Appliance Reviews

When we moved to a microwaveless house, this was the microwave that caught our eye over all the others in the showroom. Its design is nice and clean, not bulky and ugly. It held a surprisingly large amount of food for so small an oven. Cooking is even, and the rare clean up wipes up easily. Never had a repair needed, never had a bulb or anything burn out. And our popcorn never burnt, either! It did an impressive job... my only regret is that my ex-husband helped himself to it when we got divorced, when it was supposed to go to me!

The other reviewer mentioned things getting hot, and it obviously does, however it is much faster than most other microwaves of similar size and power. Maybe it is the "inverter technology" or the way the waves are generated but it is much quicker than others. Also clear easy to use quick start panel and larger print on the buttons and panels than many others. Great all purpose size, I generally use it for tv dinners and reheats. Plus you get this brands reliability.

But that might just be because I'm not used to it. It heated up my morning cup of coffee to Lava-Like temperature in only a minute and a half. The Reheat feature lets you just enter the nmber of servings you put in and it heats them right up. I can't get OVERLY excited, because it is just a Microwave, but it sure does get stuff hot.

I have only had this microwave for one day. So far, it performs some duties well. It heats up water, warms up food. However, it just makes my kitchen look like a machine shop. It is so darn huge. Why does it have to be so darn big? It takes up the entire depth of my counter. Our old one was only 12 inches deep, I made the mistake of letting my husband pick one. Who knew that microwaves were built this huge. I like the performance so far. I just wish that it did not ruin the charm of my kitchen. I still am not talking to my husband because he refuses to return this microwave, he wants to remodel based on this microwave. If you ever decide to get this model, make sure that it fits your kitchen style. Kitchens do not come cheap nowadays.

I shopped around for a stainless steel mid size microwave and this model has the most features, at the best price, of any I found. It looks great and runs quietly. It has many features I will probably never use but I have already made extensive use of the sensor control heating and I am really pleased with the results.

The controls function in a logical fashion and this thing has gobs o' power.

Pros - power, controls, flexibility and true power adjustment.

Cons - none

I've had mine for over 6 mos now. I originally bought this to replace a small portable gas burner (using cans of gas) which I used for shabu-shabu & sukiyaki. It takes some time ~12-15 min. to come to a boil on high. And it quickly comes to a boil after adding addtl meat & veggies. Works well to make stews and teppanyaki. Clean-up is a breeze and the non-stick coating is thick (they call it Titanium coating) so it should last a long time. My only complaint is they should have made temp a little higher so it comes to a boil faster. But overall I'm very satisfied and would recommend this item and the brand.

I use mine everyday. It's a handy extra burner beyond the four on the stove. I have prepared a delicious stew using it as a slow cooker and I have turned it up high and used it as a grill. Cleans up so easily, too.

This is my third Electric Skillet. I work 100 miles from home and live in a trailer during the week (the commute is terrible around here, but I can't afford another or even a different house). My propane Stove went out a couples years ago now and I started using my BBQ, A toaster over and/or an electric skillet instead. My first skillet was "Silver stone" coated. First time I burnt something in it was the last. I then bought a Stainless Steel pan but didn't like the temperature control and it can be hard to clean. This Zojirushi pan not only can be used to higher temperatures (460F instead of the usual 400F), it's a dream to clean and the temperature control is great. I've already burnt something (on Purpose) Blackened peppercorn Rib Eye. Great!!! (anyone got a good air purifier, next time I'll do it on the porch, another advantage, its portable) But nothing sticks to it, don't even need oil or butter. I like it so much I've ordered the larger Sizzler and started using it too. It's got a larger surface and the sides aren't as deep so it's easier to get a spatula into. Also it goes to 480F (call the Fire Department, yee hah). The design is different, but it's a great pan too.

This is a cool item to own. If you are looking for something to help start your summer off right, well this is it. It was made for crushing ice just right for those speciality drinks. Get one and enjoy!

Don't let the price and appearance fool you. This blender is amazing! I was worried about how well it would crush ice, but it does it effortlessly. Ice cubes turn to slush in about 5 seconds. The size of the blender is just perfect for making one or two servings of your favorite smoothie, without taking up any counter space. You can tell some serious design went into this product, because they make it really easy to clean by putting the blade inside the jar. The jar also stands upright without the base so you can just put the rest of your smoothie in the fridge.

Note however, that this is not an all-purpose blender, since there are only two settings (on and off). I personally don't find that to be a problem at all. How useful is a dozen or more different speed settings on a full-size blender anyway? (You can simulate the effect by just turning off the blending sooner.) The two-speed dial just makes operating the blender a no-brainer.

Overall, very happy with the product! Perfect for a college student or for anyone who doesn't need a full-size blender.

