Appliance Reviews

This gadget is amazing because it is so easy to make great tasting crepes! They turn out thin and cook up quickly. You can make a whole bunch of crepes in just minutes! And the crepe maker is easy to wipe clean. What an amazing gadget! This is an inexpensive but wonderful gift for almost anyone for almost any occasion.

This machine makes wonderful thin crepes to perfection. My whole family loves it.

I bought my first Maxim Crepe maker in 1988- I am still using it. I have made literally 1000's of perfect crepes. Maxim's crepe maker makes perfect, professional looking and tasting crepes in seconds. The recipe book included gives lots of ideas for creative and SUCCESSFUL crepes. It is a perfect addition to any kitchen. I have used it to make breakfast, brunch, dinner and dessert dishes. It is one of the most convenient and versatile kitchen appliances I own. I love it. I am now buying a second one for my catering business.

Twenty years ago when we got married we received a White Mountain Ice Cream Freezer as a gift. It was so different than any other ice cream freezer we had ever had. The ice cream turns out so smooth and the leftovers stay so smooth and good in the freezer, not turning hard like so many other ice cream freezers we had used. We have never had a problem with it at all, until a month or so ago our daughter dropped the motor on the ground and it broke--so we decided to purchase a new ice cream freezer. We would not purchase any other than the White Mountain. We have made many different flavors--the freezer works great with fruit and nuts, choc. chips,-anything. From the time our kids were little and still today as they are teenagers and beginning to leave home--we all look forward to the special days when we gather around and make homemade ice cream. It has become a tradition in our family. This is a great machine!!!!!

Our family loves this ice cream machine! It makes enough ice cream (6 quarts! not 1 to 1-1/2 quarts like the others) for our family gatherings or enough to store for future consumption. It's very simple to operate with the electric motor doing all the work and the Ice Cream is fabulous, smooth and creamy. We put it on a "rag rug" on the kitchen floor and everyone gets to help with the adding of ice/salt. It's a bit noisy, but my kids consider that part of the fun. Our only complaint is that very few recipes are included with the machine. Solution, purchase a book of ice cream recipes to supplement. Some good ones are: Frozen Desserts : The Definitive Guide to Making Ice Creams, Ices, Sorbets, Gelati, and Other Frozen Delights which gives DETAILED history/information and The Ice Cream Machine Cookbook by Melissa Clark which includes some very creative ice cream combinations.

I come from a family where homemade ice cream is a ritual and a tradition. Nearly every family gathering (4 or more per year) involves the making of homemade ice cream. People have three servings. And then a few hours later, a few more. Its quite amazing. The quantity made and consumed is large.

Most families within the larger extended family have their own ice cream maker. And all of them own and swear by these White Mountain Electric models. They have owned and used them for many years, having previously burned out many other brands before finding this brand that just keeps going forever. They even own multiple ice cream barrels so they can make multiple flavors using one bucket/motor set. (a good idea actually)

Now that I have my own home, I need an ice cream maker of my own and this will be the model. After all, I would be teased, mocked, and generally looked down upon if I bought anything else. Because the experts (my relatives) know that this is the best.

I purchased this grill a couple months ago and have used it about 8 times.My family and I have enjoyed the novelty of cooking our dinner together at the table. I have noticed that waiting for the food to cook, both the time and the effort required, has been a very enjoyable stimulus for conversation. It lends a leisurely mood to dinner instead of the usual rush to get on to other activities. It also has made getting a healthy dinner on the table easier for me after a day at work.

The night before I will usually slice some veggie's, thaw some shrimp or marinate some beef or lamb. I just grab the bowls out of the fridge and set them on the table for cooking.Everything we have prepared so far has turned out great. The kitchen stays clean and cleanup amounts to some dishes and utensils to put in the dish washer.

The only reason I didn't give this product 5 stars was that the grill itself is hard to clean. I have had to soak it overnight to clean off the marinades. The grill had also begun to lose its coating surface after just a few times of use.

All in all, its a good product and the benefits of slowing down for a meal with family or friends is well worth the purchase price.

I had been looking for a good raclette grill for sometime, after using several different styles at friends and families homes, I saw this one on Amazon. It arrived intact with all the necessary parts and is very easy to use. The grill top reverses to a crape grill which is also fun.

