Appliance Reviews

I am single and when I cook for one or two I enjoy this Cuisinart Food Processor. It is easy to clean and doesn't take up a lot of space. Excellent for dicing or pureeing tomatoes, herbes, and vegetables from my summer garden for sauces too. When I have extra I just add some olive oil to the batch and instant pesto. I can freeze the pesto for later use. The food processor has plenty of power for those smaller jobs.

I purchased this attachment when I bought a much needed new blender and am glad I did. It is small, but I didn't need a large food processor taking up valuable cupboard space. It is a great size for chopping vegetables, etc. If I have a lot to do, I simply chop in batches. I would recommend this to family and friends. I think the blender/processor would make a wonderful wedding gift.

Nothing more needs to said.

The blender feature of this is excellent (5 stars)... it does not splash what you are mixing out onto the counter. It is also quiet and the two speeds are great.

The down sides are:

1). It does an extremely poor job (one star) of whipping small quantities of whipping cream. Models with a separate 'whip' attachment are better suited for whipping small quantities of cream. The enclosed recipe calls for a cup, and under a cup just won't work, so technically it does exactly what it says it will. Other models with a separate whip can whip < 1/4 cup of cream easily.

2). This is one-piece tool and cannot be put in the dishwasher.

This is a nifty little item! I bought it to make a quick smoothie or blended drink and it was fast and easy to use. The cup included is OK but I just use the glass I'm going to drink from. Less to wash. It struggles a bit with frozen strawberries and I think ice cubes would really dull the blade in a hurry. But for most anything else it's great. I'll use it next time I make split pea soup to help with smooth consistancy.

Spot blending? Yes, indeed. I do quite a bit of cooking and this little appliance has really been handy. It will whip cream, in small amounts, without having to get out the stand mixer and clean all the attachments. It blends soups right on the stovetop, no more ladeling hot potato leek soup into the blender. It does not seem to do well for whipping egg whites. It quickly blends milkshakes (I haven't used it on anything completely frozen) and stores in a drawer out of the way. Rinses clean after use, and no worries about removing sharp blades to clean. Yes, this is a very nice treat to have in the kitchen, and I think it would make a great gift!

I like the item, but I wish it were just a smidge bigger -- I can't fit two patties on it at the same time -- just a little more area and it'd be perfect. It's a quick (since you can cook both sides at once), reasonably mess-free way of grilling patties.

This is he best litle grill I ever seen. It is so easy to use. The grill heats up right away. The food cooks right away and clean up is a snap! I recomend this to all,we have five in our family and I am able to cook food for all in record time. This is well worth the money.

Hey, i have a blue one, and i have an orange microwave for college, ive been looking all over for an orange one. They call this one bright orange, bright orange??? my micros bright orange, that looks like yellow, id be very dissapointing if they got my hopes up for that thing... oh well tho, EVERYTHING cooked on the grill is AWESOME, and its so easy to just cook indoors, its great, its having an indoor grill that cooks in minutes, 3 minutes for a hamburger! tho it can only hold one burger, the ones on the box must be minis... All in all, AWSEOME product, but orange needs to be orange, ill have to look into that one further...

i purchased this item back when they cost alot more than now and I love it! It works great for two or three people and easy to clean up afterwards. Much easier than starting the big grill and swatting flies. I find it works better when you turn the food over half way through cooking, as it browns nicer. Otherwise I can't think of anything I would change about it.

This grill blows the Foremen away!! We cook everything on it. Hamburgers, steak, bacon, eggs. The cooking surface is X-Large and easy clean up. I recomend this grill to everyone.

I was bought this as a gift and it was something I would never have thought of buying otherwise. I have, however, found that I use it more than any other piece of cooking equipment! It is light, compact, easy to clean and cooks food quickly and easily.
I have found it especially good for fatty meats such as bacon, and for food which absorbs oil like eggplant and hot dogs. The recipe book is full of great ideas for quick meals as well! This would be a fantastic Christmas gift!

I've been using this grill for almost a year, and agree that it is a great little grill. The only problem I've had with it is the not-so-non-stick surface. Since my first use, food has stuck to it, making it difficult to clean. As a result, I've had to use more abbrasive cleaning tools that damaged the surface, making it even more not-so-non-stick! Beef, chicken, fish, and veggies cooked on it do come out tasting great. Just not as easy a clean-up as I would have liked.

