro feel to the kitchen? Two thumbs way up !!

I was a little hesitant to get this grinder after reading some earlier reviews, but it looked like a bad batch of motors was the likely cause, so I got the cool red color. (Just returned from my parent's house: they have a similar model, but its from about 1970.)
I learned from my moom's machine about 20 years ago, and from the reviews to keep the door down, I & don't have any extra spray, and also no clogging.
I need the finest grind for my espresso machine, but I can't bother to grind every day, and if I grind a whole pound it starts to go stale; a problem since I'm spoiled by Peet's fresh roasts. Therefore I grind about 2-3 times a week and keep the result in the freezer.
My espresso machine has never been happier--the grind size is more consistent that the expensive commercial machines when I bought pre-ground coffee, so I always get a nice 45-60 second pull for a double, and great crema.
Even with Peet's deep roasts the supply jar is pretty clean after 2 months.
However, its a hassle to clean the exit chute--otherwise the grounds stuck in there would go stale in a few days. I'm using the chute cleaner from my old Braun grinder & it works out. I also suggest that you get the freshest roasted beans you can find: itm akes as much difference as a fresh grind. If you like flavored coffee drinks then consider using flavored syrups instead of beans--it gives you more quality control and flavor balance adjustment.

I have never owned a humidifier before, and this is my first one. I suffer from terrible sinus pains during the winter! Some of my symptoms are throbbing headaches, with pains around my temples, the area under my eyes, and the forehead. I also have an occasional stuffy nose accompanied with some mucus in my throat. I read an article in a magazine, which stated that a humidifier helps reduce sinus pains, pains that are usually caused by dry indoor air. So I decided to surf Amazon.com to find the right humidifier.

Many of the other humidifiers that are offered on Amazon.com are cool-air humidifiers. This humidifier is a warm-moisture humidifier, which is great during the winter. Another thing that attracted me to this humidifier was the fact that it didn't require any filters. I only paid a one time fee of $39.99 for this humidifier. Here are a list of features for this humidifier:

- Adjustable humidistat automatically maintains moisture level selected.
- Auto shut-off at desired humidity or when tank is empty.
- Two moisture output settings.
- Power, desired humidity, and refill lights.
- Easy view clear tank.
- Dual tank handles - one to fill and one to carry.
- Easy clean removable tray and dishwasher safe medicine cup.

On the high setting, the humidifier does not sound loud. The sound is similar to that of hot water simmering in a pan over the stove. On the low setting, it is virtually impossible to hear. You will hear an occasional gurgle of the water as the humidifier sucks in some water.

The humidifier also seems pretty easy to clean. The manual suggests a cleaning every week with some vinegar and a teaspoon of bleach. It is not that difficult. Also, I especially liked the medicine cup feature. It is a small cup that is placed over the opening of where the steam comes out. You can go to your local pharmacy and purchase some "Vicks Vapo Rub" in a liquid form for humidifiers and place a little in this cup. The steam will fill the air with the medicine, clearing up your sinuses instantly.

As far as the humidifier doing its job and helping to reduce my pains, I gave it 4 stars. The humidifier does seem to help, however not as advertised. They claim that this humidifier is for medium to large rooms. I am using this humidifier in my bedroom ( a medium room). I placed the humidifier about 8ft. away from my bed the first time I used it. It did absolutely nothing for me. Now I place it right next to my bed, and it seems to work. Don't expect this thing to work wonders in a medium or large room. You're going to have to put this thing right next to you if you want it to work!

I bought this product because of the brand name, the reasonable price, and the overall positive customer reviews. So far I've been very pleased. Except for the glug of the water going into the tray, the humidifier is extremely quiet. At least once I've forgotten it was even on. Unlike most people on here, my sinus problems arise in the spring and summer. I've found it to work satisfactorily when the air conditioner, fan, or window is open. Obviously it isn't as effective as when the windows are closed and the fan/AC isn't on.