I recommend this particular grill above others I have used for several reasons. First, it can accomodate 8 people, while many grills max out at 6. Second, it has an adjustable temperature. We generally start out at a higher temperature then when everyone has slowed down and wants to eat slowly and talk I adjust the temperature down. Third, the grill is easy to clean. Its non-stick surface easily wipes off. I would advise to only use the included scrapers on the non-stick surface, if it gets scratched it will not be as easy to use. And fourth, it is very sturdy. This is a solidly built grill and looks great on the table. It is a little more money than some other models, but if you want to use it for years I would definately invest in the better grill.

My parents bought this product so we could make raclette (melted cheese) at home.
Pros: 1) It is easy to clean.
2) While cooking the raclette you can grill scallops,
vegetables, shrimps, etc. on the plate above.
3) Sometime when my parents don't feel like cooking, they
use this, because you only need to cut some
vegetables and some meat and just put them on the grill.
4) It is also a great to use when you have
guests over, because the food is easy to prepare and
while it's cooking you can have a wonderful
conversation with your guests.

I have always used a round crock pot aand then I attended a class where a slowcooker was used.

I bought this model and am thrilled with it.It cooks so much better than the round one and I use the grill for pancakes and french toast. The cooker keeps an even heat and the lower heat keeps it warm after cooking is done.

The tote is great for pot luck transport, keeping everything warm for 2-3 hours.

Ths size is perfect for me, it gives me a meal and leftovers, and the recipe for slowcooker stew , which is in the booklet is excellent. Love it! Love it!

I thought slow-cookers were a thing of the past, boy was I wrong. They go perfectly with today's hectic lifestyle.
I picked the West Bend after checking out the ratings here on Amazon and have not been disappointed! I love the oblong shape, perfect for roasts, meatloaf and even desserts. The heating element/griddle is seperate which makes the pan easier to clean. Also I can use the pan directly on the stove to do my browning and easily transfer to the base and that's it, no extra mess. The glass cover can double as a serving dish.
My only negative was how thin/light the pan seemed but I am overlooking it because all the recipes I prepared turned out just fine. Not to mention, I like the little "extras" like the plastic cover and insulating tote which I am looking forward to using when we go barbecue.
Just get this with a couple of the slow-cooker cookbooks and your friends and family will love you.

THE RIVAL SLOW COOKER IS GREAT. IT HAS MANY USES. I USE IT AT LEAST TWICE A WEEK. NOTHING STICKS IN THE POT. THE CARRY BAG IS GREAT FOR TRANSPORTING.

I have used the Waring PCJ218 juicer for the past 6 months. I juice on average 10 oranges each day. I can state without reservation that this is a good looking, well made, powerful juicer. How good is it? I have purchased 2 additional PCJ218 juicers as gifts. Do I know what I'm talking about? I design machinery for a living. Rarely do I find consumer products to be worthy of praise. This juicer is a real gem at a reasonable price.

For the price, this juicer is about as good as you can get these days. It is a little slower than the juicer it replaces, but it does a good job over all. The plastic on the reamer has peeled slightly at the tip and the strainer is a little fine if you like lots of pulp in your juice; also you have to remove some of the pulp to promote juice going through the strainer. We have had it only for about a month, so no telling on longevity. But the Acme juicer, which this basically was, had a good reputation. And despite my little criticisms, we like it a lot and are glad to have it. Also it is heavy enough not to move when in use, a very good feature. It cleans up easy and does not take up much room on the counter. We recommend it to any who love fresh juice in the morning!

At first I thought it was a lot of money for the juicer, but when I made my first glass of juice, I realized that I had a lot of juicer for the money.

This juicer is very sturdy, has a powerful motor, and cleaning up is incredibly quick and easy. The pouring spout is able to accommodate my tallest glasses. It is a well-designed piece of machinery that I expect to have for a very long time.

I highly recommend this juicer.

I have had my pizzelle maker since last year and found it makes great pizzelles much faster than the old fashioned way with the iron on the stove, and clean-up is extremely easy. As the host of my own culinary website Italian Food Forever, I am always on the lookout for tools to make my time in the kitchen easier, and this little machine certainly falls into that category. I used to save pizzelle making for Christmas, but this machine makes it so easy, I now make pizzelles for any special family get-together. The cookies are crisp and golden brown all over, and friends and family can't get enough of them. Even if you have never made pizzelle before, with this machine you will have no trouble at all.

