Appliance Reviews

I love my Flip 'n' Fluff! I've had 4 or 5 waffle bakers over the years and this is by far the best. The only reason I don't give it five stars is that the platens are not removeable for easy dishwasher cleaning. If they were I would have no quibbles whatsoever. As it is, as long as you give it a couple of quick spritz's of PAM and, this is important, DON'T overfill, you should have no problems with sticking. I've also found, as have some other reviewers, that letting the waffles cook a little longer than the light indicates will help with potential sticking. I've tried a couple of the recipes in the HB "cookbook" that comes with the baker as well as some of my own and they've all resulted in excellent waffles. Get this baker, you won't regret it!

Please take the negative reviews with a grain of salt. It's obvious that some of them are from people who don't like to read instructions. First, the indicator lights are NOT supposed to tell you when the waffle is finished. One light simply tells you the unit is receiving power (i.e., it's plugged in). The other light tells you when the iron is hot enough to pour in the batter. The waffle is done in five minutes or when steam stops. All of that is in the instructions that come with the waffle maker. My waffles always come out golden brown.

You will have no problem with the batter sticking if you use the recipes for waffles, not pancakes. Waffle recipes include a small amount of cooking oil, which is needed to keep the waffles from sticking. Every box of mix I've ever purchased has alternate instructions for mixing waffle batter vs. pancake batter. Again, it's just a matter of reading the instructions. My waffles are easily removed from the waffle maker and NEVER stick.

I read the instructions and I get PERFECT waffles every time! I am DELIGHTED with my purchase!

I got tired of paying $8-10 for waffles in New York City restaurants, so I decided to look for a good waffle iron that would satisfy my frequent cravings. I am a big fan of Villaware, which inspired me to first look for their products. I was, however, suprised to learn that the best rated and selling waffle maker on the Amazon was Hamilton Beach Flip 'n Fluff. After reading the reviews, I was persuaded that this was the product I wanted (plus it was a half price of the Villaware equvialent).

I got my waffle maker a week ago and I made waffles several times. They were truly big and fluffy, crispy outside and moist inside. The cooking time is only about 3 minutes. I would, however, like to suggest to use cooking spray the first time you use this product. My first two waffles sticked, but after that initial failure, I had no problems. The cleaning is a breeze. This product deserves the highest marks!

As an avid cook and bread baker I was especially excited to get a KitchenAid Professional model mixer. The brand had such an excellent reputation for quality and durability. After replacing the mixer 3 times for reasons from motor burnout to a badly wobbling head I finally gave up and asked for my money back which I then invested in a really fine piece of kitchen equipment, the Electrolux Kitchen Assistent (spelling is Swedish as that's where it's made). It is far more powerful, durable, sturdy and versatile. Would never go back to KitchenAid!

I was fortunate enough to receive this as a wedding present 5 years ago, and I've been a thrilled and happy KitchenAid customer ever since. If you've never used a KitchenAid mixer, you should find a friend who owns one and try it. Each KitchenAid comes with three mixing attachements (a wire whisk, a dough hook, and flat mixer), as well as a pouring shield. The top of your KitchenAid is equipped for the added bonus (and added price- the extra attachements are sold separately)of using a pasta maker or a food grinder. The model itself is pretty heavy (I have the Imperial Gray model), so you should probably find a permanent space on your counter top to keep it. They are so professional and cool looking, though, you'll want to keep it as a showpiece to let your guests think you are a SERIOUS chef! I find the best thing about these mixers is that you can adjust the mixing speed and walk away to do other items (mash your potatoes while you prepare the gravy, etc.), rather than stand over it as you would with a hand held model. Makes superb mashed potatoes (I use the flat mixer), and the dough hook is a great experience if you've never attempted to bake your own bread. A must-have and a solid investment for cooks of any level- mine still looks like new.

My Epicurean 6 quart mixer is a SERIOUS piece of kitchen equipment. I chose this model because of the all metal gears (thanks to Amazon reviewers I sent a note to KA and the smaller models do have nylon gears). It is heavy and beautiful and definitely parked forever on my kitchen counter, where it does NOT fit beneath the cabinets - I knew this when I bought it, but do think some of you will want to measure before buying. The cookbook should be read (I was surprised that mashing potatoes required first the flat beater, then the whip) but personally found most of the recipes kind of hokey. The bowl on this model is serious and heavy and I haven't found a recipe it won't hold, it is dishwasher safe as are all the pieces except the wire whip. The bread hook and flat beater are some kind of vinyl clad metal, and heavy as well. My first (and only) attempt at bread was a little on the heavy side, but I fear my bread machine has spoiled me and that the timing was off. It did handle the dough beautifully and will be perfect for pizza dough.