I pretty much only use the humidifier at night and on the settings I generally use it goes through about 75-80% of a full container of water. It takes but a few minutes to refill and I do it before I go to bed at night. The cleaning also doesn't take very long even in a household with hard water. The pamphlet suggests a 20 minute soak in a vinegar/water solution. While it was soaking I spray CLR onto the "heating element" and used a toothbrush to scrub. I've also soaked it in a solution of CLR and water or used some of the vinegar/water solution. You may need a little bit of elbow grease, but by the time I was done the 20 minutes was about up. Minimal wiping was needed for the tray. I too am busy, but I was easily able to find 20 minutes to clean the humidifier.

The pamphlet also suggests sitting the machine on a tray or something similar, however I have mine sitting right on the carpet next to my bed. I've experienced no leaking or spills whatsoever.

I do agree that something beyond little dewdrops for the humidity control would be helpful, but I've set mine in the middle and have found that be just fine in either the high or low setting. I suppose it could be problematic if someone is running the machine 24/7 or needs a room to be at a specific humidity level, however that is not an issue in my case. Also, because I only run the machine at night and it's not cranked all the way up, I have not had any experience with the automatic shutoff.

I do agree that the machine itself does not seem to be made of particularly durable plastic and the vent doesn't seem to fit quite right. I expected the parts to lock into place better, but I have not experienced any problems as a result. If you plan to set the machine on the floor I would however be sure it won't be in an area where it risks getting bumped.

My only concern is the electricity usage. It doesn't mention it anywhere on the packaging or in the pamphlet. Two reviews mention it running in excess of 300 watts. Obviously I prefer to keep my electric bill as low as possible and with the added costs of running the AC or fan during the summer, I am concerned about the additional cost of running the humidifier.

3 gallon water dissapears in about 12 hours when it's on full blast and it's amazing where it's all gone. I would've imagined it would make floor and furniture spaces humid and wet. but no. it's almost hardly noticeable but definitely helps my sinus to breath better. I only use brita filtered water. so I don't have to clean up mineral deposit build up on the heating element. Yeah.. material used is definitely the cheapest plastic available on the planet. It probably won't last. but then it's 32 bucks to begin with so I'm not complaining. just another gadget from disaposable age.

I'm thinking about getting another one to really feel the humid.

This attachment is a great place to begin if you want to expand the uses for your KitchenAid mixer. Although it grinds meat (great for making chicken or turkey sausage if you can't stand the idea of feeding venison through it!), for me it's primary use is the driving of other attachments. You need the grinder if you want to use the fruit/vegetable strainer or the pasta attachment.

I took away one star only because the feeding "worm" can be difficult to clean. Otherwise, this is a high-quality product, a must-have for people who want to utilize the strength of their machines. If you know someone who has a mixer, this would make an excellent gift.

I've used this attachment more times than I ever thought I would. I've used it to prepare food items for my family as well as food items for crowds as large as 200 and regardless of what it is I've been making, this attachment has rolled through it without complaint. In combination with other pieces such as the sausage stuffer or the fruit attachments, you may well find that this single attachment stays on your machine the longest.

I am absoultely stunned at how easy it is to put together and how simple it is to get wonderfully ground items out of it. I've had no trouble grinding any cut of meat (marbled or lean), type of meat (venison, beef, pork, chicken), or state of meat (cooked or raw). Things like chickpeas also get ground just the way I like them. The two, differently sized grinding plates give you just what you need in texture. My biggest pleasure in using this attachment is during hunting season when my husband brings home more than one deer. Venison burger meat and sausage processing never went faster. No more late nights with a hand-crank grinder!

When you're done, there's nothing simpler in the cleanup. Nothing seems to stick to the plastic (plus, it's dishwasher safe!) and the metal pieces wash up quickly by hand. Even the little wooden stomper cleans well (and I've felt lost without it when I couldn't find it during sausage making). I think this attachment is the easiest to use of all of the ones I've tried.

