Appliance Reviews

I've tried many different waffle irons over the years and this, by far, is the best one. I've used it several times so far and every single waffle, no matter what recipe I use, comes out perfect. Nothing sticks and when the "done" tone sounds, it's ready!

I bought this waffler not quite sure what to expect. The one I bought was originally broken - I sent it back to the manufacturer with a note describing the problem and a new one arrived two weeks later! This second waffler cooks very quickly - almost too fast. You have to gobble down one waffle in a hurry in order to catch the next one piping hot. This waffler is head and shoulders above the 10 year old one that I had been used to and makes perfect waffles every time.

Just bought this one. I love the fact that the temperature settings are easy to adjust, the knob is large and firm enough that you can tell what you're doing. My kids love the "tweety tweet" sound when the waffles are done. There is a light to watch, but you don't have to! Easy to keep clean. Non-stick is great.

I, too, bought this cooker at Target believing it was a fryer and was disappointed that the instructions noted it was NOT a fryer. Unable to find anything I liked better (the plastic machines seem flimsy and clunky), I took the advice of the last reviewer and tried it as a deep-fryer for tofu and eggrolls. It works! The thermostat seems reliable, and it heats up quickly enough. Plus, it's dishwasher-safe and nonstick. The only disappointments include the fry-basket, which isn't optimum for draining oil and is awkward to handle with a removable pinch-handle-- but I improvised with tongs. And it would be nice to have an airtight lid to store the oil-- but the glass one does just fine if you change the oil occasionally. As someone who usually avoids frying foods for health reasons, this little pot allows me to cook the few fried goods I'd normally go out for as well, or even better, than how I'd get them at a restaurant-- and it makes my "it-ain't-good-unless-it's-fried" husband feel like he's got a place in the kitchen.

I have been using a Fry Daddy for a few years and wanted something that would go into the dishwasher. This is a great multi-cooker. I have the older version of the same appliance so I am using this one strictly as a deep fat fryer. The instructions said NOT to deep fry in it but it works just fine. I live alone and don't need something big and this is just the right size for me. It would be nice to have a plastic cover for it but I like the clear glass lid. The basket is okay also. I can use it in the older model as well. Cooking dried beans in it takes less time and electricity. Thanks, Presto!

I dont want to say too much, but it is really great!

I've decided to give this machine one more chance. The Lello Service Dept is sending me out a replacement Churn Motor for the paddle. If it still doesn't work, then it's going back to Amazon for a refund, and then I'm going to get the Musso 4080 Lussino Icecream maker, which is ALL stainless steel, including the paddle. I'll let you know how it goes. My hopes are still high, and I haven't given-up hope yet. I want very much to believe that the Lello is a HIGH-QUALITY machine. Just two more days until my replacement part arrives. I have to admit though, it's just a little disheartening when your hopes are so high, and then to be let down like this, with Amazon sending me a defective machine. But, we'll see. I have a feeling this replacement part will do the trick.

The replacement part arrived one day ahead of time, and I must say this is one heck of good machine. I grabbed a chocolate icecream recipe out of the Ben & Jerry's Book, and I modified it a little to accommodate my Atkins Diet. Rather than using sugar, I used Splenda, and rather than using milk, I used heavy whipping cream for the entire recipe. Rather than a pinch of salt, I used about a half a teaspoon. And rather than 2 large eggs, I used 3. I figured that the eggs are what give the icecream that custard texture. It really does pay to follow the recipe....lol. Oh well, my recipe had a little too much salt, but the rest of it turned-out pretty well. If I'm not mistaken, some people stated that the timer should be set to 40 minutes instead of 30, but what I found was that the warning beeper alerted me that the paddle was stuck at 40 minutes. In the future, I'm going to try 30 minutes instead, for that gelato texture. 40 minutes makes it more like icecream. I'd say, I didn't do too bad, considering this was my first batch. I think next time I'll try some Peppermint Gelato. I now HIGHLY-RECCOMMEND the Lello 4070 Gelato Junior, with enthusiasm. I don't see any need to spend $600 for an italian icecream maker, unless you feel that you need the ABSOLUTE BEST machine money can buy. Trust me, you'll be PLENTY happy with the Lello. And I have first-hand experience with Lello Customer Service. Did they require me to send back the defective part, after troubleshooting the problem I was having? NO! I merely called them up, they figured-out what the problem was, and the very next day, they had a replacement part on the UPS truck. It took two days for the part to arrive. Once it got here, I was SO excited that I drove over to the grocery store and stocked-up on my ingredients, came home and whipped-up some Beautiful Gelato. Yes, I initially did have a "Bad Out-of-Box Experience", but that problem was immediately taken care of, and I am now in Gelato Heaven. I can't wait to make up some Peanut butter, butter pecan, and any number of other recipies that are in the 3 icecream books I bought. For $200, you can't go wrong with this machine. You too will be in Gelato Heaven when you purchase this FANTASTIC little machine. If you're hesitating because you're not sure if it's worth $200, let me put your mind at ease.........IT IS!!!