The first thing I looked at when I opened the package was how flimsy the beaters looked, I was afraid they would break if I used it for mixing a thicker batter, but then I plugged it in and turned it on. I was amazed at how much power this mixer had! I had considered buying the 300watt mixer because I tend to make thick batters and I was weary that this couldn't handle it, but I was so wrong. It worked great on everything I've thrown at it so far, from coffee cake batter to oatmeal cookies I've had no problems. However I would advise caution on using it for very light dry mixtures such as strudel topping, it has too much power and things go flying. The spatula attachment is great, it scrapes the sides of the bowl so everything gets easily blended. I would highly recommend this mixer as a powerful alternative to some of the pricier brands.

Compact and lightweight, this little mixer is a must for everybody's kitchen. It stores easily, and the blades pop out for quick and easy cleaning. The body of the mixer wipes down well, too, which is important when you're blending something that spatters everywhere. There is an actual different between the various speeds you can select, and although you might have to push down a little to incorporate, say, butter, into a recipe, overall the little mixer does its job well... and it lasts a long time. A great and inexpensive gift for your favorite cook!

My experience is limited to the Omega 1000 and 4000. Both are very good machines, but one of them has some distinct advantages.

As the other reviewers have noted, this machine is very solidly built & should easily outlast the 15 year warranty. In fact, it might outlive the 4000.

Why? Because the 4000 is so much more pleasant to use that you will use it more, because the operating principle is a little different.

Both machines have a chute that you feed fruits & vegatables into. At the bottom of the chute is a stainless steel disc/blade that grinds up the food into a pulp.

On the 1000 model, the pulp is thrown out by centrifugal force into a drum that is just like a washing machine drum - it is perforated stainless that traps the pulp on the inside and allows the juice to strain out. Just like on a washing machine spin cycle, it is possible to get the contents out of balance so that the whole machine shakes & makes a real racket! This is very easy to do on the 1000 if you load apples or other foods with skins, because the skin will often stay intact so it has to go on one spot on the drum, throwing it out of balance like a pair of jeans. There are some "tricks" that help in this case, such as saving some carrots for this emergency. Many times feeding a carrot will stop the shaking.

Another consequence of the "spin-cycle" approach is that after you have feed a few pieces of fruit, the pulp in the drum can clog, trapping all the juice inside. This happens especially when you try to juice bananas, pineapple or strawberries. I am able to do strawberries & bananas with the 4000 as long as I alternate fruits. The bananas still goo up the insides, but a couple slices of apple get things flowing again. With the 1000, it was a lost cause.

The model 4000 works differently because the spinning drum is cone-shaped, which forces the pulp to ride up the sides of the drum for a brief period & then it flies out into a pulp ejector chute. This means the 4000 never gets the shakes like the 1000, and also the drum stays much cleaner, which allows you to keep juicing much longer. For example, this morning I juiced apples, carrots, celery and grapes in that order on both the 4000 and 1000. Although in both cases I got exactly 12.5 ounces of juice, the juice from the 1000 had no grape color and less grape flavor, because a thick layer of pulp had built up on the inside, which absorbed most of the grape juice.

The other advantage of the 4000 is that it when you turn it off, it stops in just a few seconds. On the 1000, it continues to spin for much longer because of the heavy food in the drum, dribbling all the while and sometimes walking across your countertop!

So I give 5 stars to the 4000, and only 4 stars to the 1000. The 1000 does have an optional citrus juicing attachment that is rather nice. If you can't stand pulp, the 1000 also accepts some very inexpensive coffee-filter-like filters that virtually eliminate pulp from the apple-carrot-celery etc. types of juices and make cleanup easier. You really can't use them with tomatoes, strawberries, etc., because it will clog instantly.

Cleanup is pretty easy on both, once you get the hang of it. The only tricky part is getting the pulp out of the strainer. I use a stainless scrubby pad gently on both sides, which seems to work well on both models.

The 1000 is better than I am describing, but loses a star for occasional vices.

This juicer has been great. It juices anything we throw at it. Very powerful motor. Very little vibration. Super high quality!

We've made all kinds of juices, but especially like vegetable (beets, carrots, etc.) and fruit (cherries, strawberries, etc.) mixes.

The only drawback I've found is that the basket that holds the pulp is a little hard to clean. It's not as bad as it could be, but does require a bit of time to get all the pulp out. We've found that a vegetable (stiff bristled) brush makes this go a lot faster.

I didn't rate it 5 stars because of that (somewhat hard to clean) and also that the capacity of juicing is smaller than what some people might need. I suspect you could get about 2, maybe 3 cups of juice before having to remove the pulp. If you wanted more you could just start over. I can imagine for some people (or commercial operations) this would be a drawback.

If I were to get another juicer, I'd definitely buy an Omega. The quality surpasses others I have seen.