I have had mine less than a month, so feel free and contact me years from now for an update. Truly an impressive machine, probably more powerful than my car.

After burning up a mixer that was rated for bread dough I decided I really needed a heavy duty machine and I got it!!! As a gift from my husband for our 33rd anniversary/Mothers Day. I make our bread and need a machine that can handle the dough.
I also make cheese cakes and the Kitchen Aid mixer was absolutely wonderful. I was afraid that the ingriedients would not get mixed well without scraping the bowl sides , not so. It not only mixed everything throughly it did it quickly. This refurbished mixer arrived in excellent condition, one could not tell it is refurbished. I really feel I got an excellent deal, a super mixer at a super price. My husband was really pleased too when I phoned him at work to tell him how much I loved the Kitchen Aid Mixer

I received my KitchenAid 5 quart stand mixer a little over a week ago, since it's refurbished I hadn't expected it to be in LIKE-NEW condition, but it is! It's a beauty! I've been looking for recipes to include in my daily mealplans that allow me to use my mixer. I also bought the roto slicer/shredder and love it too! The ease of use and clean up for the mixer and attachment is wonderful! It did take awhile to receive since I used the free shipping, but was within the time frame given to me at purchase and well worth the wait. If your thinking of purchasing a KitchenAid stand mixer go for it, you won't be sorry. It truely is the BEST MIXER EVER!!

If you can tell that this is refurbished, then please let me know how! I've had this mixer for about 3 years, it sits on my counter and just about everyone who comes to my house is jealous. It is a bowl-lift type like seen on cooking shows. It is so powerful that I can leave it running to knead bread dough for about 15 minutes without any problem in having to move the dough around in the bowl. It's like the mixer has some kind of way of knowing what to do. It will also whip up whipped cream in no time flat, and if it keeps whipping, will make butter.
The mixer also came with a recipe guide and the pie crust recipe with the apple pie recipe puts my mom's apple pie to shame. Every recipe I've tried is flawless and easy. I also purchased the slicer/shredder and when large amounts of grated cheese are needed, this attachment makes it a very easy task. When people say they don't know how they lived without a Kitchen Aid mixer, they're not kidding. It is a beautiful machine that my daughter is already hoping to inherit.

I am writing this after 6 months of owning the product. While I like it, I don't think it delivers on the expectations set by reading some reviews and product features. This product has several really good features (one-touch buttons for toast from frozen bread and for frozen pizza) and one odd one (frozen hash browns. Is that such a common food in the U.S.). Overall, however, the high-performance claims seem to come up short. In 90% of cases, the oven is no faster than any other toaster oven I've owned, except on frozen 12-inch pizzas. Most of the time, I have to add extra time after pressing the frozen pizza button. The good news is the one-button cycle is never going to burn the pizza. The bad news is you can't be certain how much extra time you have to add, though you'll always finish faster than 20 minutes as listed on the DiGiorno box. Frozen bread also is an inexact setting. If I have to set the darkness setting to the extreme side to get toast, it's not really much better than my old toaster. And it doesn't broil - as you will read and I knew going in. So, overall, it is an okay machine, but I might wait until the next generation before buying it.

My only complaint is that the toasting rack inside this toaster doesn't attach well. It hooks onto a sliding bar at the back of the toaster that isn't securely attached to the unit and always falls out unless you open the door VERY CAREFULLY. This can be frustrating before coffee. Especially if the rack is already hot, but you want to close the door again.

First I must say that this toaster oven makes better toast than any other toaster oven I have used. That said, there are a few things that disappointed me.
1. There is an on/off button. It would be better if using the other buttons turned it on automatically and it should turn off automatically when the cycle ends.
2. That light is bright! Very strange to have space-alien lighting emanating from the toaster over. A tinted door would be nice.
3. Not good for baking. This oven does a great job of heating the surface, but not so great heating the center of things. Even cookies did not fare well.
4. The oven is hotter in back and cooler in front. It even mentions this in the instructions. Large items such as pizza need to be rotated partway through heating.
5. The temperature increments are weird and won't match most recipes.

It does, however, make great toast. Even Pepperidge Farm's Texas Toast worked well. Any other toaster oven I have used has always toasted the top and bottom unevenly, leaving a crunchy top and soggy bottom. Grilled cheese sandwiches work great too. I love the Frozen Toast button - the button I use most. Hopefully Panasonic will correct the annoyances with the next model, but I'm still keeping this one.

