Appliance Reviews

I received this steamer recently as a gift. I have only used it a few times, and only on vegetables but it has been great. The guide gives you advise on how long to cook your food and each time it has been right on. My vegetables were cooked thoroughly and it was nice not to have to use oven space so I make multiple things at one time.

I use my steamer all most every day. I use it for not only for vegetables and rice but fat-free cooking of chicken and other meats. It's so simple, add water, add food, set the timer, and then just walk away. The food comes out perfect every time.

i go to school full time and work and this food steamer is my best friend! it makes cooking dinner so easy! i can put in rice, veggies, whatever in there, set the timer, and do housework or homework while its cooking. rice comes out great everytime, veggies are so easy to cook, and apples are SOOOO good steamed in this. very easy to clean, and definately, DEFINATELY worth it! (i'd even pay twice as much as i did for it.)

I am very impressed with the heftiness and solid build of this stick blender. I have another Braun, much smaller, which now feels like a toy compared to this one. Time to retire the little, less powerful one. I also like the size of the food chopper - it is much bigger than the mini choppers that are in the market. You can easily put in all the ingredients for salsa or guacamole, and chop it all in one chopping session, rather than chop little portions as you would in a mini chopper. Much easier than hauling down the food processor. Great in-between size.

The ONLY reason I give this item 4 stars (would have given it 4.5, if I could have) is that it is much bigger than I had expected, and as another reviewer mentioned, the "base" of the stick blender is quite wide (2-7/8 inches in diameter) and therefore, does not fit most drinking glasses. Solution to this: use the included beaker then pour into the glasses. On the other hand, it is really nice to have the wider base for puree'ing soups - makes your job much faster, especially with its power. The whisk I really don't have a use for, much faster and less clumsy to use a hand whisk. But hey, it is still an added bonus.

One day, I'm browsing kitchen gadgets on amazon.com (as I am wont to do), and I see this hand blender. I think to myself "Gee, this looks pretty handy, but would I ever have use for one?" In another screen, I'm talking to a friend so I ask her if she has one. She says yes, and it is the best thing since sliced bread. She tells me there are some models you can't control the speed on and some you can and the variable speed one is the one you want. So I bought this one.

WELL. I don't know if there are enough adjectives in the dictionary to describe how much I love this thing. With the stick blender part, I make amazing strawberry-banana smoothies or rich chocolate shakes in a minute. With the chopper attachment, I made delicious salsa in 30 seconds or chop bell pepper for my quesadillas in less time than that.

I love quesadillas but I hate chopping the onions and peppers I put in them. I love fresh salsa but I hate chopping tomatoes and onions to put in it. This product has become my lifeline to quick quesadillas and salsa. :)

Don't think that just because your regular blender is on the shelf collecting dust, you won't use a hand blender. Trust me, my regular blender hadn't been used in YEARS, but I'm still finding new uses for this stick blender!

After much disappointment from another cheap piece, finally the one that works like a magic.
Powerful, quiet and versatile.
Definitely rewards you back for your money.

I bought this dehydrator for my husband for Christmas. After researching several different brands I decided to go with this one. It is a little more expensive, but well worth it. We LOVE our dehydrator. We are big jerky fans. Every batch has turned out perfect. I also bought the Nesco American Harvest Jerky Works Kit. It comes with a jerky gun and some spices. I also bought 4 additional trays. The dehydrator is very easy to use and I have not had a problem with clean up. It has always come clean quite easily. It is however a big appliance and most people would probably have a hard time finding a place to store it. If you are looking into buying a dehydrator, I highly recommend this one. If we are ever looking into buying another dehydrator we will definately go with Nesco/American Harvest.

I have used this dehydrator for countless hours without any problems. I've owned it for over one year and have dehydrated different foods to perfection. Cleaning the trays are a bit difficult, however if the screens are used the process is easier. I purchased extra trays and screens to expand the food quantity I dehydrate. I also purchased the "Jerky" seasonings which are delicious. I highly recommend this product to anyone who is serious about dehydrating, just peruse the bookstores for several books on dehydrating to ensure the best quality of the finished product.

More quite than I expected. I use it outside in our screen room due to the heat it generates. Cleans with a damp sponge if necessary, trays may go in the dishwasher. Quickly realized I needed extra "screens", makes getting the dried food out much easier. Ordered a book on dehydrating since the phamplet just didn't tell me enough of how to know when done, and recipes etc. So far have done: onions, parsley, cilantro, peppers, mushrooms, strawberries and bananas. Everything turned out great except bananas, cut to thick and did not cook long enough. The phamplet that came with states cook parsley 20-24 hours! It was done in 8 hours. Not easy to fit into a work schedule when you are not sure when it will be done.