After purchasing an Aroma grill (yes, I have reviewed it here in Amazon.com) and having the Teflon wear off it, I purchased the Hamilton Beach HealthSmart grill. So far I have grilled k-bobs, meatballs, hamburger patties, steaks, seafood (shrimp in particular), salmon, and tuna on this grill. What can I say, it is magnificent! The food always comes out juicy, tasty, and done right (you have to learn how to time your cooking, though)! I've also warmed tortillas and pita bread on this grill. In other words, it has almost replaced my stove. Only one problem, I have a lot of utensils hanging above it, and when you fix steaks, expect a little spatter that should be cleaned up immediately. Being single, I have a lot of utensils with little blobs of grease hanging off them. In all seriousness, this is a product that is well worth the price, and this is a darned good price.

This little grill is awesome! Not only is it easy to set up & use, but the clean up is amazing. The nonstick surface is a God send, and the food turns out perfect every time! I absolutely love it!

Although this food processor is great when it works, many of the parts are subject to frequent breaking and are very costly to replace. I have replaced the stem three times in ten years or so. I have replaced the bowl once, and one of the blades has broken twice. The motor has held up fine despite all the parts breaking along the way. I have given up paying premium prices to replace parts. I am looking for an alternative which will offer me as large a bowl as this.

Having purchased it when introduced, I have owned this model of Cuisinart for OVER 25 YEARS! It has performed flawlessly, and, contrary to one other reviewer's report, nothing has ever broken, even though it has been subjected to very difficult tasks, such as double batches of yeast dough. Perhaps it is a matter of correct care for the parts.
Any appliance that still performs like new after 25 years of serious use seems extraordinary to me.
Regardless, Cuisinart is still the best there is in food processors, I doubt anyone could be any happier with anything else.

I've used several Cuisinart food processors over the years and I must say that they have all been wonderful tools. They are very sturdy and powerful and have never failed me. Any cook's kitchen must have at least one large food processor, preferably with several work bowls. The 14 cup is a good size if you can't afford the larger 20 cup model.

I have tried to research this product and cannot find any information on it. Even delonghi.com doesn't have this product on it's website. Sure it's small and it chops food, but what are the specs on it, like the wattage, power, blade quality... I am trying to compare it to the Utimate Chopper available only online, but there is nothing to compare.

Bigger than most small choppers I've seen, but not too big, this chopper's style blends perfectly on my counter. No need to hide away in a cabinet and drag out when needed. Super easy to clean. Just rinse the blades, wash the bowl, nothing could be easier. And with very few parts, there's nothing to lose. Only takes a second to chop tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, etc.

This is a good size for smaller portions. I use mine to prepare foods for my baby. It's simple to assemble, easy to clean, and has a fitted lid so you can remove the blades and assembly and put the jar right into the refrigerator. There are no bells and whistles on this one - just press the top. My only complaint is that the spash guard is so tight that it takes more effort than I want to exert to remove it. Otherwise, I'm entirely pleased.

Bought the ice cream maker from cooking.com. The good news: if using cold ingredients, it really does freeze a quart in 20 minutes. The bad news: the paddle motor does not start reliably. It wouldn't start at all until I tried to rotate the paddle (with the motor on). Then it works just dandy. Unless it stops at just the right place, where again it won't start without some assistance. It is supposed to be a rugged bidirectional induction motor. Have to wonder how long it will last. I chose the Delonghi brand because they've also made portable air conditioning units for over 12 years (I own one), and thus have some expertise with refrigeration systems. The ICK8500 makes wonderful ice cream, and will easily freeze it into a block of ice if the compressor is left on too long. If making frozen custard from scratch (cooking, chilling, freezing), figure 90 minutes start-to-finish. Now if only the paddle motor would reliably start every time....

Update Jan 8 2004: I'ven been using the ICK8500 for over 2 months now, and the paddle motor seems to have broken in and become reliable (it now promptly starts every time). I still only give the unit 3 stars, because it should work reliable right out of the box. No complaints about the quality of ice cream it makes. Love the removable aluminum bowl! Can't imagine having to clean the permanent stainless bowl after every batch.

Got this Ice Cream Maker for a steal on Ebay...

It performs very, very well. Just make sure you read the manual completely.

Awesome ice cream for much less then Simac.

The problem with most other ice cream units is the need to separately refridgerate the bucket. While more expensive than one of those units, the convenience of having a built in refridgeration unit means you'll use this one more frequently. Having a separate bucket is a definite plus since washing out the permanent bowl after each batch would be a hassle. There is a cover that comes with the machine but it only fits over the bucket while it's in the machine itself. Unlike what I read in an earlier review, my unit has had no problems with the paddle motor. But be warned - you must fit the paddle into the dip in the bucket precisely or you risk being splattered with your ice cream mixture once you turn the motor on.