Just received and tried out the Gelato (reportedly manufactured by Simac...but the company name on the machine is Lello..don't know why a different name). Results were great! The machine is rather large and heavy, due to the self-contained compressor, but that means you don't have to plan ahead or take up freezer room to prefreeze the bucket. Makes enough ice cream for about four people, although if you need more you can start another batch right away by moving the first batch to another container (or your mouth )and refilling the bucket.

The machine runs quietly and freezes well (albeit I would add 10 minutes to times listed in the included receipt booklet). A timer is included to signal when the "set time" has ellapsed. The timer does not stop the churner or turn off the machine. However, according to the manual the machine will shut off before mechanical damage is done, if the ingredients become too frozen and the churner stops.

For a few dollars more than models requiring prefrozen buckets, you can buy this model and reap the benefits of higher priced models. You may get a larger capacity bucket on some higher priced models, but for home use this machine will put you in the ice-cream maker "big league" with no apparent short comings.

I love my Ice cream freezer but have found that a half batch freezes better. All the more reason to have the extra bowl. I freeze my ice cream in two separate runs. It's worth the time and money for the superior product with less overrun (air in the ice cream) and a smaller ice crystal (for a creamer product.) Why only 4 stars? Cuisinart makes a good freezer but not the best. It is however more than satisfactory for home use.

Cuisinart makes it easy for ice cream lovers by selling extra freezer bowls! Having an extra freezer bowl is extremely useful if you are making large quantities of ice cream or you plan on making different varieties. According to the instruction booklet it can take between six to twenty-two hours to freeze the bowl. We usually keep one bowl in the freezer all the time, then when making a batch of ice cream we replace it with the extra bowl. The freezer bowl doesn't take up much space and it's easy to clean! Fantastic Buy!

While I do have the ice cream maker, I ordered an additional freezer bowl to have on hand. It is helpful if you want to make two flavors of ice cream, or if you want to cool the warm custard for vanilla ice cream before you freeze it.

I have also used this container to quickly cool items (like Jello which must be cooled for a mousse, raspberry mousse comes to mind :) in a metal bowl. Place any metal bowl on the top of this container. It will be stable and the bowl will get ice cold. The contents will then cool very quickly.

Try this bowl to cool down custard when you are filling pastries. Just pour in the custard and stir with a spatula for a few minutes. Soon, you have creamy, cold custard to fill those pastries.

I recommend keeping one of these in the freezer at all times. There are just so many more uses! Use it everytime you need to cool a liquid quickly. You will love the results.

I got this blender y'day, i tested and it started leaking, a huge disappointment, Amazon is giving a replacement, but it was not expected from a brand like cuisinart.

OK gang, listen up. Need a really good blender at a very resonable price? Well, this one is a real winner. I am an exercise enthusiast and, over many years, have made a lot of special shakes, consisting of whey protein powder, frozen strawberries, flax seed oil, ice, & cold water. And, thus, I really do need and appreciate a really good blender that is robust, easy to use, and very easy to clean.

While recently trying to decide on a new blender, I read the Amazon reviews on this particular model. Everything sounded just right, so I decided to purchase it. And, thankfully, this Cuisinart model is just terrific. Whoever designed this thing definitely deserves a bonus and/or a promotion, because they simply GOT IT RIGHT. If you apprecieate the fact that a powerful tool, that is also simple and easy to use, takes a lot of good design work, then you'll really enjoy this blender. It has all that you need and nothing more for almost all blender-related tasks. Here's why I like it so much :

- Very solid, robust design. Nothing wimpy about this little guy.
- Heavy, wide-mouth glass container (MUCH better than plastic!) It holds 48 oz. of liquid, and the extra wide diameter is definitely superior to the more narrow, tapered containers.
- The top is thicker and much more robust than those I've tried on several other models. It also includes a plastic knob that you can easily remove whenever you want to add more incredients without removing the top.
- The base is the best designed I've ever used. The blade & gasket sit within a wide plastic base, and then the whole thing screws into the container. This is really nice, because when you remove the container, this wide base stays attached and you can sit the whole thing down on a counter or table with no risk of it accidently tipping over. This is GREAT when you want to surf the Web on your computer and drink your protein shake at the same time!
- The 500 Watt, easy to use motor is very powerful and takes care of ice with very little effort. I like the controls on this model much better than blenders that have one or more rows of buttons. Fewer buttons means easier use and less tendency for some of the buttons to stop working (a problem with my old Oster blender).