Consumer Reports once rated the Bunn coffee maker poorly. When they described how long it took to heat the water I could see immediately that a bunch of idiots were conducting the test. They obviously knew nothing about preheating. It takes me only 2 to 3 minutes for a full pot of coffee and that saves much time over competitors. The pot is warmed just right and is easily cleaned.
The only complaint I have about Bunn is how difficult it is to separate their filters. Is there a way to do this easily?

I have owned this model since 1988. It is still going strong and makes superior coffee in record time. Why let the coffee get stale overnight when in less than 3 minutes you can have FRESH coffee! Highly Recommended

We won't buy any other coffee maker....but only practical if you're a household who runs a coffee bar type atmosphere, i.e. lots of guests who because of the Bunn, won't have to wait over three minutes for their cup of coffee. We've had at least five of them over the years...some last as long as seven years, some only three or four..but compared to the Mr Coffees, etc. that's a long time!

I bought this product back in May of 2003, when it first came out. I saw it advertised on TV. My wife had been complaining for years that she could no longer open jars, and she had to wait for me or my stepson to get home, to open them. Since her Birthday is in May I decided to buy one for her Birthday. At the time this was a new product and I could not find in any stores. I ordered it from the Black&Decker web sire for $49.99 with free shipping.
I gave this to my wife on her birthday and she loves it. She uses it all the time for the jars that she can not open. All you do is sit a jar in the machine, close the holders on the bottom of the jar, and then lower the top down to the lid. Then you push a button and it turns the lid and takes it off. A great invention, what took so long for it to come out? I see you now can get a good deal on Amozon for only $39.99 don't pass up this great deal.
My only complaint is that the top dosn't raise high enough to open soda bottles.

just got mine.about 2 hours ago...i can't find enough jars to open,,,,I love this little wonder......i am both wheelchair bound and arthritic in both hands and shoulders.....have waited for this item to become available again.......anyone with or without a disability will find the jar opener to be a valuable asset...........it's given me back some independence i'd lost........i don't have to bug anyone to help me open a jar...that means i can eat on time..........thank you black and decker,, and amazon for a terrific item that WORKS as advertised.....if you need help with jars............spend the money on this item........you'll not be disappointed.

At first I was a little worried this might not work, but it's easy to use and does do a wonderful job. My arthritis prevents me from opening many jars, I swear they put those lids on tighter each year. This little machine does the job quickly and easily for me. I think I'll order one for my MIL and sister..

This is my second waffle maker in a year. The first one (Procter Silex) was awful. This is just excellent. Perfect waffles every time. Tips: Use Bisquick mix for waffles; it's the best. Second, use a half-cup measuring cup to pour mix into waffle. This way it won't overflow and make a big mess.

This is an excellent waffle maker! I've really enjoyed experimenting with it. It makes perfect waffles every time. I highly recommend it to anyone. In fact, I bought one as a wedding gift recently!

I just love this waffle iron. It's quick, it's easy, and it does a great job. Much faster than my old waffle iron, and easy to adjust and monitor, I am very happy to have ordered it.

I received this food processor for Christmas, and was at first disappointed that it was the "low-end" of the Cuisinart line, but after using it twice since, I am more than pleased with its performance.

First of all, I was very pleased that it came not only with the "S" blade but two other grating/slicing blades, and a spatula. The older packages did not include these and required additional purchases.

Second, when it comes to preparing things that need slicing and chopping, the Cuisinart does a great job. Having made an apple pie at thanksgiving by manually chopping apples, the Cuisinart makes otherwise labor-intensive cooking MUCH easier.

For the price, this product is a great value and does 90% of the things most of us cooking at home need to do. Cuisinart has been around a long time, and many recipes in today's cookbooks actually recommend you have one in your kitchen, so this unit is a great value for the price and will make cooking easier and more enjoyable.

Perhaps you are thinking, "Do I really need a food processor?" The answer is, "Yes!"

Twenty years ago I bought the same model as this one and it has seen daily use and is still running strong! I thought I wouldn't really use it that much, but once you start using it you find that it makes food preparation so much quicker that soon you can't do without it! Not only is it great for slicing and chopping, but it is also great for preparing bread dough (no more hand kneading!), pureeing, and making peanut butter.

The only time I use a blender instead of the food processor is when I'm pureeing a large amount of liquid (like a hot soup), because it will leak out of the food processor.

Because of the food processor, I find that I make lots of recipes that I formerly wouldn't have because they used to take too much time.