When we found out that there are actual pizzelle bakers, we decided to try one out. We actually made a batch as soon as the item arrived at our door. The pizzelles made with this pizzelle baker are a little smaller than the store-bought kind, but that just means less crumbs and pizzelle pieces to clean up AND a lot more pizzelles in less time. We made 30 pizzelles in fifteen minutes, including mixing the ingredients and cleaning up! The relatives will love their pizzelle packages this coming winter -- the baker comes with several recipes to ensure everyone's tastebuds are satisfied.

Just received my Villaware 3850 Quattro Pizzelle Baker. It took only 3 days to get it from the time I ordered it! Way to go Amazon! I tried my first batch today and they were easy to do and turned out great..so now we will have some pizzelles for Thanksgiving dinner, unless everyone eats them before tomorrow! The recipe book that comes with is very helpful and the recipes are good and easy. I plan to enjoy this appliance for a long time to come!

I have had both this and the george junior rotisserie. I enjoy them both, We use these units about 3-4 times a week. It is so easy to cook. I place the meat or poultry in the unit, set it, and go about my business. A little later we cook fresh veggies (steamed) and bingo, your meal is done.

After dinner I rinse out the unit, and cook a load of chicken to take to work for me for my lunches all week. both of these products are amazing.

I love my Showtime! "Set it and Forget it". This product makes excellent food and is super easy. The infomercials are right. You won't be disappointed. I have cooked everything from whole chickens to pork chops to fish -- everything turns out tender and juicy. Try it!

We purchased one of these brand new direct from Ronco almost a year ago. We loved it so much, that when Amazon had the reconditioned ones on sale for under $40.00 each, we bought two more for each one of our single sons. They love them. This machine makes the best chickens (4-5 lb), turkey roasts, prime rib roasts, kabobs (rods are extra) and burgers (in the basket) that you could wish for. Be sure to line the drip pan with foil. Clean up is very easy (be sure to take off the front glass cover). Do not get this compact model for a large family. These work well for up to 4 people, but no more.

My husband purchased this mixer for me several years ago. Since it is SO HEAVY, and I had too little counter space, it sat unused a lot (under the sink) until about a year ago. Once I got into the habit of using it, I never wanted to go back to a hand mixer! It was easily my favorite appliance until I started making bread with it. The first time I tried it, I thought it might levitate off the counter! After the 3rd/4th attempt at bread dough, it broke (just as several other reviewers) where engine turns but tools do not. I would not attempt bread dough! But for every other use, its fabulous!

This mixer is great. You didn't need me to tell you this. The one point I will make is select a color you can live with. These mixers last a long time. Mine is Harvest Gold, does that tell you how long I've owned it? (BTW the color has come and gone, and is now back.. it's now "Magestic Yellow" but you can't fool me, its that dang harvest gold.) But you know what, it mixes just as well the day I first got it.

Bread, cookies, cakes, you name it, it makes it. If you are trying to choose between stand mixers, make sure you have enough cabinate height, the 5qt model is taller. If you are thinking about a hand mixer, the beauty of a stand mixer is that you turn it on, and then can do something else, like stir dinner before it boils over.

Also get a second bowl as soon as you can. The old mixers had one without a handle, and that one you can stack inside the one that comes with this mixer. I got mine years ago, but I got one for a gift from a mixer repair place, they had a stack of ones with a few nicks. Anyway look around and see if you can find one before you buy another one with a handle, or that too small other one.

If my house was on fire, and I knew the hubby and kids were safe (of course), I would grab my Kitchenaid. It's red and shiny and powerful and the best thing in my kitchen (I have LOTS of gadgets...)! I've had mine for about 10 years, and it's still going strong. I managed to get mine on sale, but I think it's worth every penny, no matter how much it costs. If you love to cook and bake, you NEED this. Bread dough, cookie batter, meringue, whatever you can think of, this baby can do it! I don't care what kind of car I drive, but my mixer must be a Kitchenaid!!!

We used this crock pot fot the first time yesterday. We cooked a 3 pound chuck shoulder pot roast with carrots, onions and potatoes FOLLOWING EXACTLY THE RECIPE THAT CAME WITH THE INSTRUCTION BOOKLET. It said to slice the potatoes THIN which is a must because after 9 hours cooking on low, they were STILL not done! We sliced the spuds 1/8 inch thick! The carrots, onion and beef were ok. The beef was slightly overdone. I found the pot to cook unevenly. Since you only add 1 cup of liquid, it is not enough to cover everything, so some things cook faster than others. Next time we will try cooking on high and see if it improves.