So, there you have it. I am very thankful to the other folks who posted their reviews on this blender, because this really helped me to decide on which model I wanted to examine and purchase. You'll note that this particular model is more highly ranked than others which are more than twice as expensive. If you'll looking for a very robust blender that is simple & easy to both use and clean, I think you'll find that this one is simply terrific. Hats off to the folks at Cuisinart; this is one design that really WORKS.

I saw a similar Cuisinart blender in the store that was [more money]. The motor was only 350W; this one is 500W. This has a dial (which I prefer); the other had a touch pad. Everything else is the same. I called Cuisinart and she confirmed that both blenders are basically the same but this one is [less expensive] even though it has a larger motor.
I bought it specifically to make smoothies and it's great. I don't pre-crush the ice--just add it with the other ingredients. It is extremely easy to assemble and disassemble. On the Waring this replaced, it was almost impossible to screw the bottom on straight. It is noisy, but aren't they all! I love it.

Having chopped about a million vegetables without a nick, I find it ironic that I'd end up slashing my hand on a can lid. This product is well worth the extra money to avoid those sharp lids. Plus, you don't have to worry about fishing around for the lid, because this opener doesn't drop it into the can. If you have kids who sometimes prepare soup by themselves, or for people who might not see the edge of the lid as well as they used to, I'm sure this product will pay for itself with the money you save on band-aids.

This is a fantastic can opener. The way it opens the can and leaves a smooth edge is great. Leaves the cans safe for the kids to recycle without the worry of cutting themselves on sharp edges.

Much easier than my hand-held electric safety edge can opener. Highly recommend!

I was a little apprehensive about this oven based on the other reviews but I have had mine now for 2 weeks and it works flawlessly. I have had no problems with the door sticking while the oven is hot. The oven is a good size for cooking for a small family without heating up the whole kitchen. I often avoid baking in the summer because of this, but not now! Since I am used to a gas oven, I have had to learn to adjust baking temps for this little electric unit which tends to brown faster on the same temp as the gas oven. I haven't broiled in it yet but it toasts very well. The unit looked good as new (matches my cusinart coffee maker) and now the price is even lower than I paid...and I thought it was a great deal.

I own a lot of Cuisinart products (food processor, waffler, ice cream maker, toaster, coffee maker...you get the point) so I'm familiar with the exceptional quality. But I was not prepared for what arrived at my door yesterday.

First, I was amazed at how HEAVY this toaster oven was; 20lbs shipping weight. In addition, I expected to see some smudges and scratches considering that this is a refurbished piece of equipment. What I pulled out of the box could not be distinguished from new with the exception of a small scuff on the upper rear panel of the toaster. This is a BIG unit. When they say that you could cook a 5lb chicken in this oven, it's no exaggeration.

Finally - How does it work? First, I fired it up to cook some chicken nuggets and tater tots for the kids. 425 degrees came in less than 3 minutes! Not that these are gourmet items, but the nuggets and tater tots cooked perfectly to a nice golden brown in about 9 minutes instead of the requisite 13-15 in my large gas oven. And on a hot day (98 degrees yesterday) it'll be a real God-send.

Oh...I made some toast for the kids this morning and that works equally well. You simply cannot go wrong - especially at this price. I'm thinking about buying a few more and giving them out as Xmas gifts.

This is my first independently owned toaster oven ever, and I couldn't be happier. I live by myself, and rarely cook anything bigger than my fist. All those nights wasting power heating up a big oven, what was I thinking?

So far, I've only made toast, but the toast was stupendous. I mean it. This is a cool little oven. Simple, innocuous, and it beeps like a microwave and shuts off when the toast is done. It's the total package.

I ordered this product just before Easter to allow my son to do the eggs all by himself. He likes hard boiled eggs year round so this seemed like the perfect solution. Little did I know that even following the directions exactly didn't produce hard boiled eggs. The yellow centers were never done the first cycle and I always lose at least one egg every cycle because it bursts even though we put the hole in it. I'm sending it back after less than one week of trying to make it work.

If you are thinking of buying this item, don't worry, it works perfectly. Perfect eggs every time. My wife and I cook hard boiled eggs every morning to take to our offices and eat during our break, along with whole wheat toast. Before we purchased the Krups Egg Express Egg Cooker, it was such a hassle to boil water and time the eggs. Now they're perfect every time and we don't have to watch them while we get ready for work. And because the eggs are steamed intead of boiled, the shells seem to come off much more easily.