Caution: The blades are razor SHARP! The first week I had my processor, I pulled bread dough off the blade without being very careful, and sliced off the top of my thumb! After 20 years, the blades are still very sharp. The work bowl is a bit scratched and dull, but after 20 years it's a miracle that it's still in one piece!

For my small family, the 7-cup capacity is just right. If I had a larger family, I might invest in one of the larger processors.

I bought this food processor almost on a whim. I knew I wanted one, and I felt sure I could find some use for it, but I wasn't sure exactly why I wanted it or what I'd use it for. Since I purchased it a year ago, I have found myself using it far more often than I thought I would, and for tasks I always thought I could do just fine by hand. I don't eat meat much, so I cook with vegetables frequently -- this food processor makes short work of chopping almost anything, either with the S-blade or with the included grating and slicing discs. I use it at least once a week, and I definitely feel it's worth the money I spent.

One bit of advice: When they say not to use other spatulas or utensils to scrape the work bowl, they mean it, at least when the S-blade is in place. I unthinkingly used one of my other spatulas to scrape the bowl one night and the blade cut it to ribbons.

I've been using this machine to make multiple batches of ice cream every day, and it works wonderfully. The removable bowl is essential for quick clean-up, and allows you to swap in another bowl and dasher to quickly start a second batch. (Assuming, of course, that you've gone out and purchased these optional components) The wonderfulness of the ice cream it makes is entirely determined by the ingredients you put in, but the ice cream maker is fully capable of freezing the ice cream to a smooth and creamy consistency.

The only reason I didn't give this maker 5 stars is that, if the bowl overflows (which it may, as ice cream expands as it freezes) there are lots of holes and nooks that the ice cream can get into that are impossible to clean it out of. If you tend to fill the bowl full, be prepared for your ice cream maker to end up smelling a bit cheesey. It's not a big deal, but a little better design of the plastic housing would have eliminated this problem.

The plastic dasher also takes a bit of effort to clean; milkfat tends to stick to it. It may still be greasy coming out of the washer.

I started my foray into homemade ice cream with a Krups La Glaciere. Though I was careful with the freezer bowl, I still managed to puncture it after the 2nd use. I bit the bullet and shelled out for the Simac after that.

The ... price difference buys spontaneity, less fuss and ease of cleanup. I don't have to freeze the bowl for 12 hours before making ice cream, there's nothing fragile and all the parts that touch the ice cream come off and can go in the dishwasher. I've also never had the blades that stir the ice cream during freezing get stuck, which happened with the Krups.

The only downside with the Simac is that it's fairly large and heavy. Being able to leave it where you plan to use it would be a plus, but not a show stopper if you don't mind moving a 35lb machine to put it away.

The easiest (and quickest) way to make ice cream!

The machine is great (though the recipes in the manual are kinda... weird! Chicken Noodle Soup Sorbet?!), but not *quite* perfect (I would rate it 4.5 out of 5 stars if possible).

I would suggest these additions:

- Watertight freezer bowl lid - if you put too much mix in the bowl (to increase mix to air ratio, for example), it will slough out and run into places which are a bit hard to clean.

- Timed churn setting - I have seen variations of this model with a timer on the control panel, but this version doesn't have it. Would be a useful addition.

Other than that, it's great!

I got the George Foreman Contact Roaster for a Mother's Day gift. I love kitchen gadgets and could not wait to add this one to my collection. The first thing I cooked in it was the egg casserole (recipe in the booklet) and it turned out great. The second thing I made was a 3 lb. chicken. The aroma as it cooked was amazing. It was moist, tender and juicy. It took an hour and a half to cook. I would suggest NOT to line your roaster with sliced onions as I did to enhance the flavor of the chicken. The onions carmelized, then burned and got stuck in the drip hole. It was not very easy to clean that out. The roaster is also a bit small. I wish I would have requested the larger model as we are a family of 4 (soon to be 5) and I can see us outgrowing this appliance long before it wears out. I love to create recipes and cannot wait to see what I am able to concoct to cook in this roaster. It is very versetile and does not heat up the kitchen. It is smaller than the crock pot I used to have, and I probably will never buy another seeing how much fat this machine drains from meats. I will never again cook a chicken in a crock pot and let it sit in all that grease! The booklet that comes with the roaster is easy to read, although there are not many recipes in it. The little cleaning tool is great, it works very well and the additional drip tray comes in handy in case you have a very fatty cut of meat or you want to cook a second item right after the first is finished cooking. All in all, a wonderful appliance and highly reccomended.