The machine will make approximately 4 cups of ice cream which doesn't mean you can pour in 4 cups of your mixture to chill. The volume seems to increase by about 50% in the last 5-10 minutes of churning. I've found that 3 cups of your base mixture works best. Your mixture should be refridgerator cold for the best results. If you put it in the freezer to chill, make sure there are no ice granules when you pour the mixture in the ice cream maker. It doesn't chill correctly if it's too icy. Most batches have been ready in under 30 minutes. "Ready" gives you a gelato (soft) consistency. If you like your ice cream store-bought hard, you'll want to transfer it to a separate container to freeze for a few additional hours.

There is a timer included but it doesn't automatically turn the machine off. I use mine to remind me to check the consistency of the mixture after a certain time. The motor isn't quiet but it's not any more obnoxiously loud than any other kitchen appliance.

With experience, you 'll be able to tell, by listening to the motor, when your batch is about ready. The paddle motor will reverse once the mixture is at the correct consistency. Turn it off as soon as it does this. When you use the removable bucket, you have to pour 2T of alcohol into the permanent bucket. When the paddle reverses, it can lift the removable bucket up a bit. I had an entire batch ruined by having alcohol get into the mixture when the bucket shifted up after the paddle reversed.

We've found this unit to be highly satisfactory, easy to use and clean, and downright fun to have in the kitchen. Not only do I recommend it, I bought units for presents over the holidays.

We are very happy with this mixer. It works fast, easy to clean, powerful and attractive. We use it every day and it takes up very little space on the counter. My husband uses it to mix his protein shake and claims if you let it mix more than 10 seconds it becomes to foamy with too much air, so if you use it for powder shakes, unless you like it foamy don't let it mix more than 10 seconds. For frappes or milkshakes it takes more like 30 seconds.
It works great, just fill the liquid to the fill line set it up and rest it on the stand and the cup presses against the on button(hands free) and releases when you remove the cup by tilting back a little and removing the cup. Then to clean, rinse the cup fill with water and rest it back on and let it mix a few seconds then remove cup,unplug unit and wipe the blade and cup dry. So simple. Its great for quick shakes. We thought it was a little costly, but we are not dissapointed with the product.

My doctor prescribed a healthier diet for me after my annual checkup came back with a red flag flying. So, I said goodbye to those sugar cereals and bought my Faberware FDM300 drink mixer as my first step to eating healthier. Now, every morning I make smoothies containing fresh fruits and yougurt and it works like a charm! I am very pleased with this product and would not trade it for anything! It is very easy to clean, fast, and efficent.

I bought this specifically for protien powders and it works fantastically. Every morning, I toss in the protien powder and milk, mix it for 2-3 minutes, pour the drink into a glass, then clean up by rinsing the blade in a cup of hot water. It all takes under 5 minutes.

If you're looking for something that grinds ICE, get a blender instead. That's not what this is built for. But if you want something that makes milkshakes from protien powder or ice cream, this is the best thing you can buy.

I like using my crockpot because I like having dinner ready when I get home, but I wouldn't get this one if I could go back in time because the lid has never fit properly. About a year and a half after I got it, I learned that a vacuum is supposed to be created by the steam, something that can't happen with mine because the lid doesn't fit. Despite that, though, almost everything I've cooked has turned out well as long as there was lots of liquid to start. I DO like the size, shape and the actual crock itself. But the outer portion is almost flimsy and the design is ugly. Also, I think I paid about $10 less at Bed Bath & Beyond.

This is the first crock pot I have ever owned, and I love it! I use it for everything from stews to warming cider on cold winter evenings. It is also handy to use for pot lucks, etc. for hot dishes that are convenient to transport. Clean up is a breeze with the removable, dishwasher safe crock inset. All in all, a great kitchen appliance.

I replaced my old crock pot with this one, and I was amazed at how fast it cooks! There are two features that pleases me very much. One of them is the liner does not stain, and the lid is made of tempered glass so it is very light. Also, the color of the crock pot itself is very appealing and would fit in , in any
kitchen decor. I also love the way my food turns out when I put in in the crock pot overnight on low. The food is always done to perfection, so all I have to do is turn it to "keep warm", and it will stay hot untill my family and I are ready to eat. I would recommend this crockpot to anyone.