This mixer is the version of KitchenAid that lifts the head away to remove the beaters. The bowl sits on a round stand on the base. (Some larger units have a lift to move the bowl under the beaters.) At 250 watts and 4 1/2 quarts, in white, this is a mixer that fits most people's needs.

What this mixer does particularly well is tp prepare bread dough, using a dough hook that slaps the dough around the bowl, stretching it and beating it in an effective kneading motion. But if you are a cookie baker, this makes short work of the creaming stage where butter or other solid fat and sugar must be mixed together. The wire beater makes short work of eggwhites or whipping cream. Just remember to keep the bowl and beater free of any grease or oil when you do the egg whites.

In a way, the KitchenAid is a good substitute for a bread machine, doing everything but the unattended kneading, knock-down and loaf baking stages, which are pretty easy. I tend to make bread more in the KitchenAid than in the breadmaker because I prefer the freedom to make a round loaf, a braided loaf, rolls or heavier dough than a machine can handle. And for making cookie dough for Christmas or parties, this is a must. Five stars for this mixer.

Powerful, heavy duty mixer that makes anyone's baking and mixing projects a breeze. This tool is appropriate in ANY kitchen. I bought this shiny white piece of equipment for my wife about 2 years ago. Gone are the days of tired arms from mixing cookie dough by hand... or mixing anything else for that matter. She uses it weekly and I sit and watch her (sometimes) with a big smile on her face. Now, while this Kitchenaid does the mixing for you, you can do something else - like pound that poultry for the beautiful chicken parmigian you'll be eating for dinner... followed by fresh baked cookies. I can honestly say this mixer has been a blessing. My wife looks forward to baking again... and the rest of us benefit with all those dang-tasty treats. Warning - this mixer is not for the timid or faint-hearted. It's loaded with power! If you're not careful and your ingredients are too thin and/or liquidy, you'll be scraping cookie dough batter off the walls & ceiling. Also, do not attempt to do put laundry soap & dirty socks in a bowl & proceed to mix... it does not double as a washing machine. Comes complete with mixing tools & bowls. This Kitchenaid mixer is 2nd to none. Excellent.

For years I had been cooking by using a great big bowl and a sturdy silver spoon to mix everything. I never realized the wonder of these KitchenAid mixers until I got one for myself. No longer do I have to struggle through thick doughs whether it be for bread, cookies, and pie crusts. My arms can have a rest while cooking and the KitchenAid does the work for me. It also helps conserve time, because while it is mixing, you can move to another spot of the kitchen and work on something else such as; getting the pie filling ready while the dough is mixing.
Anyone who finds themself using a spoon and a big bowl often to stir should round up some money to get one of these.

They come in different sizes, and many different colors such as black, white, and red. That way if you get one, you can get it to match your kitchen. It's easy to use as putting the ingredients in, plugging it in, and pressing a button.

You see these used on cooking shows time and time and again. Why not have a KitchenAid for yourself? If you cook a lot, or even just a little, you owe it to yourself.

It is costly, but really helps in the kitchen. The name practically says it all: it's a Kitchen Aid.

Look...making yogurt isn't that compicated. All you need is a good starter culture, a stable and appropriate temperature and clean equipment so you get the proper cultures growing. The Salton 1-quart does a beautiful job and you can't beat the price. If you've never made your own yogurt before, this is the unit to buy. Don't spend tons of money on a piece of equipment that does nothing more than keep the milk warm for a few hours. Realize, it is much easier to just buy yogurt at the supermarket. But if you don't like keep buying little plastic containers, and if you don't mind going to just a little effort to make your own foods, you'll enjoy making yogurt. I like to use milk straight from the bulk tank at a local dairy farm and either organic Stonyfield (NH)or organic Butterworks (VT) yogurt as a starter. Homemade yogurt doesn't always have the homogenous and solid consistency of store-bought, but I've had very good results (quite comparable with commercial yogurts) with the Salton, plus I can use whatever flavorings I want from real maple syrup to my favorite jams. I even use the yogurt in place of sour cream. The possibilities with home-made yogurt are almost unlimited!

I bought the Salton quart size yogurt maker and use it fairly often. Here's how I use it to make nonfat yogurt.

» Place the Salton yogurt maker in a convenient but out-of-the-way location where it can run for a few days. Plug it in.