I'll never regret the purchase of this attachment.

I bought this attachment at the same time I bought two or three other attachments, and this is the one I use all of the time. I found that grinding meats to be very useful. I have a mother who is 88 and she prefers everything tender and juicy. So unless it is cooked until it is super tender, she doesn't eat it. With the Kitchen Aid FGA that is all solved. For example I buy chicken in large quantities when it is on sale, and grind it up. Adding shredded rye bread, some Italian seasoned bread crumbs , rosemary, and oregano in the mix, and I make a hamburger(chicken)-meat loaf, or meat balls that are tender. Without the food grinder, I would have to buy preground meat.
Their are those who find that the best way to buy chicken is whole, that way you can inspect the whole bird. By buying parts, they are able to cut out the unsightlies, and sell the parts. With preground meat that is even more of a concern. With the Food Grinder attachment, you have the option of handling that item whichever way you may choose.
Clean up is a snap. It almost falls apart, disassembly is that easy. Cleans up easily with some soap and warm water, or by putting it into the dishwasher. The cutting blades are handwashed. They appear to be high strength steel, and I am concerned about them getting lost in the wash, and degrading the finish. They clean up in only a minute. The rest of it goes into the dishwasher.
Even though the FGA is made out of plastic on the outside, the internal components are metal. It is very durable, and works without a snag. No jams, no problems. It attaches easily to the front of your Kitchen Aid stand mixer, and sits very securely. I expect it will last for a very long period of time.

We loved the concept of this coffee maker we bought one for ourselves and one for our mother. Both died, same symptoms as all the others first the clock would stop working then it would not stay warm, and finaly would not brew. We recieved replcements about 1 1/2 months ago for both, and already both have stoped brewing.

This product needs to be recalled it, is extremly poorly designed from the inside. The circuit board is not shielded form the moisture that builds up in the lower 1/2 of the coffee maker.

I read all the reviews AND waited for two months before writing a review.

I LOVE mine and have had no problems with it. My cabinets are low so the height didn't bother me, I've always had to pull out my coffee maker to fill it. I was suspecting a HUGE appliance, but it wasn't all that big.

It's very easy to use. Very modular. I love the way the coffee tank pulls out for easy filling. I find it easier to measure the right amount water then other coffee makers.

I had problems with leaking because I was in a hurry and wasn't using the right sized coffee filter. I followed the easy directions in the manual for getting trapped coffee grinds out of the pot, then got the right sized filters and haven't had a problem since.

I don't really have a problem with the clock - set it and forget it. I never had a unit with a clock feature before so I'm not that fussy. Programming the clock was very easy.

I love mine. Maybe they've gotten the bugs worked out. Just don't throw away the manual. It's a very easy coffeemaker to use once you get the hang of it. And a very efficient way to flush out trapped coffee grounds it you need to.

We installed this machine in our school several months ago. It is wonderful. There is no concern about drips or leaks. I will admit that the coffee tastes no better than it does from an ordinary machine. However, I would also note that the coffee is hotter and stays "good" longer than in an ordinary machine.

The machine is easy to clean and to use. It's also very difficult to break (which is a good thing for me).

All of our teachers use it easily, and the coffee comes out quickly enough to be useful. I wish it brewed a little faster, but I'm going to halfway blame that on the city water. The same issue was true of the old machine until I ran vinegar through it. I plan to do the same with this machine this weekend.

The 2-hour shutoff is a particularly nice feature. Several times, with the old machine, it was left on and heated dry. This one will not.

I have seen none of the reliability issues other users have reported. While I don't discount them, my experience is that this is a solid, reliable machine, even under heavy use in a teachers' lounge.