What I like about this Contact Cooker is that it's perfect for roasting chickens (less than 5 lbs), roasts, and whatever else you can fit in the cooker's cavity. It heats up in less than five minutes and is ready to go when you are.

The cooker comes with a removable insert which I used most of the time so the meat can roast in it's own juices. It also makes it easier to collect the juice for gravy, just make sure to use pot holders.

The only cons I have are:

1. The insert tray handles stick out of the sides of the cooker. It gets hot and can burn you if you're not paying attention. Plus, an unknowing person may accidently try to pick up the cooker thinking their handles for the cooker itself. It can be a potentially very dangerous situation when the cooker is being used.

2. You don't have a choice to the heat settings. Heck, it took me a while to find out what the cooker's heat setting was. It's a permanent 325. But, since you're cooking using all sides of the cooker, the temperature is quite practical for all meats.

3. The cooking cavity is not as big as I would like it to be. It's fine for anything less than 5 lbs and not overly large. Great for family meals of 4 or less - but don't expect to fit a pork shoulder roast or Thanksgiving turkey. It also doesn't allow room for me to slip in a temperature probe very well.

The Pros:

1. Easy to clean. The teflon coating clean up really nice. The insert tray take a little more work to clean, but it's not too bad.

2. Fast warm up. It's ready in less than 5 minutes.

3. Doesn't radiate heat as much like your oven would. A big plus, especially in the summer time.

4. Less mess overall. I use less pots and pans. What a relief.

5. Just about foolproof if you follow directions. Even though I like using temperature probes to keep tabs on my food, it really isn't necessary to do so.

This is a really nice cooker to have. Lots of pluses to having it, especially when you start using it. You'll discover the benefits yourself.

I love this cooker. For a family of 2 or 3 this is great. Just the right size. It easily cooks a 5# chicken. I put a pork roast in the roasting pan and it came out so tender and juicy. Fixed wings first by putting in the bottom part and getting rid of some of the grease then put them in the roasting pan, then added barbeque sauce. Great. Would recommend this to anyone. Especially someone watching not to eat alot of grease.

This is not a bad little sandwich maker. The pockets are narrow so the fillings do squeeze out the side. It is easy to clean. Unfortunately, it is not very long-lasting. One of the plastic light covers came off about 3 days after I purchased it. The other one popped off about one month later. I have had it for about 5 months now and the cord apparently has shorted out. I have to wiggle it for five minutes before I can get the sandwich maker to turn on. Since my kids are hooked on the grilled cheese sandwiches I make in it, I will be heading out to buy another sandwich maker. I just don't think it will be this brand again.

Our friends AJ and Natalie gave us the Snackster as a wedding gift, and boy was Niffy Bateson Rodgerson right--the Snackster sure does make tasty treats! Our favorite snack to make is a pizza pocket. A quick treat to make with jarred pizza sauce, mozzarella, and pepperoni. It's fun to experiment too! We've also tried grilled cheese, jam pockets, and even little cherry pies with store-bought dough and filling. It's lots of fun! The only drawback we've found is that we'd like it if the pockets were deeper so our snacks could have more delicious filling and not ooze out the sides.

I got this a few months ago after wanting one for years. I thought it was going to be another usless thing i would have to store somewhere in my kitchen. I was pleasantly surprised at how helpful i have found it!

It works best on *full* sandwhiches so that there is good contact between the upper and lower plates. The unit automatically cuts and seals each of the 2 full sandwhiches into 2 pieces. (if you turn the sandwhich when its almost done you can make 4 pieces). I tend to use regular to thick style slices of bread. You can cook with tortilla, pitas etc but the result tends to be the best with bread.

The best sandwiches i have made were a combo of meat and cheese with butter or margarine spread on the outside. I hear mayo is a good thing to spread on the outside as well... To reduce the fat, i just give it a extra large coating of non-stick spray altho the results arent quite as yummy.

There are some recipes that come with the unit and some alternative uses to sandwiches.. muffin mix, cake mix... pancake mix..etc. I have found that pancake batter works great altho i use at least twice as much as they suggest to get the best result. I havent had all that much luck with the cake mix/muffin mix thing. I find the outside is pretty stiff (almost a crust feeling) and can have a burned scent or flavor. I have also tried scrambled eggs but they seem a bit rubbery to me (like microwaved eggs) altho i am thinking as a mixed omelet with cheese this might be better.

Food cooks pretty quickly and clean up is easy despite the fact that you cant remove the grill plates. I have found i use this much more than i thought. I would reccomend buying a sandwich maker cookbook with it... it would be much more helpful than just the recipe insert that comes with unit.