» Add one cup of nonfat dry milk powder to a gallon of skim milk and mix well. This makes the resulting yogurt thicker and more nutritious. (I've read that non-instant is better for this but haven't tried it. Any experience with this, anyone?)

» Heat milk to 185-190 degrees F, stirring frequently.

» Cool milk to 110-115 degrees F. (I usually use an ice water bath. Stir the milk frequently and monitor its temperature closely. This only takes a few minutes.)

» Stir a cup to a pint of plain nonfat yogurt with live active cultures (usually from the previous batch, sometimes from a commercial product) into the cooled milk. Whisk well.

» Decant the inoculated milk into the Salton quart container and four other clean wide mouth quart canning jars. Put the Salton container in the yogurt maker and the lidded quart canning jars in the refrigerator.

» Culture the yogurt to your preferred state of solidity and tartness. It's edible in a few hours but becomes stiffer and tarter the longer you leave it. I usually let it go 24 hours (no kidding-I like it tart!).

» When the batch is done, cool it either for several hours or overnight in the fridge or, if you're dying to eat it, more quickly in an ice water bath (no stirring!). At this point the yogurt is setting. If it gets jostled or stirred anytime before it's completely cooled its consistency will be looser and runnier.

» When you're ready to make the next batch (or immediately, to keep the ball rolling until you've processed all your quarts), put a wide mouth canning jar of inoculated milk into the yogurt maker. (I used to just take them directly from the fridge. It works, but the resulting texture of the yogurt is distinctly thicker at the bottom of the jar. Now I zap the milk on half-power in the microwave in 30-second runs, stirring between, until it's at 110-115 degrees F. It works like a charm!)

SUMMARY: The Salton YM9 has been a trouble free unit. The only improvement would be larger capacity, such as the Yogourmet machine has (though at more than twice the price). Knowing what I do, I'd buy it again.

I eat a lot of yogurt. Plain. So why should I shell out so much for store yogurt when making your own is so easy?

Some of the secrets of yogurt to help you be successful:

1. Cleanliness is next to Godliness for any dairy recipe. Bacteria or other microorganisms you are inviting to the party can make off flavors, goopy results.

2. Yogurt is thickened commercially with dry powdered milk to add body to the product. American milk from Holsteins is thin and lacking in protein. Adding dry powder milk puts back in the casein that sets up to make a nice creamy, thick yogurt. Jersey cow milk is higher in fat and protein; if you have access to Jersey milk, then you might not need to add dry powdered milk.

3. If you DON'T SCALD THE MILK (bring to a boil) you will leave in enzymes that will result in a thin, porridge-like yogurt, if you are lucky. If you aren't lucky, the result will be liquid milk but spoiled. So scald the milk.

4. After you scald, take the milk's temperature. It has to be around 80-85 degrees and no more, or the culture you stir in will be killed off and again, you won't get any yogurt. Plain yogurt starter works fine. Make sure it's fresh, however.

I like my yogurt plain or with apple and sunflower seeds stirred in. But feel free to flavor yours with apple butter, jam, fresh berries, honey. Kids like it with whipped strawberries or blueberries and maple syrup.

I have used two Hamilton Beach grills of this type and three Geroge Foreman Jumbo grills over many years.

The cleaning problems and stupid drip tray design of the Foreman led me to the Hamilton Beach.

The fixed hinge design and LOW HEAT of the Hamilton Beach led me back to the Foreman.

I have decided that good food is better than dishwasher convenience, and have stuck with a recent Foreman model.

PS

Will some manufactuer make a contact grill that is very hot on one half and less hot in the other half?...you do not cook often by grilling all at the same temperature. Sear then grill. So far, no one has a clue, and this would be simple to do. Include the appropriate timers etc....

Unfortunately, most people want a grill to work like a microwave. Because of heat retention on the plates, I think this is unlikely...but multistate cooking would be a big plus for these grills! Surely the engineering expertise of the industry can improve on this.

We subscribe to Consumer Reports and read all about these types of grills. The George Foreman and the Hamilton Beach MealMaker Express Grill seam to be the most popular but the HB beats ALL the competition hands down!
Many people who already have the George Foreman grill all have told us they hate it because it's so difficult to clean. With the removable grills on the HB model, this problem simply does not exist. We love how fast this grill cooks chicken and steak. The best part is that the meats are so juicy and delicious.
I highly recommend the Hamilton Beach MealMaker Express Grill.