Well, it grinds ok, I agree with other posters about the fine grounds, but I'm not the coffee fan in the family here, so ignore my opinion on that. However, I am the one that makes the coffee each day, and oh my is this thing MESSY! The static provides a mini-coffee explosion upon opening the canister, the grounds get stuck in the duct that leads to the canister and they have to be dug out with a knife/spoon something to that effect. I really wouldn't recommend it just on the basis that it is SO incredibly messy.

I had the previous model for a long time. Let my sister have it when their's broke. Her signficant other was the original designer of the grinder.

The new version has some additional features. Some I like and some I don't care for. I really like the fixed top version in the old model. This one is also larger and I can't see a benefit to that.

As to messy, well coffee ground right is light and it is hard not to have a bit of mess. Heck, you can even make the occasional mess with canned coffee.

Frankly, if I hadn't had the old model I wouldn't have bought it based on all the knocks here. As a realist, the mill is as neat as anyone should hope for. I found this to be the case with this mill.

I would have given it more stars--even 5--if I had it longer. At this point I stay conservative.

The way I use it:

1. Remove top and tap it over the installed filter; lay upside-down on counter.

2. 1/3 cup measure is the right amount for me for 10 cups. I pour from the canister into a 1/3rd cup handled measure.

All done and no mess.

If there's only a little left it goes in the filter. After a bit of testing on the grind time, I'll probably just pour from the canister. In the interim, I've put the covered canister in the refrigerator with the leftover grounds. I'm alone and only make one pot a day. If I made more than one pot I wouldn't bother with that.

I've owned this grinder for almost 5 years now, and am still happy with its basic performance. Much better than the spinning-blade grinders which seemed to have a lifespan of a year or so.

The good: It grinds beans evenly and consistently to the grind you want -- and the hopper holds a lot of beans so it lasts about a week's worth of double lattes. I've heard that it's loud, but no louder than any grinder as far as I can tell, though it takes longer for a big pot of drip coffee. It's still running after five years, so it's durable!

The bad: It uses a timer to determine how much coffee to grind (or more precisely, how long to grind it). For some reason, 15 seconds of grinding doesn't always produce the same amount of grounds.

The ugly: The mess. The mess. The mess. Static electricity throws grounds around. Grounds get between the cup and the body of the grinder. Advice: tap the top (a good whack!) a few times to knock down most of the gorunds from the lid and sides of the cup. And then get a sponge out.

I like this light. My wife loves it even more since it is a focused reading light and the light doesn't bounce all over the room. I've used both the ac and the battery pack, both work fine for me.

One of the big advantages of this light is its weight. Many other book lights have the battery pack built in and this really weighs them down. This does not so it is light weight and good for paperbacks and maybe even a magazine.

On the down side the arm tends to fall down. I've tightened the little screw, shoved paper in the opening, but it still slides down. This can be very frustrating.

Overall, I like the light.

oliver

This item is a true life-saver! As an extremely light sleeper, I (of course) have the luck to have an avid nighttime reader for a mate. The bedside light used to drive me CRAZY, but this product has made life easier for both of us. Money well-spent, without a doubt!

I've tried virtually every book light, and so far this is the best all round. I tried one with an LED bulb, because the regular bulbs don't seem to last too long (perhaps burn hotter when using the AC adapter?), but the light from the LED was not sufficient for comfortable reading. It's also nice that the light and battery units are separate: makes it easier to clip to the book. The only problem is not with the product, but the fact that amazon.com is selling the "Paperback" version here, which does not include the AC adapter. The "Hardcover" version, that includes the AC adpater, is, at present, available at the same price or cheaper elsewhere.