I've had my Omega juicer for more than two years now. I love it. It produces a high yield of juice per pound of ingredients and is easy to clean (as far as juicers go). I have never had a problem with it and it works as well today as the day I bought it. Plus, at the time of purchase, I found it to be one of the most affordable of the quality juicers. I highly recommend this product.

The reason we bought this was because it was the cheapest amoung the deep friers. It doesnt get very hot and that gets annoying, seeing that it takes way too long to cook.

Only drawback is that you can not see your food cooking as it states that you can; otherwise, I think this is a great fryer. Easy clean-up and storing of oil in removable pot. I highly recommend.

We bought this deep fryer about a year ago and it has worked VERY well for us all this time! It comes with a removable nonstick oil pot so you can store the oil without draining (and makes clean-up a breeze), the basket handle allows lowering and raising of food into oil (WHILE the top lid is closed) - so once you get your cooking times perfected, the cooker never needs opening except for loading/unloading (plus it is safer that way with no oil splatter/mess/odor)! It also has a changeable carbon filter, is dishwasher safe and has a nice big window so you can check on your food without opening the whole thing (and messing up the temperature)! To me it is definately worth the [$] more than the "usual" presto fry daddys out there! (A friend of mine also uses it to melt soy wax for making candles!)

Got one of these ice cream churns a long time ago, and it was great... until the bucket fell apart. The bucket is wooden held together with bands that can corrode, so the salt you add to the ice ends up destroying the bucket in a few years. I haven't been able to find a replacement bucket, either. Makes great ice cream, though.

I would nicely like to disagree with the review above. We have two ice cream makers and if you take care of them properly they will last forever. We have had one for over 15 years and the bucket is still good. All that need to be done is for the bucket to be washed out after use. I recommend this great product!

this is the finest freezer in the world probably will only have to buy one in a lifetime

it is good for 90 dollars but dont expect too much from it's sensor tech. i just dont use that sensor coz it usually burns food.

but for 90 dollar it is bargin

I've had this product for one year now and I have been pleased with most of its features. It is powerful and heats items quickly. It has some very useful programmed buttons - I find the defrosting options especially helpful and very effective. It has all of the standard convenience features like one-touch "minute" heating, etc. I also think it is attractive and modern but that is subjective of course.

There are some things that could be improved...

The sensor reheat option is supposed to automatically heat items until they are, well, "done" I guess. But many times it overheats them (probably because it is basing its judgement on the amount of steam coming off the item). But if you don't mind waiting for you food to cool, it is nice to have a one-touch feature that allows you to heat foods (even frozen entrees) without reading the package. I should also note that it makes excellent one-touch popcorn which helps to offset the above problem.

The other issues I've had are with the electronic display. It has nice, easy to follow prompts but occasionally I have to wait while it "scrolls" a message prompt that seems needlessly long.

The reason I can't give this product 5 stars (indeed, struggled with maybe giving it only 3) is because the display started having lines of missing pixels after numerous power outages. Fortunately, I returned it to Best Buy and it was fixed and ready for pickup within a few weeks. They said they replaced the part - not sure if manufacturer did it or Best Buy - but I had only the manufacturer's parts warranty that came in the box. Anyway, if your home is not prone to frequent power outages or dimmings this will not likely be a problem for you.

I should also note that the handle looks metallic but it is actually painted plastic that was wearing off on the store model and starting to look ugly in the store. However, after a year of regular use at my home, mine shows no signs of this.

I've had this microwave sitting on my kitchen counter for about 6 months now and I absolutely love it! It has sensor reheat so throw your leftovers in and touch the button....microwave shuts off when the food gets hot. I have two TWEENAGERS that use it for everything. It fits nicely on the counter and doesn't take up too much space. I bought mine when they cost about 50 bucks more....and I am still not complaining. This is a great microwave.

I really like these. The 11 inch size is very nice and you can make whatever bag size you want. No more cash in the trash as the commercial says. It really is true! These rolls are more economical than bags.

This product has been a wonderful way to store leftovers, put away veggies for use in the future, freeze meats without freezer burn, so good for cheese! If you are a gardener, you need this for your harvest. The meats and veggies taste so fresh when you thaw them and cook them. A must for the vegetable gardener or for anyone who buys in bulk and wants to keep your purchase fresh!

THESE ARE EASY TO USE AND CAN SAVE YOU MONEY IN THE LONG RUN.YOU DO NOT GET FREEZE BURN AND THE PRODUCTS STAY JUST AS GOOD AS THE DAY YOU PURCHASED THEM. I HAVE USED THE ROLLS WHEN STORING STEAKS AND THE FIT IS GREAT, SINCE YOU CUT TO THE CORRECT SIZE, WITHOUT WASTING FREEZER SPACE -- AND WHEN YOU CUT THE TOP YOU CAN REUSE THE BAG FOR OTHER ITEMS. GREAT AND SAVES MONEY.