I purchased a Foreman grill and was very unhappy with it. The surface plates are not removeable and the teflon finish was rather porous and very difficult to clean. A friend of mine purchased a Foreman grill and had the same results. These grills are now stored in the same place-the garage. This Hamilton Beach model rocks. Removeable plates that can go in the dishwasher or be cleaned by hand very easily and the cooking time is half that of the Foreman grill. Buy this productt and dont waste your money on the Foreman grills. I just bought another as a birthday gift for my friend that had purchased the Foreman Grill

This is probably the greatest kitchen appliance I have every bought. I am pretty busy and cooking dinner always seemed too much time and effort, so most of the time I ate out, ordered out or ate TV Dinners until I got the George Foreman Grill. First you can cook anything in less than 15 mins. (5 mins. to warm up and 8 mins. to cook). Second it cooks everything to perfection - So far I have cooked Chicken, Hamburgers (Even Veggie Burgers), Pork Chops, Steak, and Salmon and nothing has burned or tasted anything less than great. The timer helps with stopping things from burning and the user manual is right on for cooking times for each meat. This grill is perfect for 2 people think cooking for more than 2 is asking too much for this size grill. So now I just head to the Grocer on Sunday buy several types of meat and fish for the week, some vegetables and some different rice or potatoes side dishes and with a little effort I have a full meal in less than 20 mins. I have gone from cooking a full dinner maybe once a week to cooking dinner 4 or 5 times a week now. I am actually saving some big bucks now.

The george foreman grill cooks the meat crispy on the outsideand juicy on the inside. Just don't stick a sauce with too much sugaron your meat otherwise you will get burnt meat. The fat really doesrun away from the food. You will see this and think how nasty it was that you were eating all this extra fat before. Eat healthy. It cooks sausage, fish, chicken, and steak beautifully.

Clean up is not as easy as they make it seem, but it is bearable. Just clean carefully with soapy water then rinse with warm water. The grill is sloped down so the water runs off easily. If you put the grill next to the sink then you can just let the water run in there. Only the new model has on off and temperature control switches. You just plug it in and it starts warming up. Cooking that is healthy and easy. Ideal for a college student or a family.

I have a medium size one with the bun warmer. My mom has this one and she loves hers. Buy this and you won't be disapointed. Just looking at the grill is making me hungry.

I bought this grill 3 to 4 yrs ago and it is just now starting to wear. We use it consstantly as it is the most convenient appliance out there. In todays society where we want everything fast this is no exception. Burgers in 4 min. I couldn't believe it till I did it. I now have to find what size and style I want for my new one.

Our beloved DeLonghi toaster oven cratered after 18 years of heavy use, so we replaced it with this attractive Cuisinart unit. The Cuisinart doesn't heat up as fast, but otherwise it is much more versatile. We particularly like the many different tray heights available (at least eight, counting all the permutations of tray height and broiler pan position).

The one shortcoming of the Cuisinart and almost all other new toasters is, as others have pointed out, the lack of an interior light. We solved this problem neatly by attaching a clip-on booklight to the front door handle. Not only is the light thus out of the line of fire, so to speak, but one can focus it on the part of the food due to brown first, and, of course, turn the light off when it isn't needed.

We found we love this convection oven. It is well made and does everything well. We are just two people, and find that the toaster oven makes two servings of baked fish, chicken, pork chops or steak perfectly. I also bake 6 muffins, biscuits, cookies or a small cake, custard or pizza in it - the convection feature makes them brown perfectly. It also makes good toast and perfect English muffins. I especially like the fact that preheating takes only 3 minutes or so. I have found that I need to reduce the temperature on my recipes about 25 degrees to keep them from getting overdone and often the cooking time is less as well - less time to preheat and less time to cook at a lower temperature - great! I purchased some nonstick Nordicware sheets to use - better than the pan that came with it but not as large. I warm my plates on top while I'm baking or toasting. I would have to buy another one right away if something happened to this one, but if it is like all my other Cuisinart products, that shouldn't have to be soon.

I really enjoy this product. We were looking to replace a basic GE toaster oven we have had for years. The Cuisinart toaster/oven is large enough to do a casserole, and as I am typing this review have a 3# pork loin roast baking in it.(That is a real plus here where it is hot and we don't want to heat up the whole house by turning on the oven). The toaster/bagel feature is great and the claims made by the company regarding even cooking are true. We have not had an opportunity to use the convection feature, but when we do I am sure that it will work just as reliably. I also like the wipe clean front surface with no knobs to break or be difficult to clean around. While it is a bit more expensive than I was planning on spending, I feel that the extra cost is worth it.I highly recommend this model to anyone looking to purchase a new toaster oven combo or replace an old standby.