I have purchased a littermaid slightly over a year ago and I would like to say that it's one of the worst $200 investments I have ever made. After slightly over a year of less than mediocre performance, the system completely broke down. Here are the problems with littermaid. 1) Except for the detachable tray, the unit is a royal pain to clean. Clumping litter sticks to every crevice, and since you cannot immerse the whole unit in hot water, you spend ages giving it a thorough cleaning. Since it takes so long to clean the whole unit, most of us don't do it that often, making this litterbox much less hygienic than the cheap plastic ones you can bleach and hose down every week. 2) The unit jams almost every day, sometimes more than once a day. Occasionally the reason is too much litter in the box, but most often it's because cats like to cover up their mess, and hence create a little mountain of litter in one corner of the box, which the rake is totally ill-equipped to deal with. The system works well if the litter is smoothed out, but not when cats like to dig around and pile litter in some corner. You end up manually cleaning poop every day, which frankly completely defeats the purpose of having an automatic box. 3) The rake is totally ill-equipped to deal with small pieces of waste. You need a finer rake to do the job properly. So some waste is always left in the box, other waste is stuck to some inaccessible corner of the unit and since the receptacle lid does not close tight enough (if it ever does), this box can start smelling pretty awful by day 2. 4) Once the disposable waste receptacle is full, it's very difficult to remove. The lid does not stay on (ever!, even when it's empty) and as one lifts it up from the sides, the middle sags from the weight of the litter, dirty litter is sprayed everywhere, and quite a bit of force is needed to lift the receptacle out which ends up spraying even more dirty litter, often towards one's face. I stuck with it for a year, despite all of these problems, with the optimism that I could master its idiosyncrasies and get it to work better, but overall I was very dissatisfied with it. This morning I bundled the whole thing into a large trash bag and threw it away. I then checked reviews on the internet (something I should have done more thoroughly before buying) and everyone has exactly the same complaints and frustrations. Anybody who loves this box has either never lifted up the tent to see how dirty the whole unit gets or is not bothered by the smell or the dirt. To top it all, it's extremely noisy. With the tent (which you will need unless you want litter sprayed all around the unit), the unit is huge. Both the premium litter and the waste receptacles needed are quite costly.

Don't bother with wasting the money on it. Anyone who has used it will agree with a rating of negative 5, daily cleaning, of not only the cat box it self but the area around as it throws dung all over, up to 6 feet away. I have had 4 of these, the first I had to wash off with a hose and it quit working after being in use for 6 months. That one was the best. The next one lasted 1 day before it broke. I returned it, the next two lasted about 30 days. As I write I am about to request a RMA so that I can ship this one back as the rake guides broke again. I have tried their cat litter and several of the brands that meet their recommendations but still nothing works.

We have two cats. We didn't buy the Littermaid to cut down on work (although we hoped it would), but more to cut down on smells and to keep the box cleaner for the cats (who would then, in theory, be cleaner when they walked all over everything else).

The one way that this is a cost-saver is that you will use less litter. When they say "do not fill above this line", they mean it; the rake can't go through more litter than that.

The cats got used to the noise (and it is noisy). But it doesn't take them very long to fill up the waste receptacle. And it's a smelly mess if the receptacle overflows before you get around to emptying it. Using a new receptacle every time was out of the question; we would have gone through too many.
So you will be briefly exposed to the scent of concentrated cat waste, when you remove the lid to empty the receptacle.

Cleaning the box thoroughly is a real chore, if you want to clean every nook and cranny. A small tool for cleaning the rake was included, but it really wasn't up to the task. Things will stick, to the bottom of the pan and to the rake. The best way to avoid that is to clean the box thoroughly and then spray the bottom and the rake with silicone spray. But you need to let it set outside until it is completely dry; otherwise the silicone is a real health hazard (read the can before you use it).

We used the box for about six months, then went back to our old system (plastic grocery bags are great for holding/sealing in the scoopings). We didn't seem to be saving anything in time, money, smell, or cleanliness.

We have friends who love the Littermaid, though. I'm sure that if one is very good about keeping it clean and emptied, then it does cut down on odors, which is good for anyone who is sensitive to such things. And in theory, I would think it might reduce the spread of toxoplasmosis (a concern if anyone in the house is pregnant or has a compromised immue system).

If you have friends who have tried the Littermaid, ask them for opinions before you shell out the big $$$.