Sometimes, if you use extra large eggs, you might have to add just a tiny bit more water than indicated by the measuring cup in order for the eggs to be solidly hard boiled. Or, you can just leave them sit in the unit for a extra minute or two after the buzzer goes off.

We occasionally cook soft boiled eggs also, and when we do, they come out perfect.

This unit is very small so it will not take up very much room in your kitchen and it is easy to clean but rarely does it need anything more than a quick rinse.

I was personally chided by a Wall Street Journal reporter for perhaps being one of many Americans who, in her mind, relied on appliances for simple tasks because they can't cook. Well, I can cook, but despite the fact that boiled eggs can be done in a pot costing $1.99, an egg cooker makes a lot of sense to me. I can get perfectly soft boiled eggs, the way I like them, or a rack of hard-boileds for lunch while I run around the kitchen doing other things than timing the eggs. An alarm tells you when the eggs are ready. There is a warm feature, but since that overcooks the eggs eventually, I don't use it.

I will defy ridicule and say that this is the most-used appliance next to the electric teakettle in our kitchen, and yes, I DO know how to boil water.

I have baked for nearly 30 of my 41 years, and I have used a lot of hand mixers. This one by KitchenAid is a great partner to my KitchenAid stand mixer. I have used it for everything from cookie dough, to cream, to mashed (okay, whippped) potatoes. It has never failed me, I find it powerful enough for my purposes, and one thing that has not been mentioned in the other reviews is that this mixer is relatively quiet. Not silent, but quiet.For jobs that are really too small for the K45, this is ideal. Nicely balanced, easy to use. In short, a winner.

You know there are times when you just don't want to haul out the big mixer, right? Well, being the holiday hostess for my large extended family, my Irish brothers love their mashed potatoes. When I have a holiday dinner and my countertops are loaded with lots of other wonderful holiday dinner foods waiting to be served, hauling out the big mixer is just not an option. Out comes this handy little KitchenAid hand mixer! In a jiffy, this little powerhouse mashes the potatoes and then away it goes so dinner can proceed as needed. It's a really cool tool and I'm glad to have it at times like that. Also, I have pulled it out to mix pancake batter, sometimes cake batter, and other easy to mix items. It's easy to wipe down and the beaters pop right off to go into your dishwasher. Easy clean, easy to use, easy storage -- what more could you want?

This hand-held mixer is a great compromise if you don't require a heavy-duty stand design. It's modererately priced and is a "quality" product from "KitchenAid". The motor though, isn't quite as heavy-duty as you'll find in stand mixers. Very heavy batters or bread dough might pose a challenge for any hand-held model but it's a fraction of the price of the stand mixers. This one will meet the needs of the majority of families most of the time. It is available in eight color choices, including black and white. I rated it five stars because, it's probably the best hand-held mixer in that overall class of product. Lots of "speed" settings from which to select and made by a company that has stood the "test of time" and stands behind their products.

When we bought this toaster for our mom we loved and it looked beautiful. About a year later sitting here in our kitchen waiting on poptarts to finish toasting, and we glance over, and the toaster is on fire. Luckily, I knew how to controll a kitchen fire. Always use Baking Soda, and Don't Buy This Product!!!!

We bought this toaster for my mom to replace the toaster she received as a Christmas gift 20 years ago. We picked it because it was cute and matched her kitchen...unfortunately for us. It worked for about 3 weeks, after which the mechanism that holds the bread down went haywire. It would either not work at all, or it would stick and char the toast. She decided to throw it away and went back to the trusty old-timer she'd been using. I would never buy this toaster again. It was such a shoddy product that it has dissuaded me from buying other Michael Graves products.

I can't rave enough about the Michael Graves toaster in my kitchen. I primarily bought it due to the sleek, streamlined retro appearance, but have found it to be a very well crafted and utilitarian toaster, as well. (It is actually manufactured by the Black and Decker Corporation.)

For functionality, the slots are wide enough to take bagels or frozen waffles without a pause, and are long enough to take 'designer' or gourmet breads (like some of the exotic Brownberry breads now on the market) without squishing the ends into the slots, which, of course, normally results in burned ends. Consistent toasting quality is excellent, with repeat toastings coming through at the proper levels of 'doneness' unlike some competitors. All in all, great toast is what you will get from this little gem.

The only slight downside that I have discovered is that the toaster's footprint on the counter is somewhat larger than most comparable two slice models, so that could be a consideration if space is really tight in your kitchen.

To sum up: If you like toast, and you like style, you can't go wrong with this toaster!