Chicken, roasts and other longer-than-wide foods fit nicely into this pot. It holds one quart more than the 5 quart cylindrical Rival pot. For large crowds, this may be an added advantage,yet it is still a good size for the average family. So it is more flexible than the cylindrical 5 quart pot in how much it holds and what kinds of foods you can cook in it.

The removable liner is a MUST! Normally to clean a crockpot, you must be careful not to wet the electrical socket or you run the risk of shorting it out the next time it is used. Here, you can remove the liner and clean it separately. A great advantage.

This pot also has an optional insulated carrier. I recommend this option highly. You'll appreciate it the first time you want to take your crockpot to a covered dish dinner or barbecue.

This has everything you'd need in a crock pot. That's why I give it 5 stars.

I bought this crock pot as a replacement for a 4 qt crock that was centuries old. Clean up is a BREEZE! Being able to remove the pot to soak is wonderful. The exterior stays cool to the touch. What more could one ask for?

I am very dissapointed about this product! It worked once and then broke and would not do anything! Packed it up and sent it back to the company. They sent it back saying there's nothing wrong with it. It worked once and it's broken AGAIN!! I'm spending more money on packaging and mailing, then the whole thing cost! From now on I would be very careful to buy anything from T-Fal!

So far this is one terrifically designed little work-horse of a food processor! I'm thrilled with the capabilities. For a mid-size model it's very convenient, doesn't bog down with heavy work, and has nifty little features I love.

The lid is an easy on/off. There is a dial, not push buttons/control panel. Dials seem sturdier and longer lasting IMO. So far I have made shredded zucchini, sliced cucumbers, salsa, juice, & whipped cream with nary a glitch. I'm really happy with several features.

1. The base that stores away the attachments. I need all the space I can get and it works nicely.

2. There are two foods slots in the lid, one for bigger food one for smaller. I made sliced pickles in this machine and without the smaller slot the cukes would have toppled and the slices wouldn't be uniform. It worked great having two sizes.

3. The part that pushes the food through doubles as a measuring cup (1 cup size) on one side and a drip dispenser on the other for slowly drizzling liquids into sauces. This comes in handy for making things like mayo.

4. The whipping blade! AWESOME! You will never make whipped cream as fast as this. It took ten seconds. The only drawback is that you can overwhip if you're not extremely careful. I'm serious--this thing whips like nothing I've ever seen.

5. The citrus juicer worked like a dream. The container has a pour spout so you won't dribble juice when you go to pour.

6. All the attachments are easy to put on and also easy to store away.

In conclusion--I haven't used every feature (the kneader for instance) but this is a little dream machine so far, and I don't want to be without it now. The taste of fresh salsa alone is worth the price. The extra features at no extra charge are a selling point. Now I'll see how it lasts under the heavy use my family will put on it. If it's a lemon my review will be changed, but it doesn't seem to be. The plastic is of good quality, it doesn't bog under heavy use like other [inexpensive} models I've used, and it's made in France as opposed to Korea.

I think this is a great FP!

I am a vegetarian so use my food processor every day if not several times a day. I have gone through 4 or 5 other processors (Cuisinarts, Black and Decker, Braun). So far I love this one best because someone very clever thought of everything from the little tiny hole on the feed tube "plunger" for making mayonnaise, to clever underneath storage where everything has its place.
Of course this processor chops and shreds and does the usual, but the wonderful thing is that I have made soups and sauces in it without it leaking all over (the seal on the lid and the center post design). I've hardly used my blender since the TFal has arrived (blenders are a pain to clean and get things out of)!
The unique dual sized feed tube has been great-keeps carrots from falling over while being chopped. I also enjoy the way the lid fits on, easy and quick.
All the accessories come with it and have their storage place (except juicer).
So far I've done lots of chopping, and shredding, pureed soup, whipped topping, made gorgeous soy mayonnaise, made guacamole, made salsa, made banana bread, made biscuits, made waffle batter. Yet to try is orange juice with the clever citrus juicer that sits on top of the bowl.
Somebody that uses a food processor alot designed this machine. I highly recommend it.